A rather unusual COMPLIMENT

A chance remark had set Caroline off on this trip – but what discoveries lay ahead?

Caroline found a window table in the supermarket cafe. She deserved a treat after all that shopping.

Sipping gratefully at her latte, she was spreading a thick layer of butter on a toasted teacake when she spotted Henry heading over and groaned. Now the divorce was a few years behind them, they were perfectly amicable, but he still irritated her with his patronising superiority.

She stared intently at her newspaper in the vain hope he would leave her alone. No such luck.

‘Caroline. How marvellous to see you!’ he boomed. ‘That looks good. Think I’ll join you, stay out of the rain for a while. Let me buy you another.’

She indicated her overflowing cup and politely declined. As he went to the counter, she sighed and folded her paper. This wasn’t going to be the peaceful treat she had envisaged.

‘So what have you been doing with yourself?’ Henry asked. ‘Still keeping busy with your little voluntary job?’

Caroline bridled. Here we go, she thought.

‘Oh yes. Of course the food bank is always busy, as you can imagine,’ she said.

Henry, she knew, could imagine no such thing. He never gave a thought to anyone less fortunate than himself. She could almost see his eyes glazing over. It wouldn’t be long before he was telling her about the property development business he had recently started with his new wife.

She was right and, as he droned on about the housing market, she let her mind drift. Surely he hadn’t always been this boring? Perhaps she was too busy during their marriage to notice. She had her hands full balancing a teaching role with bringing up the kids pretty much single-handedly.