Time Waits for No One by M. W. Arnold

Author:M. W. Arnold [Arnold, M W]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC027200 FICTION / Romance / Historical / 20th C
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2023-12-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

“Good morning, Jane! Mary, Penny, Betty, and…” Mavis actually hopped out from behind the servery, belying her advancing years, “our Doris! My goodness, what a mouthful! How are you all?”

After being subjected to an unexpected hug, their usually cantankerous mess manager retook her place to await her next customers. Unspoken, the girls all brought their cups of tea warily to their noses and sniffed.

“Smells fine,” Penny announced, as everyone nodded.

Mary sniffed once again and, before anyone could stop her, took a tentative sip.

“A bit early for brave pills, isn’t it?” Doris asked and they all watched in open-mouthed amazement as Mary supped back the rest of her tea before looking into the now empty cup. “Are you feeling well? You’re not ill, are you?” Doris wanted to know, genuine amazement in her voice.

“Not only am I more than fine, I’m going back for seconds,” Mary stunned her friends.

Being the first into the mess that Tuesday morning, there was only one person to ask about this strange turn of affairs. However, before this, potentially drastic measures needed to be taken. As one, the remaining girls brought their cups to their lips, matched Mary’s sips, watched each other’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and then they all downed their respective cups.

“Mavis,” Jane began, as she stepped behind Mary, whose cup was indeed being refilled, “what exactly is…this?”

“Tea,” she merely replied, hovering her large teapot over Jane’s empty cup.

Jane raised her cup back up to her nose before saying what was on everyone’s mind. “No, I mean yes, it’s tea, but it’s…”

“Drinkable?” Mavis ended for her and then, instead of the usual mood she got in when someone passed a comment on her brews, she once more smiled.

Jane had to physically stop herself from taking a step back at the unexpected sight, “Well, yes, of course, but the taste!”

“It’s Sharon’s brew,” Mavis stated.

“That’s it!” Penny announced, a little too loudly, as everyone turned to stare at her. “Sorry,” she mumbled, before taking a place behind Jane for seconds.

“Go on, ask away,” Mavis said. “I can see you’re dying to.”

“All right, I will,” Doris agreed, when no one else immediately piped up. “Why, after all this time, are we being treated to a drinkable…‘brew,’ I believe is the right word?”

Mavis shook her head, yet she still had the same smile on her face. “This morning, of all mornings, Doris, nothing you say can get to me. You see this?” She reached into the pocket at the front of her apron and took out a slightly tatty envelope. “My son’s coming home on leave for a whole week!”

A spontaneous cheer erupted from the group, and then they all stretched over the servery to pat whichever part of Mavis they could reach.

After the jumbled congratulations had died down—everyone knew how unhappy the mess manager had been without her boy—Jane called for quiet. “As you can tell, we’re all very, very happy to hear this news. As soon as you know the dates, come and see me and we’ll fix things up.

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