Mud by Emily Thomas

Author:Emily Thomas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd
Published: 2018-05-06T16:00:00+00:00

Sunday 13th July

Yesterday I did my first evening shift at The Smugglers’ Tavern. I had to stand for four hours with not even one sit-down and I didn’t finish till 11.30 p.m., as a big wedding anniversary party of fifteen were having all three courses, and then liqueurs, and I had to wait for all the pudding plates and glasses to be done with.

Denise is very bossy, and overly fussy about rinsing plates and seems to have X-ray vision about it, judging by how much she ordered me to wash crockery again. By the end of it all, I never wanted to see another plate or cup ever again and I’ve gone right off prawn cocktails, as Denise just gets bags of frozen prawns and leaves them next to the baking oven to defrost, which I’m sure is not right, and the cocktail sauce isn’t mysterious at all it turns out – it’s just ketchup and salad cream mixed together.

But the oddest thing is Denise’s ‘Sorbet Surprise’, which is hollowed out oranges that I had to rush to get out of the big freezer and then Denise put scoops of sorbet in them. When the Sorbet Surprise shells came back from the restaurant, She made me wash them up and cut off any unattractive bits and then put them back in the freezer for next time! I didn’t say anything because of Denise’s chemo and her not being well, but I honestly can’t think of anything more horrible than eating her Sorbet Surprise. Something tells me that Denise and Rich wouldn’t want me to tell anyone else about it either. Especially not anyone who comes to dine at The Smugglers’ Tavern.

I am envious of Kay as all she does at Danny’s Donuts is mix up batter and press buttons for the Slush Puppie machine, then chuck paper plates and plastic cups into the bin. On the bright side, Denise gave me a little envelope with eight pounds fifty in it. She said she’d put a bit extra in as it had been unusually hectic tonight. I must remember not to spend it all in Woolworths and put it in my post office account instead as there is still a distinct possibility that I will need running away money at some point.

But I forgot all about my wages when I got home, as back at Lady Beatrice Jake had friends round. Dad and Kate aren’t here as Dad’s old friend Bill in London is ill with Parkinson’s disease and they are visiting and helping out Bill’s wife Zelda. Sally and Erica have gone along too, and Jake has taken full advantage of this.

I was curious about Jake’s friends, as I’ve only ever seen them at a distance at school and they always seem a bit gormless. The only one that sticks out is a boy called Dean Carter, and Kay and I have discussed how Dean is quite magnetic in a way that we can’t really explain.

Jake says Dean is a

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