Room 2D

A photo-story by Julie Holmes from Februs 17 It had been a long day and there were still at least three hours to go. Prunella Simmons had arrived at the tea rooms at seven as usual to start preparing the basic items for the day. Then there had been the breakfast rush (why didn’t these people stay at home and have cornflakes like any civilised being would do?) followed by the genteel lady shoppers arriving for elevenses which, in turn, were followed by the usual motley crowd at lunchtime. The two part-timers had helped to clear the debris and then left for the day and it would be a good half-hour before the Canadian student arrived to assist with the afternoon cream teas. Pru was exhausted and the chaise-longue standing guard in front of the curtained boundary between public tea-room and the private living quarters of the proprietor was just too inviting. She plumped a cushion and stretched out for a quick break with a magazine a...

From Februs 13 by Paul Melrose (a.k.a. Alex Birch, RIP, who used to write the Taste of the Birch blog that some may fondly remember) As Melody Prentice walked into the living room of Paula Simmons home to be greeted so affectionately by her hostess, she could have cried with delight for she had, with the help of Paula and the other girls, survived the greatest crisis of her life. Her whole world had revolved around her husband and when she came downstairs that fateful morning to find the note that told her Bob had left her to live with his secretary, she had felt that her life was one huge void. Twenty-eight years old and alone in the world. She should have known what would happen, for the relationship had been rocky for a very long time and now, with so much time on her hands, Melody had been able to see things in perspective rather than blame her husband for everything that had gone wrong… and the truth disturbed her greatly. ...