Page 19 of The Time of My Afterlife

‘My brothers are on the other side of the world, so it’s my job to look out for her,’ I say with a scowl and go distract myself by emptying the dishwasher.

When Molly comes into the café after school finishes, I start to think of all the reasons why her working in the café might not work; she and Laura might argue in front of customers, and what if Molly turns out to be a nightmare or is rude to customers, and I have to get rid of her? That would make it awkward for me with Laura. This is why I struggle to make quick decisions.

Feeling wobbly, I ask Laura to serve, and I go into the kitchen to wipe my whiteboard clean. This is like an emotional reset for me. Other people, when feeling stressed, go for a walk or breathe deeply, whereas I clean my board. Sometimes twice. Sometimes aggressively.

Before my whiteboard entered my life, I battled through phone note chaos. My notes felt like a cryptic collection of half-sentences like – ‘Remember that thing’, and ‘Must speak to X’ I could never remember what any of them referred to.

However, maybe I don’t need to keep my list any more as Clark and I might pass the test later. He seemed very confident about his side of things when we spoke this morning.

Once my list has gone, I feel calmer and almost serene.

The clock catches my eye. Damn it – we don’t have long left before closing time. My shoulders and neck stiffen. I’m going to have to ask Molly.

After a deep breath I head out and spot her in the queue. ‘Shall we grab a seat and have a chat?’

Her face brightens. ‘Yes, that would be cool.’

As we settle down by the window, I watch her eyes dart back across the café at Laura. There’s something troubling her. A little voice deep inside me questions whether offering Molly a Saturday job will be enough to help. I quickly dismiss it.

I need to focus on the task at hand. Molly needs my help, and I must pass this test.

‘How would you like to work in here for a few hours on a Saturday?’

She sucks on the straw of her milkshake. ‘Oh… erm… yes.’

I was expecting her to be a little more upbeat by my offer, but I must remember she’s fourteen. Teenagers are hard to impress.

‘Is that all you wanted to talk about?’ she asks as the doorbell jangles and in walks Clark. By the look of him, he’s smartened himself up after his night of passion. Anger and irritation course through my veins.

‘Florence,’ says Molly. ‘Can I talk⁠—’

Clark is looking over at me. ‘Why is he in here so early? That man is infuriating.’

She sighs. ‘You’d better go to Clark.’

I rise from my chair and hurry to the counter. ‘What do you want?’ I growl.

‘That’s a lovely warm welcome, Florence. I’ll have a cappuccino, please,’ he says with his boyish, lopsided smile. ‘Can you also make sure it tastes nice?’

He’s not getting a happy greeting out of me.

As I make his drink, he leans over the counter. ‘Do you think you’ve done enough to pass?’

‘I’ve just completed my task,’ I say, injecting confidence into my voice.

Once I’ve made his drink, he heads to a table in the corner. He and I are busy trading filthy looks across the café when Laura comes to stand beside me. ‘What has Clark done now? You look like a bulldog chewing a thistle.’

I open my mouth to start telling her about how Clark and I went to the afterlife… but I close it. She wouldn’t believe me, and anyway, once Clark and I get the message later to say we’ve passed, it will all be over. I shrug my shoulders. ‘He is so annoying.’

Laura gives me a friendly nudge. ‘Have you heard from Chris on Instagram today?’

I smile. ‘He was the first to like my story.’

She looks worried. ‘What you need, Florence, is some real romance in your life.’

‘Real?’ I question. ‘Chris is real.’

‘Dating has done wonders for me,’ she says. ‘Why don’t you get on the apps?’