★彡ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ | ᴘᴀᴜʟ ᴍᴄᴄᴀʀᴛɴᴇʏ彡★ ✅

★彡[ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 5]彡★

Abby was shifting her weight from foot to foot impatiently as she waited for her sister to come out of her classroom. Why is she always last? Abby thought. It was only that day that it really mattered that Mollie was out quickly, and she most definitely was not!

Eventually, she came out with a wide smile on her face and her hair looking an absolute mess. Abby sighed as her sister reached her and greeted her with a very happy, "hi, Abs!"

"Hey, you." Abby smiled as she took Mollie's schoolbag, "where's your cardie?" She unzipped the bag and rifled through its contents, sighing again when she realised that it wasn't in there. "Can you go back in for it?"

Mollie looked over her shoulder at the now-closed classroom door. Through the glass they could see Mollie's teacher tidying up.

"I don't think Miss Windsor would like that. She looks busy." Mollie frowned.

"Mol, you need that cardie. You'll get a chill without it."

"But -"

"Just go knock on the door. I'll wait here." She promised, "and hurry up, I have to get back to work, alright?"

At least she's had a good day, Abby thought as Mollie excitedly told her all about the art lesson which she had finished the day with.

Mollie was gone for another ten minutes. Abby was very impatient and wanted her sister to hurry up, and each minute seemed to stretch for five times as long. When Mollie finally did appear, Abby nearly cried with relief.

What if Arthur had come back and she was gone? Would he be angry? Would Daphne be angry that she had taken so long to return?

"Come on!" Abby said a little more roughly than she would have liked. Mollie, surprised at her sister's tone, followed Abby down the path and back along the road to the cafe.

When they reached the diner, Abby breathed out in relief. She hadn't realised, but she had been tense and holding her breath since she had left the diner to get Mollie... but Arthur wasn't back, and Daphne seemed to have held down the fort well enough while she was gone - though Daph looked very pleased that Abby was back.

"Right, sit in the corner here Mol." Abby pulled a chair out for her sister and put her schoolbag on the table. "I'll get you a milkshake. Don't make a sound, okay? I'll be as quick as I can."

Mollie nodded and sat down whilst Abby went to get her a milkshake.

As soon as she was behind the counter, Daphne said, "thank God you're back."

"Was it busy?"

"As usual, but I couldn't do everything at once! I had one table walk out on me because I didn't get to taking their order quickly enough." The poor girl looked on the verge of tears.

Abby, biting her lip, put her arms around the other girl. "Thanks so much for letting me go, Daph. You're a lifesaver."

"It's okay," Daphne replied, "I just wish you'd been a little quicker -"

"Mol forgot her cardie in the classroom, I had to send her back for it. I'm really sorry. You know what kids are like."

Daphne nodded. Her older sister had a little boy who was five, and he was definitely a piece of work!

The two of them got to work; Abby kept to behind the counter and the food and Daphne took the orders and served the plates up. Mollie hardly spoke, sitting at her table and doing some colouring.

She was a good girl, and Abby was grateful for it. It was stressful enough having to parent Mollie when she wasn't difficult - if she had been a difficult child, Abby was sure that she would have given up long ago.

Ten minutes before the cafe was due to close, the bell above the door rang and both Daph and Abby looked up. Daphne was sweeping the floor as their last customers had just left, and Abby was cleaning the griddle.

Arthur swept in looking very pleased with himself.

Both of his waitresses were fuming, but what could they say to him?

"What's she doing here?" Arthur asked, looking at Mollie.

Abby came around the side of the counter and undid her apron strings, leaving the apron on the top of it. "I couldn't leave her at home by herself... and I couldn't leave Daphne here by herself."

"Couldn't your parents have taken their child?"

"No." Abby held her tongue, wanting so badly to scream at her stupid, selfish boss. "So I dashed off to get her and then brought her back here. We thought you'd be back by then, at least -"

"Am I not entitled to take some time off?" Arthur asked, taking a few steps closer to Abby. He was trying to intimidate her, but it wouldn't work.

He's just a man, she told herself, he won't do anything to you. He's just a man. He won't do anything to you.

"Am I not allowed to take some time off?" Another few steps. He was now so close that Abby could smell the alcohol on his breath.

He'd been drinking instead of working... and anybody who had to leave not only their job - but their business - in the middle of the day had a drinking problem.

But what could Abby do about it?

Abby took her apron and said, "come on, Mollie, get your things." Abby went to go and get her coat and bag from the backroom before she came back out the front. She had tried to hurry, not entirely sure that Arthur wouldn't start treating her sister like shit, too. She wouldn't put it past him.

But Mollie was standing by the door ready to go with her bag hanging from one shoulder. She was talking to Daphne. Arthur was nowhere to be seen.

Abby said, "thank you for watching her, Daph."

"No problem." Daphne sounded a little nicer than she ever had before.

Abby could sense that Daphne wanted to talk to her alone, so she turned to Mollie, "wait outside for me, Mol?"

Mollie nodded and did just that. As soon as the door had closed behind her, Daphne said, "Mollie told me about your mum. God, I'm so sorry, Abby. Look, I know we've never got on that well, but it's just because we've never really had the time and because it's easier for Arthur to think that I hate you too... but I don't. I like you and your sister, she's cute. Maybe we could go out for a drink, sometime? Or a coffee?"

Abby gave a small smile. She liked Daphne too, but had never made the effort to get to know the other girl. "Yeah, maybe." How could she fit a coffee into her weekly budget? She barely had enough to get by on as it was.

Sensing Abby's reluctance, Daphne spoke again. "Or maybe you could come to mine for dinner? Bring Mollie too, of course. My mum makes the best shepherds pie you'll ever have."

Abby gave a genuine smile at that. She nodded, "that sounds really great, yeah. Thank you."

Daphne reached over and gave Abby a quick cuddle before letting her go.

"Now get that kid home before she freezes out there. It might be getting warmer in the day but the nights are still bitter."

Abby smiled and said bye to Daphne before she went outside and took Mollie's hand.

It was only after Abby had put Mollie to bed that night with a story and a cup of Ovaltine that she had a chance to lay down on her bed - still in the clothes that she had worn to work - and think about the stranger. About Paul.

She was asleep within minutes as exhaustion finally overtook her. Tomorrow she had to do it all again.