Alexis Carter returned home from the late shift, turned on the light as she closed the front door behind her, and stooped to pick up the small bundle of letters, mostly bills, from the floor.
She quickly sorted through them and sighed. Today was her thirty seventh birthday and she had two cards. One from her friend Mary who worked with her on the Deli counter of the local supermarket. It was quite jokey with a reference to a sex toy.
She made a note to thank Mary when she next saw her. The other was an impersonal pre-printed card with a kitten draped in tinsel, that was sent automatically to all employees of BetaShoppa. That was it. The sum total of her birthday wishes.
Ordinarily she was quite happy, or at least s happy as someone in her position could be. She had her own little flat, a few friends that she would join at the pub for a drink and a laugh, and most of all, Mary. The flame haired, brash Belfast woman who was her best friend in the world.
But here, now in the privacy of her tiny apartment, just big enough for one was when she was at her lowest. When the little claws of despair started to scratch away at her good mood. When the sheer loneliness began to get on top of her.
She blinked away a tear, "Come on, you silly cow. Buck up!"
Alexis hung her her overcoat on the peg next to the front door and padded through the lounge to her bedroom, stripping her blouse off as she entered her bedroom.
She quickly stripped off the remainder of her clothes down to her utilitarian underwear and pulled her jogging bottoms and a t-shirt from her chest of drawers.
She caught a glance of herself in the full length mirror that adorned the middle door of the built in wardrobe and yet again despaired at her figure. Plump, but by no means obese, she had a full figure that some might call hourglass if she was perhaps a touch thinner around the waist. Her face was attractive, if not what you might call classically beautiful and was framed by her jet black hair styled in a utilitarian and easy to maintain bob cut.
She was just an ordinary woman. If she had anything she was proud of, it would be her legs, slim and long for her 5'6" frame until they met her, some might say Reubenesque, hips. Yes, she decided, her legs were the only things she wouldn't change.
After Alexis had dressed, she slipped on a pair of threadbare house-shoes with pink bunnies on them. Childish, but she loved them. They were the only link to the last time she was truly happy.
Alexis wandered back through her flat and stepped into the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee and selected a microwave meal for one from the freezer.
As she waited for the kettle to boil, her thoughts drifted back in time...
She was the youngest of four children and the only girl. Her father had worked in the steel foundry as did her three elder brothers.
He was a harsh, cold man, who spent Monday to Friday working hard through the days and spent most evenings in the local. Once in a while he would come home drunk, not often, but often enough to instil in her a deep mistrust of drinking.
Bob Carter, when he did come home in that state would always find a reason to find fault with his wife, the house or the evening meal that she had prepared, and that would earn her a black eye or a cut lip.
One day, his wife had enough and walked out, she moved away from the area and went to live with her sister. Alexis never forgave her for that, for leaving her at seventeen years old to take on the role of house keeper for her father and brothers. None of whom had any respect for her.
No chance for romance as any potential boyfriends were warned off in no uncertain terms. Not that she would dream of accepting any offers, she was inexperienced at the social graces, her father and brothers saw to that, and she was shy around men, her only experience of men being the unfeeling cruelty of her immediate family.
When Alexis had 'celebrated' her thirty-second birthday, a date not marked in the calendar of any other member of her family, a police man had knocked on her door. He had arrived to inform her that there had been an accident at the foundry and her father had been killed.
She remembered the sense of relief rather than grief at the news. But it was short lived. The reading of his will informed her that her brothers were to receive the lion's share of his estate.
The sale of the house earned her £2,000 and the clothes she could fit into two small suitcases.
It was also the last time she heard from any of her brothers, none of whom had any further use for her.
As she had no qualifications and no experience, the only job she was able to get was at the local supermarket, one of the BettaShoppa chain on the deli counter, and the only living space she could afford was a small one bedroomed flat above a newsagent on the high street.
The same flat she had occupied for the last five years.
The microwave dinged to inform her that her meal was ready, so she transferred the cardboard lasagne to a plate, made her drink and returned to her armchair in front of the small television in the corner of the lounge. Alexis chewed her food mechanically as she watched the news, before retiring to bed.
As she lay in the darkness of her bed, she pulled one of the pillows to her and spooned into it, imagining it was a man. Someone to share her bed and her life... Such as it was. Once again, she wept silently as loneliness and despair overwhelmed her. As usual, it took Alexis some time to fall asleep.
The next day, Alexis was at her place behind the counter along with Mary, together they quickly laid out the joints of meat on the counter and slipped the trays of spring rolls, sausage rolls and pork pies into place, ready for the first customers of the day.
As they quickly and efficiently carried out their work, the general manager appeared and introduced them to the latest addition to the the BettaShoppa family.
"And this is the Deli counter, manned.. ahem... Womaned by Alexis and Mary. Ladies this is Michael Nedwell, the new assistant manager."
Alexis looked at the newcomer, he was a tall man, just over six feet tall and dressed in a light grey three-piece suit. She was overcome briefly by the very handsome young man, she estimated him to be about twenty five or twenty six years old, with short cropped curly black hair and smooth, shiny skin of a deep chocolate colour.
She couldn't help noticing how well he filled his suit, clearly well muscled but slim at the waist with broad chest.
His deep voice rumbled, "Ladies. I'm looking forward to working with you."
After the introductions, the manager led him away to meet other members of staff and Alexis found herself unable to stop glancing at him when she saw him as he popped in and out of view down the various aisles.
Once, he looked back at her, nodded his head and smiled before returning his attention to whoever he happened to be talking to at the time.
Alexis felt her face redden and she busied herself with the task at hand.
When there was a lull in service, Mary nudged Alexis in the ribs causing her to look sharply at her, "What?"
In her thick Irish brogue, Mary whispered, "I see someone likes the new assistant manager. He's a fittie all right. Besides, you know what they say about black men."
At least it was what Mary considered a whisper. Nobody knew where Mary had learned to whisper, but one wag had guessed that it was in a helicopter.
"Don't be silly!" snapped Alexis, "I'm sure I don't know what you mean. Anyway, what do they say about black men?"
Her friend grinned, "Lexie's in loo-ove, Lexie's in loo-ove, She wants a daa-ate, with the new bloke."
Once again, Alexis felt the colour rise in her face, "Please don't."
Instantly contrite, Mary reached out a hand to rub Alexis' upper arm, "Oh I'm sorry, Love. I'm only kidding."
