Chapter Nineteen - Second Chances

Sammi stood, a look of sheer disbelief pasted on her face. She was prepared to hate the new premises.

And quite rightly so.



Of all the places to stay, this one must be the worst. A shambling trailer park with dirty, rusty, broken vehicles parked up on the grassy verges, some even propped up by bricks, parts missing....


...... and the smell.

It was a mixture of diesel oil, man sweat and cat pee.

She couldn't believe her mother had stooped this low. To have taken over her 'ex' boyfriend's trailer.


Prior to their arrival, they had to stand outside the B&B with all their belongings, waiting for a taxi. Sammi showed her displeasure then, with a scowl she'd perfected just for her mother.

She also couldn't believe how easily little Ewan had been drawn into this new 'adventure' so quickly. Surely he could see the squalid conditions they were going to be living in? And the thin metal walls were definitely going to be a real pain too. Many times she'd overheard the grunts and strains of her mother and her latest 'boyfriend'. With even thinner walls between them, this was going to be torture.


Sighing heavily, and for dramatic measure, Sammi flopped to the floor, staring intently at the clouds. Tessa and Ewan completely ignored her, as they stood together, playing pretend, Ewan's tiny little feet planted firmly on his mommy's feet, swinging wildly and giggling with joy.

'Oh how fortunate we all are,' Tessa thought to herself, as she joined in the innocent laughter of her young son, 'to be a whole family unit.'

After their 'slanging' match outside the B&B, Sammi had been completely silent in the taxi ride over here, occasionally throwing icy glares at her mother, but mostly staring darkly out of the taxi window.

But Tessa knew that eventually, the food would start to run out, and there were the bills to pay. Rick had been meticulous about all of that. However, it all fell by the wayside when he landed in prison. Hence the reason behind Tessa taking over the trailer for a short while.

Sammi hated Rick on sight. There was just something seedy and dangerous about him.
She hoped that their stay in his trailer would be a temporary measure until they found somewhere else.

She dreaded the day he'd be released.

Tessa glanced at her watch, frowned, then ruffled Ewan's copper hair.

"I'm sorry sweetie," she said, kissing him, "mommy's going to have to go now."

"To go see him?" came the tart reply.

Tessa sighed, it was obvious she wasn't able to get through to her head-strong, rebellious teenage daughter.

"No," she said slowly, "to go find myself a part time job."

Sammi snorted.

Tessa bit her tongue, holding back her usual impulsive reply. She knew only too well that Sammi was baiting her into having yet another argument. But this time Tessa wasn't rising to it.



She leaned down and gave Ewan a big hug.

"I won't be long, honey," she crooned in his ear, "just keep an eye on your big sister for me, will ya? There's a good boy. I heard that there's a job going nearby, so I'm going to see if I can get in there."

With that, she vanished around the corner, leaving Ewan and Sammi alone.




Sammi groaned and rolled her eyes, lost in her own thoughts as she continued to watch the clouds scudding by, and listening to the screeching of a flock of birds as they flew overhead.

Ewan simply shrugged and started chasing fireflies.

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The smell of percolating coffee was over powering, as it mingled with the smell of fried breakfasts.

'The Coffee Pot' had come a long way from the greasy spoon existence out of the back of a beaten up trailer. With the onset of construction sites and new houses popping up all over Cloverdale and surrounding areas, sustenance was greatly needed to keep the workers happy and well fed. And so 'The Coffee Pot' was born, the brainchild of the extremely enterprising young lady who took a risk and it paid off.



Now, standing majestically, in it's own landscaped grounds, it was a testament to the hard work put in by the owner and proprietor, Miranda Kensington. She graduated from college, Magna Cum Laude, two years ago and set up her small business from the money she'd been saving.
Even sacrificing her own dream of becoming a Hall of Famer, just to make sure that all the workers were happy and satisfied from her delicious meals.

She could quite easily have been a Fortune Sim, wanting the best of everything, never satisfied with whatever she had. But, she chose Popularity, as she loved the cheery atmosphere that surrounded the builders and constructions workers. Their bawdy sense of humour and tales of their families.

But cooked meals and coffee cups were the last thing on Miranda's mind as she stood, arms folded, scowling at her twin brother Daryl.

"Oh please sis," he pleaded, "let me help out. I'll make it worth your while."

She shook her head. She'd put far too much into this little business to see it crumble before her.
Daryl had always been a slacker. Relying heavily on Miranda to get him through school, and college.

He was devastated when she graduated a year early, leaving him struggling along with his term papers and assignments.



"No Dal," she said firmly, "you'd mess up all the orders."

Daryl was crestfallen and it showed plainly on his face.




"You're not going to give me a chance, are you," he whined, plumping out his bottom lip.

"Nope, and that's final," came the reply.

"But you're run off your feet all the time," he protested, "I've seen you falling asleep on the settee many evenings, totally exhausted."

He jutted out his chin, normally a cute gesture to win the hearts of many damsels, but Miranda was adamant. There was no way he was going to win her over at all.

"No, Dal, my word is final. Besides, I've already advertised for an assistant to help me out. Hopefully the right candidate will come along and take up some of the slack."

"But think of the savings you'll have if you employ me."

She groaned. He wasn't going to give up at all. She sighed, rubbing her temples, the beginnings of a headache gnawing at her.

"Look, why don't you go and find yourself a job? Please.... Anything to get you out from under my feet. Besides, it's almost lunch time and I've got to get the sandwiches ready. There are a lot of hungry guys out there you know."

Daryl pouted, before stomping up the stairs.

"And don't you be playing games on that computer either!" Miranda called after him.

He waggled his head and grumbled under his breath.

"Yes Mom," he muttered.

"I heard that!"



Miranda was in the middle of cling wrapping a plate of sandwiches, when the doorbell rang.
She answered it to find a scrawny, scantily clad, red-headed woman standing there.

"Can I help you?"

She honestly didn't want this woman anywhere inside the house at all. Her first impression of this heavily made up woman wasn't good at all. But she swallowed her pride anyway, just to give this stranger the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm here about the job," Tessa replied roughly, half expecting this pretty young lady to turn her away.

"Why don't you come in and we can discuss it upstairs?"

Miranda stepped back reluctantly, allowing this crude woman into her premises.

"I'll show you the way."

Unfortunately, at that moment, people started to filter into the coffee house, making themselves feel at home. So a private interview was out of the question.

Miranda motioned to the settee.

"Why don't you take a seat?"



Tessa marvelled at the 'old fashioned' styling throughout this building. And was pleasantly surprised to see it continued in the tiny apartment upstairs. It reminded her of her grandma's place. A real 'home away from home', with the smell of homemade jams and pickling.



"Listen," interrupted Tessa eagerly, "I know I'm not much to look at, but I'm a good, hard worker. I have two kids, a boy and a girl, and I need the money to get food and clothes for them."



"Besides," she continued, "I think I'll be able to bring a bit of 'sunshine' into this job. I'm no fair weather worker, that's for sure."



Miranda was shocked at her frankness and soon forgot her carefully planned speech.



Daryl, who had been sitting in the corner reading, let his jaw hang open at the sight of this woman. It soon gave way to a wicked grin, as he evaluated the situation.
If his sister was to employ this woman, life at 'The Coffee Pot' would never be the same.

The interview was very brief, due to the first batch of workers starting to filter through the doors. But Miranda decided to give Tessa a chance and hired her.




Tessa couldn't thank her enough.

"You have to understand," Miranda explained, "the cafe really gets busy all through the day, with more and more customers filtering in."

"I can do that," Tessa smiled, "I'm used to being busy."


"There's also a lot of food preparation, along with cleaning the tables and stuff."

Tessa nodded eagerly.

"And you'll have to wear an apron had have your hair tied back."

"Hey, no problem."


"So, when do I start?" Tessa asked eagerly.

"Um,"

Already the cafe was starting to fill up with hungry customers, and she'd already fallen behind with the orders.

"Er, how about now?"

She made her way hurriedly down the stairs to make a start on the sandwiches.
"That's great!" Tessa yelled down the stairs, You won't be sorry!" her voice cracking with excitement.



Miranda only hoped that that would be true.

Chapter Eleven - Prison Life

It was a quiet time for Rick. In fact, it was was always going to be a quiet time. It had been for the past five years of his life. Residing at her majesty's leisure, in the dirtiest, most unpleasant prison he'd encountered in his life.

His only enjoyment, was a good old workout at the prison gymnasium, where he could take out his frustrations with the equipment. Besides, the weather was lousy outside, and he didn't fancy taking his daily walk at all. So, he heaved his large, bulky frame off to the gym for a workout.


Amid the rhythmic clatter of the weights, and the tinny sound emanating from the integrated prison stereo, Rick had time to think and ponder.

About life.


Where he had been, where he was now, where he was heading.

The only thing, keeping his sanity, was his girlfriend outside. He looked forward to her visits, her tender smile, the hope reflected in her eyes.

If he could kiss her hand, he would, with passionate fervour. But the glass partition prevented that, and they could only smear their sweaty palms against the toughened glass.

As he was working out, a shadow passed before him and he scowled at the willowy figure standing there.

Cal.

The little snitch that got him inside in the first place.

If he hadn't blundered along, whilst hacking into the computer database, they wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place.

To make matters worse, Cal's sister, just happened to be his girlfriend. Not that it mattered much, they never got along anyway.

Rick would happily pulverise Cal's face into a pulp, but for the fact that they were constantly surrounded by guards 24/7.

Besides, he didn't want GBH added to his long list of felonies either. He desperately wanted to get out as soon as possible and start afresh.

"Hey boss," rasped Cal, his asthma rattling his chest and throat, "I heard about Clara."

Rick ignored him, concentrating on his weights.

"She's run away with the guy next door." he taunted, leaning against the wall, a smirk playing on his lips, "guess she couldn't wait any longer."

Inside, Rick was boiling, knowing it was a matter of time. He realised Cal was baiting him, expecting him to lash out. But for now, he wanted to get as far away from this weedy little nerd, before his temper got the better of him.

Rick skipped his customary shower. Actually, he'd barely broken sweat, before Cal arrived, and made his way back to his cell.

Luckily for him, he was the only occupant, Cal had been sequestered elsewhere on the block. But he wasn't alone by any chance. Still following along, sneaky little taunts whispered into his ear, was Cal, determined to get the better of him.


Rick flopped onto the hard bed and took out a book, pretending to be engrossed in it. But still, Cal continued to taunt him mercilessly. He walked up to the bunk and snatched the book out of Rick's hands.

That was it.

Rick leapt up from the bunk and swatted the book away. It clattered against the wall before flopping face downwards onto the floor, pages crinkled and bent awkwardly.


"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled, facing up to Cal, a vein pulsating in his forehead.

"Ohhh, a baby book," crooned Cal, grinning maliciously, "I didn't think you could read."

It was a book given to him by Clara, his girlfriend. She'd suggested to him that he should educate himself. And it was a firm favorite. A book of children's classics that he read each and every night before lights out.

He wasn't ashamed at his lack of literary skills. It was the fact that he'd treasured this book more than anything he'd had in this world, and that weedy little creep was tormenting him and pushing his boundaries.

Yes, Cal was a highly educated man, with computer skills and a degree in business studies. But that didn't mean he should look down on those less fortunate than himself.

And Rick, with his quick temper, was an easy target.

Cal reached down to pick up the book, but Rick's reflexes were quicker.

Grabbing hold of Cal's hand, he began to squeeze. Cal howled, hopping up and down in pain, as Rick squeezed harder.

"Leave it there!" he growled.

He could feel the bones snapping and Cal's knuckles popping as this slightly built man shrieked, gasping hard, tears pouring down his face.

It gave Rick a great sense of satisfaction, feeling those bones cracking beneath his powerful hands. Those hours in the gym had paid off eventually.

It didn't matter now. His record for good behaviour had been broken. What mattered was that he'd have a few weeks of peace and quiet, without Cal bugging him at every opportunity.

And that was satisfaction enough.