Chapter 7
Millie at Veggie Vals.
Lisi was away in London. Mandy was settling into life in America with John.
I felt on edge as my recent sexual liaisons were unavailable to me.
I spent many of my solitary hours masturbating while lying in my bed and also Mandy's bed, reliving the threesome with my daughter and John.
I rubbed myself off several times with the memory of the lesbian sex experienced with Mandy and Lisi.
I needed more, not only sexual intercourse but someone to hold and cuddle.
I had several meals at Veggie Vals. It was convenient to eat there as time kept overtaking me due to running to and from Mandy's house.
I had many friendly chats with the servers, Millie and Heather particularly.
One evening, I returned to Aldeburgh later than usual, delayed due to spending most of the afternoon fucking myself with Mandy's vibrator on her bed.
I was their last customer. With the blessing of Millie, Heather left work early to see her boyfriend.
Millie advised me not to rush as she would be closing up for the night and was in no hurry.
I finished my meal as she tidied up and cleaned the tables. Millie served me coffee and asked if she could sit with me for five minutes to rest her legs, explaining she had worked a ten-hour shift.
We chatted about various subjects, and I realised she was a bright girl.
She had graduated with a 2.1 in English Literature from Durham Univesity and was looking around at what to do for a job that appealed to her.
"Till such time I have decided what I want to do and to get the job I want. I am here, sharing a house in Leiston with four other girls and travelling to the bistro, as and when I am required."
She had a sweet, elfin-like face framed, brunette hair in a pixie-cut hairstyle, a slim five-foot-nine tall, boyish figure and was attractive in a young, innocent way.
Being intelligent and easy to talk to pushed our chattering to closing time at ten thirty, with Millie locking up.
We stood outside, and Millie asked where I lived.
I pointed out my cottage about one hundred yards up the High Street on the other side of the road and asked if she wanted to see my house and have coffee or a drink.
We entered my cottage off the High street, and I showed Millie around my home while the kettle boiled. She loved my home and waxed lyrically about it.
I asked her if she wanted wine, coffee or something else.
She hesitated before replying.
"I would love a glass of wine. I have not had one for over a month, but if I drink alcohol, I will not drive home.
I will have to sleep in my car, as I need to be at work tomorrow at eight a.m. to let some workmen in. I need the extra money and must not be late."
"I will pour us both a large glass of wine, but I know you are not sleeping in your car, I will not let you! You can sleep here, I will ensure you are at work on time. I am up at seven-thirty every day."
The offered bed for a night was accepted, as opposed to sleeping in a car. I thought the wine won her over, though.
Chatting away, I found out she was just about managing financially, hence not drinking and wanting overtime work. We drank a bottle of wine while we talked.
Millie became tired.
Without a fuss, I let her relax and went upstairs and quickly made up the guest room bed and got out some tee shirts, which Mandy had left at the cottage, for Millie to sleep in.
When I returned to Millie, she was about fall off to asleep on the sofa.
I roused her and told her I had made the guest bed up for her and helped her upstairs. She showered and returned with a robe around her.
She thanked me profusely before stripping out of the robe, leaving her naked except for her knickers.
Slipping on a tee shirt, she got into bed.
"Mmmm, I love getting into bed with clean sheets."
Millie was asleep in two minutes.
I was awake early. I heard a gentle knocking on my bedroom door and a quiet enquiry.
"Are you awake Eli?"
"Yes, come in Millie."
I answered.
Sheepishly, she put her head around the door. I motioned her to come in and sit on the bed.
She apologised, for as she saw it foisting herself on me and was sorry for imposing herself, for drinking the wine which made her sleepier.
I stopped her and pulled back the duvet, indicating she should get in with me.
"I have loved your company."
I said as we lay on our sides, heads on pillows facing each other and smiling at her.
She thanked me again.
"Lets get up and get some breakfast before you go to work."
She did not want to impose on me any further, she said, but
I insisted, and we had buttered hot toast, marmalade and tea.
Millie left the cottage, after more thanks, a hug and a peck on my cheek, at seven fifty-five, in plenty of time to open up for the workers.
I readied myself for the day and went for a walk, camera in hand, past the beachfront apartment owned by Lisi and the Brudenel Hotel along the flood wall, snapping pictures as I went and was back home after an hour or so.
I need to do some shopping. I passed Veggie Vals as Millie opened up for business. She saw me, was out the door, hugged me and thanked me again.
I enquired what time she would be working.
"Only till two today. I am back in all day tomorrow, though.''
"Pop in the cottage when you finish work please."
I continued shopping and got food to stock up as I had run low. I also bought four pieces of Whiting, caught the previous night just offshore of the town, from one of the huts on the beach, where the Fishermen sold their catches.
I needed to start cooking again and stop eating out as it was being idle.
I prepared a light fish dish ready to pop in the oven, enough for two portions and made an apple pie that would cook straight after the fish.
I showered and dressed casually in a lightweight summer dress, went to my study and edited a few images I liked from what I had taken about a month before.
At one-fifty, I popped the fish in the oven to cook, brushed the pie with milk, ready to put in the oven to cook.
Just after two, I answered the doorbell to Millie.
She gave me a big smile.
I beckoned her in and took her coat.
"You must be tired, come in and have a seat."
She nodded.
"I am tired, Eliza, although I slept well last night."
She studied a few of my framed images on the walls around the lounge as I went to the kitchen to get the fish out of the oven.
Millie followed me shortly after.
"Something smells nice, what is it."
''I have cooked Whiteing for our lunch."
I put the cooked fish on the worktop and put the apple pie into the oven to cook.
I took the fish dish and some mixed vegetables into the dining room along with two plates, quickly laid the settings and served the fish. I called Millie, and this time, without any I did not want to impose, she thanked me and proceeded to demolish the food with purpose.
We had a glass of Soave toasted to success, I cleared the plates, got the Apple pie out of the oven and returned to Millie at the table.
We ate Apple pie and cream, accompanied by a glass of dessert wine, then had coffee in the lounge, sitting close on the sofa.
"You are so kind to me. Thank you, Eli. I really enjoyed the meal, the best I have had for ages and ages. I wish I had not had wine, though. I will have to see if one of the idiots I share with will give me a lift home.
That is very unfair to Geena. She is not an idiot, she is a qualified veterinarian, but she works in Yarmouth and it is so out of her way."
"I will give you a lift when you are ready. You need not worry. I have only had two small glasses of wine, or you could have another drink and keep me company. You can stay here tonight to save you worrying about a lift back in the morning.''
"Why are you being so kind to me Eli?"
"I enjoy chatting with you, Millie. I like you, so if I can help you, I will enjoy doing so."
"With my daughter going to America for six months, I appreciate the company, especially one so intelligent as you."
"Eliza, that is the loveliest thing I have heard for ages.
I love our conversations. I think you are wonderfully kind and a very talented photographer.
I will have another glass of wine if you are having one and would like to stay the night here."
After a few minutes, she asked me to photograph her,
then and there in my lounge.
I agreed, got my camera, moved a couple of table lamps to light her and took a few shots.
Millie was good at posing, but the images needed a bit of editing, so we went into my study.
I did them with Millie almost sitting on my lap, studying what I was doing,
I set the printer going, and twenty minutes later, I gave her four black and white A4 prints.
I am my worst critic, but I thought they were great.
Millie was ecstatic about them and hugged me in thanks.
I prepared dinner for us with Millie, who insisted on helping. We had spaghetti bolognese washed down with a bottle of Chianti.
We had a lovely afternoon and evening talking and discussing art, photography, politics, university, Bill, Mandy, the idiots she shared with, Geena, who is not an idiot, her parents who had split up and gone to live abroad, her sisters who lived in Ireland, her job, my loneliness, her worries about her future.
Around nine p.m., Millie got a text asking her to swap shifts with another waitress, which she agreed to and advised me she now had a day off the next day.
I cleared up and tidied everything.