Ruben or August

Chapter 4

The next few days went by without a problem. I had been to work on Saturday, struggling with the noise and the excited children running all around the shop, but I had managed like the other times. On the Monday, I had seen my mother. She had asked me all about my date, and of course I couldn't have hidden it from her as Kate had phoned her almost as soon as I had walked out from the pet shop on the Friday. She had been really happy and cheerful about it, hugging me a lot and I even saw her pushing tears back. I had never had a boyfriend, let alone been on a date and I think she was just happy that her daughter had finally allowed herself to go on one. But she couldn't help but wonder how we would arrange another date as we had not exchanged numbers. I had just shrugged it off, I could always go by the fish counter and ask him, or he could come and see me in the pet shop. And even though I hoped I wouldn't have to ask him out on a date or that he came to my work place, I couldn't help but think about how nice he was.

It was Wednesday now, and I had decided to go down to TESCO's to buy something different. I felt braver since my date and I've decided that today I will take the bus to the supermarket, then go to the butcher's and buy maybe a beefsteak and then for pudding I wanted to try some exotic fruit.

I looked at the other side of the shop whilst putting some tomatoes in a plastic bag. I could see the fish counter from where I was standing, and I couldn't help but try and see if Ruben was working today or not. Not seeing him, I carefully went towards the apples and picked out the ripest. For some reason I was feeling a bit sad that Ruben wasn't here today. I decided to wait a bit, hovering at the fruit and vegetable isle just to make sure he wasn't in the back of the shop. Felling unusually brave, I walked over to the fish counter ready to order some prawns.

'Hello... I...Can... I have...some prawns... plea...please.' I asked timidly to the women behind the counter. She went over and picked up a handful before shoving them in the bag and handing them over to me. Without even saying a word she turned towards the people behind her and left me to myself not sure what to do with these prawns. 'How... how do I... cook... them?' I asked at her, but she just ignored me and carried on with the other customers. I stood there not sure if I should take them or leave them because I didn't have a clue about what to do with them. I didn't like phoning my mother with questions like that because I wanted to feel capable of doing things without having to call for her help every ten minutes.

'You know, I could show you.' Said a voice behind me that I recognised strait away. I turned around a smile on my face and there was Ruben standing in front of me in his big wellington boots. 'Hi.' I said suddenly getting all shy. 'I could see you in the vegetable isle.' He said smirking. I could feel my cheeks becoming all red. 'You... you have a stain.' I said staring at his trousers and ignoring the fact that he had noticed me staring. 'Yeah I dropped some intestines on me.' He said laughing. I couldn't help but think about washing those because the stain was so big. 'You... you're not... behind the counter.' I said looking towards the other women carelessly serving other people now.

'I'm loading the fish isle.' He said. 'So we forgot to exchange our numbers on Friday.' He exclaimed. 'Yeah...' I trailed along 'I... I was...I... needed to be alone...so I... left you.' I said looking down at his wellingtons. 'No problem, I knew you'd come shopping for prawns eventually.' He said pointing at the bag I was holding. 'Can... can you... explain to... to me... how to... cook them.' I asked in a low voice. 'Sure, I finish in ten minutes, then I'll bring you to my place and I can teach you.' He said looking at me with a smile.

'Oh... okay...' I said not a hundred percent sure I felt comfortable going to his flat and surely not expecting him to invite me over. 'Can... can we go...' I started before he interrupted me. 'Go to yours? Yes of course. I'll meet you on a bench outside.' He said before going back to fill up the fish counters. Leaving me to wonder if our second date would happen at my place or if he was just going to help me cook my prawns.