Page 108 - The Letter By Ann Newhouse

‘Amber, why don’t you take a break I can manage’, Rex must have seen the worry on my face. The bar had cleared except for a few regulars. ‘Jenny will be in soon she can finish the tables’, he continued to say, so I went into the kitchen and made myself a snack. Taking off my shoes and settling down to relax for a half hour or so I could hear Jenny and Rex laughing together at the bar, I turned the volume on the radio up high.
Just before closing time Penny appeared in the bar.
‘Did you have a nice day?’ I asked her not expecting her response.
‘Oh, Amber it was awful’, she burst into tears.
‘Come sit down I’ll get you a hot toddy you’re shaking’, I guided her over to the sofa. Penny told me word for word about the incident, ‘we were having such a nice time all day and then at dinner she just exploded’.
‘What happened?’
‘The restaurant was very plush with lighted candles everywhere the ambience was a little too romantic for there to be three of us there together, but I relaxed bit more when I saw a few other tables of three. I was all going well, Seki was advising Paul on one of the dishes to try and we all enjoyed the food, it really was delicious’, she paused to wipe her eyes, ‘we had gone through a couple of bottles of champagne, again all enjoying ourselves when suddenly Seki ordered Paul to leave the rest of his drink’!
The restaurant was very busy, so I tried to just ignore it, you know pretend nothing happened but then Paul tried to calm her down and without warning she stood up to leave. Paul said loudly, ‘Sit down and act your age’.
I could tell she was very rattled.