Pirates a League of Brothers by H, J, Macey (phonics books TXT) 📖

the door handle, and he didn't even get up to see her out, showing her just how much of a gentleman he was. If she wasn't so upset, she'd have felt sorry for the young girl. Who sat in full view of the front window, showing almost all of her legs, as she sat at her desk chewing on gum, waiting for the phone to ring.

 

Her early reappearance from the building took the fit lady by surprise. She had sat at the table in the window of the 'little cake shop cafe' next door. To have a coffee and cake, as she waited for Sera to re-emerge, she was about to get up when Sera stopped to look behind her.

 

"Sera!" she heard someone calling her name. Turning she saw Robin an old work colleague, smiling walking towards her. He was in shorts, and a colourful shirt obviously not at work.  She had only seen him in business attire before, and he looked less frightening now. Oh, he was a nice guy but had always been business-like. Except with Cathy, one of the secretaries at that law firm they had worked at.

 

"Hello Robin nice to see you, but I didn't know you lived out here and how is Cathy?" She asked her mood quickly changing, as he kissed her on the cheek.

 

"You mean Mrs Jenkins, she's at home unpacking we just got back from Bali this morning. I've just changed our money back," he said smiling widely, at her wide-eyed look.

 

"You married her then, they had bets on in the office that you would!" Sera said giving him a kiss back and holding his hand.

 

"Yes, we slipped away for a weekend in Bali last year, but I had to marry her first before we could share a room Sera. Not that anyone believed me back at the office," he said now laughing and looking more handsome to Sera for doing it. She had always liked him back then when they had worked together. He could be a stickler for protocol, but he was funny when they were socialising.

 

"Fancy a coffee Sera, if you have the time that is, you look like a lady on a mission?"  He asked, holding out his hand towards the little cafe, and the fit lady at the window table averted her gazes from looking at them.  Sera looked at her watch and nodded as if checking to make sure.

 

"I'd love to Robin, I have plenty of time," she said as if she had anywhere else to go but home.  Anyway, it would be a change for her, to talk to someone other than Peter, not that he was boring as such. Only now she could talk about something totally different with Robin, for she had been out of contact, with the outside world for over a year so to speak. It would be nice, just to catch up and hear about old friends.

 

He held a chair for her to sit at a vacant table, that was next to the table a fit-looking lady, sat quietly observing them.  Then he sat as the waitress, and came to take their order.

 

"It still is cream no sugar Sera, and how about a Danish, I seem to remember, you had a weakness for them!" Robin said smiling, as Sera gave him a shocked look but she said nothing, as the waitress wrote down his order.

 

"Saw you coming out of the accounts next door, don't tell me someone finally severed him with a writ. I nearly went in there myself, to short him out after Cathy did some tempting for him. A few months back he suggested she should stay back one night, to do some extra personal secretarial work."

 

"Cathy said he wasn't worth the bother, he didn't actually say sex it was just the way he said it, that suggested that's what he wanted."  Robin stopped talking, as the waitress came with their drinks and a plate of two large Danish's. They had a crust of white icing sugar on them, which made Sera mouth water, it had been some time since she had had this luxury.

 

"My they are huge, bang goes my diet, Robin!" she said smiling and breaking a small piece to pop into her mouth.  Then she closed her eyes, to pull a face to murmur. 'Delicious', much to Robin's delight, as she pulled that face of sheer bliss. He had witnessed that look before when they had popped out for a coffee break. In that coffee shop in Hay Street, two blocks down from their office.

 

If he hadn't had Cathy, Sera would have been his choice of a girlfriend.  Intelligent fun to be with, and quite pretty when she didn't have her attractive business face on. Like now with her twinkling eyes, and smiling lips as her face happily light up. The fit lady quietly noted the relaxed demeanour of the two, as they looked and smiled at each other, chatting over their coffee.

 

"We bought a place here on the new Clifton hills estate, nine months ago. Cathy works from home now, she'll be sorry she missed you, you must come around for a visit.  Are you and Peter still?"

 

"Shearing, yes Robin," Sera said interrupting Robin. It sounded more fitting than 'living together' did, because people always thought that meant, sleeping together. Sera had in the past, vehemently made clear to all in the office that was not the case, between her and Peter.

 

She didn't, however, tell Robin, they now shared a rundown nineteen twenties, wooden house. In the oldest rundown part of Armadale, instead of the modern nineteen sixty home.  That they once had, which Robin obviously assumed they still did. Like he had assumed, she was on some legal business now for some city law firm, and was out here in the sticks serving warrants.  

 

She wasn't about to enlighten him, of the fact that she and Peter were almost destitute. Scraping the bottom of the barrel so to speak, and down to their last dollars to pay the rent. She couldn't afford to pay for the coffee and cakes, they were having now if Robin found out, he had left his wallet behind.  She had desperately wanted this job, but she was too proud to sell herself that way.

 

Though none of that showed, on Sera's smiling face as she looked at Robin. Holding up his hands laughing, to shield himself ageist that 'shearing', interruption she had just made. Again the fit lady made a mental note of that remark, it would be added to the report, she would later make.

 

"Old Sam retired Sera, and he hasn't been replaced, they didn't replace Cathy either when she left after we moved out too here.  Apart from that the firm is just about the same, I'll tell them I've seen you. They will be glad to hear you're doing fine, and looking as good as ever," he said putting his hand on hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.  That jester didn't go unnoticed, by a certain person.

 

The coffee and cake were gone, and Sera looked at her watch.  She wanted to cry out and end this masquerade, but that would bring sympathy from Robin. He would know of the disappointment she was feeling, and the emotions welling up inside her, threatening to burst into floods of tears.  He had seen her glance at her watch and pulled a card from his wallet.

 

"Here take my card; my home number is on it, give Cathy a ring when you're free. She would love to meet up, for coffee or just a girly chat." He said standing as she did and gave her a peck on her cheek.  Then he watched her leave the cafe before moving to the cashier, to pay for their coffee and cakes.

 

Sera glanced back through the window, as she moved away from the door, to see Robin with his back to her, as he paid his bill. She quickened her step to move, quickly into the shopping arcade. To linger where she could see Robin when he left the cafe to go to his car. She didn't see the fit lady enter, to walk past her then linger by the information board. 

 

Something Robin had said about Cathy temping, had registered in Sera's mind. She suddenly realised she may have to lower her sights, on the type of jobs to go for. There was an employment agency office, in this complex called 'spare hands'. They supplied staff for all types of work, maybe she would find in there something better than working, in that smelly burger joint.

 

She saw Robin move to his car and drive away, totally unaware she herself was under squinty. Now he had gone, she moved back into the sunlight and down the pavement, to the shop in front of the agency. She was greeted with a friendly smile, from the lady behind her desk, and a look of interest, as Sera unzipped her document case.

 

"I'm in need of employment, here are my qualifications but I'm open to anything you have to offer. I have my own typewriter, so I could work from home. There is no phone in my rented apartment, but there is a neighbour that will take messages for me. Or I could ring here if that's okay, I have no car at the moment, so I am restricted in my ability to travel."

 

Sera rattled off her availability to carry out any working assignment. As the lady looked at her array of impressive credentials. Then smiling up at sera, she pushed back her chair to stand up. 

 

"If you'd like to take a seat, I'll have a word with my manager. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to leave, without talking to you himself." She said indicating one of the chairs, on the sidewall, before knocking on a door, at the rear then entering it. Sera sat nervously inspecting her nails, as a fit lady steamily scanned the job vacancies in the front window.

 

"Miss Godard please come through, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I'm at a loss to know what to say, I've never had someone with your qualifications asking for a position before. I have nothing suitable to offer you now. Although my secretary has said, you were open to other types of work. Although I may have a contact that might be of interest if you can give me a few days."

 

The manager said when he invited Sera into his office and sat looking over her documents again, with a very interesting attitude. 'Should have come to see him before', Sera thought as she waited for him to finish. She could almost hear his mind, searching for possibilities, in which to use her talents.

 

"I may, and this is only a thought, have an idea that might be of interest to you. Some of our clients may benefit from your legal knowledge. You could work from these premises, as an advising legal consultant. If clients have problems, they could bring them here for your appraisal. Paying you a one-off fee for your time, would you consider such an arrangement?" He asked, looking up at her, noting a look of interest on Sera's face.

 

Sera was quite taken with the idea but didn't want to ask what fee she could ask for. Or what percentage of that fee, he would take as a commission. That would have to be discussed and agreed on, if the idea got any interest from his clientele, in the meantime, Sera herself had a thought. 

 

"Would it be possible to do some secretarial work, as an added service between the consulting ones from the same office?" Sera asked a little apprehensively, as he hadn't mentioned it himself. An office to work from, wasn't in Sera's mind when she started today's search for work. She could catch the rattler here and back each day, much cheaper than travailing on a bus to jobs, in other suburbs around Perth.

 

"I don't see why not Miss Godard, but let's see