businesswoman but, like Ella, her heart was hard.
Jackie met Ella with a hug and a kiss then ushered her into the house. They settled in the huge old purple sofa with a bottle of wine and began to catch up.
“How’s the dream job?” Jackie asked.
“ A dream.” Ella giggled. “You know, I can’t wait to get to work every day. I mean, I know you think I’m crazy, but here I am, trading millions of pounds, getting a huge buzz and a lot of respect, and I am totally in love with it.”
“ I do think you’re crazy. I, on the other hand, am fed up with slaving away in the sweatshop that is my restaurant. I’ve decided to hire a manager. I’m going to college.” Jackie beamed.
“ Get away. Shit, Jack, you’re amazing. What to study?”
“ English, can you believe it? I think I’m recapturing my youth.”
“ What, all twenty-eight years of you?”
“ Yeah, I know, but don’t forget, I’ve been twenty-eight since I was fifteen.” Jackie’s grey eyes clouded as they always did when she thought about her hard lesson in growing up.
“ Please tell me this isn’t a mad ploy to date the eighteen-year-olds you missed out on?” Ella teased.
“ Shit, I didn’t even think of that, I guess it must be.” Jackie laughed.
“ To be honest, Jack, I don’t think I’d care how old the bloke was, I just wish I had one.”
“ What you? No man could compete against your love affair with your job.”
“ I guess not. But it would be nice. Someone to hug, someone to ... well, you know, someone to talk to ...” Ella became dreamy.
“ Ella, stop. You sound like a sap.”
“Thank s. Anyway, you’re probably right. I love my job so much. Who would have thought I’d change from a pint-pulling punch-bag into a City slicker?”
“ Well, not me, that’s for sure. Ella, do you still have nightmares?” Jackie did what she always did: now that the chitchat was over, she turned the conversation to more serious matters.
When Ella had walked into the restaurant, Jackie had been struck by how fragile she seemed. In front of her was a striking girl, who was tall and slim with long hair, yet who looked as if she would break if she was touched. She noticed the sadness in her.
When Ella told her story, Jackie felt nothing but sorrow. She remembered what it was like to be used by a man, and although Alan had never hit her, the mental scars with which he had left refused to heal. Ella’s mental state was bordering on the imbalanced. She couldn’t cope with being on the run although, rationalising it, Jackie decided that no one could point any blame at Ella. She encouraged her to start her new life, but knew that she was still exorcising the ghosts of the old one. Tony wouldn’t leave her head, so the nightmares had started.
Jackie knew they had got worse when Ella went to work for SFH. It made her so angry to see Ella ’s guilt when she was the victim. Jackie had become a friend, but she had also become a counsellor. She got Ella to talk, and she had listened, rather than judged. She had pieced together parts of Eloise’s story, and she had tried to rebuild the new Ella. That was why, when Ella had decided she had had enough of waitressing, Jackie had encouraged her in her pursuit of a job that neither of them thought she had a hope of getting.
Although Jackie knew that what she was doing was wrong, she had an even stronger feeling that she was saving Ella ’s life. She had been right. From the moment Ella had walked through the doors of SFH, she had been a different person. She didn’t find it easy but, then, she hadn’t worked in that industry before. She worked harder than she ever had in her life and proved herself. Jackie had nothing but admiration for Ella: she was one of life’s remarkable women.
“ Yes, but they’re getting better. I still have the one where Tony is dead and chasing me through the streets, and the one where I go to work and find Tony in the office with my boss. Although that’s
Jackie met Ella with a hug and a kiss then ushered her into the house. They settled in the huge old purple sofa with a bottle of wine and began to catch up.
“How’s the dream job?” Jackie asked.
“ A dream.” Ella giggled. “You know, I can’t wait to get to work every day. I mean, I know you think I’m crazy, but here I am, trading millions of pounds, getting a huge buzz and a lot of respect, and I am totally in love with it.”
“ I do think you’re crazy. I, on the other hand, am fed up with slaving away in the sweatshop that is my restaurant. I’ve decided to hire a manager. I’m going to college.” Jackie beamed.
“ Get away. Shit, Jack, you’re amazing. What to study?”
“ English, can you believe it? I think I’m recapturing my youth.”
“ What, all twenty-eight years of you?”
“ Yeah, I know, but don’t forget, I’ve been twenty-eight since I was fifteen.” Jackie’s grey eyes clouded as they always did when she thought about her hard lesson in growing up.
“ Please tell me this isn’t a mad ploy to date the eighteen-year-olds you missed out on?” Ella teased.
“ Shit, I didn’t even think of that, I guess it must be.” Jackie laughed.
“ To be honest, Jack, I don’t think I’d care how old the bloke was, I just wish I had one.”
“ What you? No man could compete against your love affair with your job.”
“ I guess not. But it would be nice. Someone to hug, someone to ... well, you know, someone to talk to ...” Ella became dreamy.
“ Ella, stop. You sound like a sap.”
“Thank s. Anyway, you’re probably right. I love my job so much. Who would have thought I’d change from a pint-pulling punch-bag into a City slicker?”
“ Well, not me, that’s for sure. Ella, do you still have nightmares?” Jackie did what she always did: now that the chitchat was over, she turned the conversation to more serious matters.
When Ella had walked into the restaurant, Jackie had been struck by how fragile she seemed. In front of her was a striking girl, who was tall and slim with long hair, yet who looked as if she would break if she was touched. She noticed the sadness in her.
When Ella told her story, Jackie felt nothing but sorrow. She remembered what it was like to be used by a man, and although Alan had never hit her, the mental scars with which he had left refused to heal. Ella’s mental state was bordering on the imbalanced. She couldn’t cope with being on the run although, rationalising it, Jackie decided that no one could point any blame at Ella. She encouraged her to start her new life, but knew that she was still exorcising the ghosts of the old one. Tony wouldn’t leave her head, so the nightmares had started.
Jackie knew they had got worse when Ella went to work for SFH. It made her so angry to see Ella ’s guilt when she was the victim. Jackie had become a friend, but she had also become a counsellor. She got Ella to talk, and she had listened, rather than judged. She had pieced together parts of Eloise’s story, and she had tried to rebuild the new Ella. That was why, when Ella had decided she had had enough of waitressing, Jackie had encouraged her in her pursuit of a job that neither of them thought she had a hope of getting.
Although Jackie knew that what she was doing was wrong, she had an even stronger feeling that she was saving Ella ’s life. She had been right. From the moment Ella had walked through the doors of SFH, she had been a different person. She didn’t find it easy but, then, she hadn’t worked in that industry before. She worked harder than she ever had in her life and proved herself. Jackie had nothing but admiration for Ella: she was one of life’s remarkable women.
“ Yes, but they’re getting better. I still have the one where Tony is dead and chasing me through the streets, and the one where I go to work and find Tony in the office with my boss. Although that’s
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