Page 66 of The Second Chance Supper Club

Around fifteen minutes later, Will had to pass their table on his way to the gents, and it was then he spotted Cath. He paused, and gave a broad smile. ‘Oh, hi.’

‘Ah, hello, Will … been off cycling?’ Nothing like stating the obvious, she cursed herself for sounding so wet. ‘Oh, this is my sister. She’s staying with me for the weekend.’

‘Hi, nice to meet you.’ Susie was all smiles too, whilst managing to give Cath a sideways look that said, This is Will … and you didn’t tell me. They could read each other so well. ‘I’m Susie,’ she introduced herself.

Will gave a nod. Then, in an instant his smile dropped. ‘Right … well, hope you’ve had a nice meal. Uhm, got to dash.’

Cath noticed he looked kind of pale. Was he feeling a bit off, perhaps?

With that, he headed to the gents, and on his return, he kept his eyes firmly fixed on the bar area. He and his friend drank up soon afterwards, and Cath spotted them gathering their things ready to exit. She looked over to wave or mouth a goodbye, but he didn’t so much as glance her way. Oh. A nip of disappointment hit her in the gut.

She’d thought they’d got closer after that recent heart-to-heart talking about his wife, and about Trevor … about life. The stargazing session still lingered on her mind. Oh, and they were meant to be off on their walk together soon. He could at least have said bye. Hah, men, would she ever get used to them, and their odd bloody ways?

Back home, in the cottage’s cosy lounge, the sisters were nestled together on the sofa, with a cup of tea.

‘So, are you happy here?’ Susie sounded earnest, like she was digging for the truth. She’d been worrying about her little sister for months now. Cath had been good at hiding her feelings at times, over the years.

‘Yeah, I am. It’s still early days, of course … but yes, it feels like a good move. I really like the village, and the people. And I love being in the countryside. All that space and fresh air.’

‘It does look very pretty around here.’

‘Yeah, do you remember coming up this way when we were kids? It was so different from home, from those never-ending Sheffield suburbs.’ They’d lived in Sheffield as a family, growing up with their parents, before Cath had left for uni, and then moved to Leeds with Trevor. ‘It’s hardly changed up here … still kind of old-fashioned, but in a good way.’ Cath’s thoughts drifted back to those family holidays, especially that last eventful time …

‘Oh God, remember that awful time you went through, after that last caravan holiday up here.’ Susie was on the same wavelength, evidently. ‘Yes, the panic of that pregnancy scare … you were only sixteen.’

Cath had finally confided in her sister, after four weeks back home and still no period, being terrified to tell their parents. The holiday romance, and that ‘first time’ with the lad from Belford. Susie had been the one who’d told her not to panic, given her a big hug, wiped away her anxious tears, and gone to buy a pregnancy test for her. The two women had held that secret between them for all these years. To this day, Cath had never spoken about it with anyone else.

‘He seemed a nice enough lad to be fair …’ Susie continued. ‘Matty, yes, that was it … but Christ, you were so bloody young.’

‘Yeah.’ Cath had flushed pink, the memory vivid, emotions still strong about it even now. ‘He was a really nice lad, but we hardly knew each other, not really … a typical holiday romance.’ She tried to make light of it, though that first flush of young love had meant the world to her back then, in those giddy days of youth and inexperience. ‘Bloody hell, it would have changed everything, having a baby so young.’ She took a large gulp of tea. ‘I don’t think I could have gone through with an abortion, either. But then, I was about to start my A Levels, and I was fixed on training to be a teacher. That’s all I’d wanted to do for years.’

‘Yeah, I remember, Little Miss Maths Teacher … and hey, you went on and did it.’

‘But back then, I was terrified … suddenly all my dreams seemed to be in the balance,’ she sighed, as the memories came rushing in. ‘I was so bloody naïve.’

‘Yep, you think you’re all grown up, think you can handle those early relationships, but you’re still a child really. God, I worry about my girls, even now. It’s such a vulnerable age, that near-adulthood.’

‘Yeah.’ She thought about Adam, too. Struggling to get a decent job, the world an ever-changing place, everything so fast with the constant scroll and hit of social media. There was so much more information, entertainment, but to her it felt like overload. ‘Hopefully, the girls are a lot more clued up than we ever were,’ Cath continued, thinking back to her youth once more. ‘Access to healthcare, better education, availability of the pill, it’s kind of the norm. We hardly spoke about it back then. And we trusted the lads to buy the condoms … and know how to use them.’ She still remembered how it was all a bit of a fumble, way back when.

‘But hey, it all worked out in the end, didn’t it.’

‘There by the grace of God … a false alarm … bloody hell. Mum and Dad would have had a heart attack about it, wouldn’t they? And hey, thanks for being a great big sis … you’ve always had my back, haven’t you?’ She leaned in to give Susie an affectionate hug, getting a waft of her floral Jo Malone Peony perfume, her sister’s favourite scent.

‘Hey, I’m sure you’d have done the same for me. Anyway, let’s stop harking back to the bad old days. That’s bloody years ago. And you’ve been through a hell of a lot more since then. What’s done is done. We need to be having some fun, now. The good times are coming.’ Susie chinked her mug against Cath’s. ‘To your wonderful new cottage home and your new life. It’s your turn to shine again, sis.’

‘Aw, thanks, Suz.’

And Cath realised that she did feel stronger, here in Tilldale, ready to spread those wings, to take flight once more and find that big blast of sunshine.

‘Don’t you think it’s exciting, now you’re all settled in? Now the worst of the Trevor shite is over. You can start again. A clean slate, new page. New beginnings … and a sensationally sassy Second Chapter.’

‘Yeah, I like that idea.’ She raised her tea mug. ‘Cheers to my Second Chapter! With plenty of sass.’

Chapter 39

The weekend had disappeared in a flash, with Susie heading back to the Peak District on Sunday evening. After the flush of animated sibling chatter and company these past two days, the quiet of the cottage and the sleepy street outside was a contrast. Cath felt a little emptier, a little lonelier. A solo life was now hers, and she was still trying to adapt to that. She wondered if Reggie had felt this too, over the years. Once his wife had passed away, it was more than likely. She sighed, feeling that allegiance with him.

Well, then, she knew where she could find a bit of company and some chit-chat, plus the bonus of some freshly baked goodies to cheer up her morning coffee time: the village stores. Time to crack on, and remind herself of the happier things in life.