Battered

Chapter 25

Do you eat anything besides junk?" I ask Cheryl as she throws another confectionery item in the shopping trolley.

She looks down at the selection of chocolates, biscuits and cakes she has picked up from the shelves of the supermarket, "Guess not" she answers cheekily.

"How do you manage to stay so tiny then?" I huff; a tad jealous of her figure.

"I dunno, I've always just been really petite" she shrugs, "I'd kill to have curves like yours though; to be able to wear a nice dress and fill it out in all the right places."

"You're welcome to them" I laugh, pushing the trolley down the supermarket aisle, "Good luck trying to find a dress that fits when your body isn't in proportion"

Cheryl lingers a few steps behind me, "Well everything looks perfectly proportioned from where I'm standing babe" I hear her say.

Fighting the blush that's rapidly working its way onto my cheeks, I round the corner and turn into another aisle. Cheryl speeds up and walks alongside me, putting a hand on the side of the trolley to help me guide it around the other shoppers.

We come to a stop in the fruit and vegetable section and I add the remaining items from my list to the trolley while Cheryl looks on; turning her nose up and voicing her dislike of practically everything I pick up.

Being late afternoon, the queue at the checkout isn't that long and fifteen minutes later we are in the car on our way back home.

The start of the journey is filled with our usual everyday chatter but Cheryl seems kind of distracted, like her mind is somewhere else, and silence soon takes over.

"Kim, about this morning..." Cheryl says after a few minutes staring out the window, "I'm sorry for being a bit off with you."

"It's fine Cheryl" I answer, "don't worry about it."

"I've been in touch with me mam" she continues, "We haven't spoken for over a year but I sent her a text yesterday evening and told her about what happened with Ashley."

"And did she reply?" I ask

Cheryl shakes her head, "Not until this afternoon. That's why I was in a bad mood at breakfast; I thought she was ignoring me. She didn't exactly approve of my relationship with Ashley. Not that I blame her." she sighs.

"Anyway," Cheryl continues, "We had a chat and sort of patched things up. She wants me to go home for a visit next week."

"That's good" I smile, "I'm sure she's missed you"

"I've missed her" Cheryl says with a sad smile, "We used to be really close; it'll be nice to spend some time together again."

"So, how long are you planning on staying for?" I ask, secretly hoping it won't be too long.

"I'm not sure yet" Cheryl shrugs, "maybe a week or so"

After parking the car, Cheryl helps me carry the shopping bags inside. The postman has been and a small pile of letters and leaflets are scattered on the mat. Cheryl takes the bags into the kitchen while I gather up the post.

Sorting through the letters, I notice one addressed to Cheryl. I walk into the kitchen and smile at the sight of her already eating one of the many cakes she picked up at the supermarket.

"Here," I hand over the letter, "This came for you"

She hesitates for a second before eagerly ripping open the envelope and taking out the letter inside. I watch closely as her eyes scan over the words on the page, her smile growing wider by the second; by the time she has finished reading it, she is practically beaming.