‘I wonder what she wants?’ said Pat.
‘Your guess is as good as mine,’ said Thelma. She checked her watch. ‘Just to let you all know, Teddy’s picking me up in twenty minutes.’
‘You better both come over to mine tomorrow,’ said Pat. ‘Justin can hook my laptop up to the flatscreen; don’t ask me how. That way, we won’t all be squashed round someone’s laptop.’
Liz nodded. Thelma didn’t.
‘Actually,’ she said, ‘would you mind coming over to me? There’s some parcel deliveries I’m expecting that I need to be in to sign for.’ Her voice was low, diffident, quite unlike her normal self. Pat and Liz looked at her.
‘Right, Thelma Cooper,’ said Liz briskly. ‘This has gone on for far too long.’ She faced her friend, a well-known glint in her eye. ‘You might as well tell us.’
‘Tell us what?’ said Pat, bemused.
‘Tell us why I had to drive you to Pity Me, whyTeddy had to drive you here and why you’re all of a sudden nervous about driving. And don’t give me any guff about a bad arm; you’ve been stirring that coffee off and on for the best part of twenty minutes.’
Thelma sighed and looked at them.
‘It’s not good,’ she said quietly. ‘What I’ve done—’
‘What you’ve done?’ echoed Pat in alarm.
‘Whatever it is,’ said Liz, ‘it can’t be half as bad as the things I’ve been imagining.’
Thelma took a deep breath and laced her fingers. ‘Right,’ she said. ‘Right.’
As she told them, Pat found herself biting back a smile. Thelma, of all people, in trouble with the law! And typical her – all that guilt about a mere speeding ticket! She remembered the various brushes with the police her own speeding had engendered over the years. She looked at her friend, frowning unhappily, hands clasped, and felt a well of sympathy. As if Thelma could read her mind, she looked back at her imploringly.
‘Tell meI’m being stupid. Tell me I’m overreacting,’ she said.
Pat put a comforting hand over one of her friend’s. ‘Of course you’re not being stupid,’ she said. ‘It’s an upsetting thing. I’m just glad it’s nothing worse.’
‘Hear, hear,’ said Liz, taking the other hand.
‘You’re a much better driver than me,’ said Pat.
‘Exactly,’ said Liz. ‘Think of all the tickets Pat’s had over the years!’
Pat ignored the prickle of irritation she felt at this comment. This was one of those times when the ties of friendship transcended personal pride.
‘Even though I can do the speed awareness course on Zoom, I’m still all over the place about it,’ said Thelma. ‘I’ve made a start looking at the Highway Code but that seems to be making me feel worse.’
‘It’s really upset you, all this,’ said Liz, squeezing her hand.
‘It’s knocked my confidence,’ admitted Thelma in a confiding burst. ‘I keep thinking: what if I don’t ever feel comfortable driving again? Living round here – you need a car. What if that’s me done with driving?’
‘Come on,’ suggested Pat. ‘See how you feel after the course. Take it from one who knows – it really isn’t anything to get your knickers in a twist about.’ Silently she hoped Thelma wouldn’t have the same instructor she had last time, the ex-territorial army instructor who persisted in describing the attendees as Speed Sinners.
‘But we’ll come to yours for the Zoom with Bun Widdup,’ said Liz. ‘Won’t we, Pat?’
But Pat wasn’t looking. Her surprised gaze was fixed on the brightly smiling girl who was threading through the tables towards them.
‘Tiffany?’ she said in alarm. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Liz! Thelma!’ Having sat down and taken a sip of iced water, Tiffany-Jane bestowed both of them with a white-teethed wide-eyed smile. ‘I’ve heard so much about you both!’ She turned to Pat. ‘Rod said if I’d find you anywhere he’d lay money it’d be here.’
‘Is Justin all right?’ said Pat. The spark of alarm in her voice wasn’t missed by her two friends.
‘Pat, he’sfine.’ Impulsively Tiffany took her hand. ‘He came back about five. He just got talking with Taj and thought it best to stop over. We’d have let you know, but we thought you must both have been asleep.’
