The Girl Who Can Cook_A Novel of Revenge and Ramen Noodles by Mike Wehner

Author:Mike Wehner [Wehner, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Progressive Thoth
Published: 2018-05-06T22:00:00+00:00

Eighteen

The library conference room was empty and dark. Erin vanished inside to hit the lights. A pile of folding chairs were stacked in the corner and a table was accented with empty Styrofoam cups.

“You promised, not a word to anyone,” Erin said. I nodded while I helped clean up. “I hope you don’t think less of me after this, sit over there and don’t say anything.”

I found the best of the mismatched rolling chairs and rocketed myself around the space a few times. “Why are we here?” I said using the wall for leverage to power myself to the other side of the room.

“This is my group,” she said. One of the overhead lights was giving out and though the room was lit, the bulb on the far side of the room fluttered and gave off a buzz each time it strained.

“You brought me to a book group?”

“No, now shut up and go over there,” she pointed. ”Hey Jennifer!” A middle aged woman who looked like a mustard stain stood in the doorway. Her eyes went in every direction but forward like an abused cocker spaniel. Dread washed upon my shore.

A cascade of sullied people soon followed, most of them women save for one immense man in a floor length skirt and XXXL hockey jersey. Each took a seat around the long rectangular table with pensive faces, the whole collection looked worn and down trodden. Erin sat at the head of the table and pulled a binder from her bag. On the cover was a sticker that looked like it belonged on a punk rock poster, it said, “ENOUGH.”

“Welcome to this week’s meeting, to anyone new this a support group for people extricating themselves or healing from toxic and abusive relationships. I see a few faces I don’t recognize, is everyone in the right place?”

A ginger woman shot up with both arms wrapped around her purse and left the room spitting apologies. I felt the same way but instead I swung myself right and left in the swivel chair. It squeaked with each change of direction.

“I still see some new faces, if you are new we only ask that you share your name. Anything beyond that is completely up to you. My name is Erin and this is a peer run group, so don’t think of me as the leader. I’m more of a guide. Miss would you please tell us your name?”

The hockey man had a white jacketed book underneath his legal pad. So did Jennifer. It looked like she was shilling her book instead of helping people. My hatred bottomed out. I squeezed on my earlobes as my face twitched with rage.

The introductions started on the far side of the room and slithered towards me. I was the one who had enough. I was going to take her out after this charade. We’d go to the train station with the promise of soup and wait on the platform behind the yellow line. As the train neared I’d slip and try and catch myself on Erin’s shoulder with both my hands.

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