Written for Pancreatic Cancer UK to fundraise and help raise awareness of this terrible illness after losing my dad in November 2020

Part 1

Doppelgangers

I stared, were my eyes deceiving me?  I am an only child, and at twenty-five I’m certain this is the case. The woman could have been me in a mirror, how does this work?  I’ve have never believed in Doppelgangers, so how can this be true? Pinching myself, hard, no I’m still here.

Seeing her look at me, her surprise said it all, we don’t know each other but we are identical.  Approaching her, we had to talk, but what do you say to a stranger who looks just like you?

“Hi, this is rather strange and awkward, but how can we look so alike?”

“We don’t know each other, but I know you are Kerry, I’m Kirsty, I saw your news article and sorry I had to meet you.”

Thinking of my article in the local paper, I cringed.  “Kerry Wells wins the Marshwood Half Marathon.”  All done for charity, and it was a good but exhausting day.

Being approached by an identical woman in your own village surely does not happen often and I would have been equally curious. Not sure I liked the idea of being sought out, but I might have done the same.

“Shall we get coffee?  There’s a café just down here?.”

The café

Stirring my hot chocolate, I was taken back by the similarities in our lives.  We are both Teachers, both divorced, both have two children, a boy and a girl, we live about 200 miles apart and so had never had the chance of meeting, until now.   After both losing a parent to Pancreatic Cancer, she had been following the same Pancreatic Cancer forum and saw my story.   Comparing photos of our fathers they looked alike but are not doppelgangers.

Comparing stories, we are not biologically related, but Kirsty had been researching the Doppelganger phenomenon. She had read that there is a one in a trillion chance of finding an exact copy of yourself; but there is a one in one hundred and thirty-five chance that a single pair of identical copies of you exists.   She also read that in the world there are seven copies of you, with your facial features. There is even a website to help you find your lookalike. However, to find an exact copy in all features is unlikely.  We are not comparing DNA, but I was feeling nervous about all our likenesses.

“Is there any reason to suggest anything strange here?  Is this just coincidence? I’ve watched too many films but surely this is just a chance meeting.

“Maybe we should get checked. I’ve got the worry of clones going around my head, hope this is nothing sinister.”

Weeks later

Sitting opening my post I felt a cold clammy feeling.  What was I reading? As the phone rang, I wasn’t ready to talk to the caller. Something wasn’t right and today’s letter confirmed that.  All that I know about the world is distorted.  God made the world and all its creatures.  Then created Adam and Eve, who procreated and so we are all here.  This questioned that, though maybe something strange has happened as we have evolved, if Charles Darwin was correct.

Flicking on the kettle, I need a day off, this is not a normal day!

Written for a A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK

Here is my fundraising page if you would like to donate, any size donation is appreciated

Written for Pancreatic Cancer UK to fundraise and help raise awareness of this terrible illness after losing my dad in November 2020

‘Tiny Cafe’

Working at the ‘Tiny Café’, I see the same customers day after day.  Doris will always come in at 10.00am for a creamy coffee, bringing her Labrador Percy with her.  Ben and Charlie arrive at 12.30pm for their dinner and Nicola at 4.00pm for a catch up while I take my afternoon break.

I have worked here just five years and I’m happy.  Watching people eating my baked cakes and enjoying the café atmosphere gives me a feeling of satisfaction that my secretarial job didn’t.   I’ve always enjoyed baking, and now I get paid to play with icing.

Today should have been a good day, an open afternoon for the local residents, raising money for the school nursery.  We had balloons, banners and a clown organised, so how did it go wrong?  As the children arrived things took an unplanned turn.

The Clown

With Paul the clown up a ladder hanging a banner, little Billy somehow gave it a shove. As Paul screamed, elderly Doris was walking underneath.  A yelp came from Percy as he saw the chaos as it evolved.  As the ladder and clown fell, Doris tried to move but wasn’t fast enough.  Running over all my first aid training flashed through my head.  The clown groaned as Doris lay there peacefully.  Thinking the worse I pulled out my phone and dialled the ambulance.

Days later

What should have been a happy community event had put poor Doris in hospital.  Percy was now sat in the corner of the café observing the guests.  Waiting tables I became aware of being watched.  A lady sat in the corner had been cuddling a mug of cappuccino all afternoon.  Walking over to her, I needed an excuse to talk to her.

“Would you like another drink?”

“No, but are you Mandy?”

“Yes, sorry but who are you?”

“Are you due a break soon, we need to talk?”

“Ten minutes and Doreen can take over from me for a while.”

The bombshell

“Have you visited Doris in hospital?”

“I went in this morning before opening up.”

“And has she told you what has happened?”

“She was trying to say something, but a doctor walked in, and then I had to leave. What has happened?

“Well, how well do you know Doris?”

“She has been coming in here for years, that’s why Percy is happily sleeping in the corner.  Sorry, who are you?”

“I’m a friend, but she saw you Mandy as her closest.”

“I see her and Percy everyday and talk to her when I can.”

“And what about the clown, did you know him?”

“He was recommended to me by one of the parents.”

“Interesting, and the child who knocked the ladder.”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Well, the child who knocked the ladder was the son of the clown, that wasn’t an accident.  Doris saw something that they don’t want anyone else to know.”

“What?”

“Doris told me days ago and I told her to talk to the police. She said she would ask for your opinion.  You need to be careful Mandy, they dropped a clown on Doris, not sure what they might do to you.”

The story

“What did Doris see? What happened?

“Doris saw Paul the clown stealing from ‘Chubbs’ the Jeweller’.  Mr Chubbs’ doesn’t know who stole the diamonds, but he knows Doris saw him.   We think he hoped to scare her to keep her quiet, but she is worried he will be coming after you.  She’s not worried about herself.”

“What do we do, do we talk to the police, I think we have to.”

“Are you not worried about Paul?”

“No, he can’t steal and then put Doris in hospital and get away with it.  Doreen can take over here.”

Doris

Another day in the ‘Tiny Café’, Doris is happily sat nursing her coffee.  She looked relaxed and content and you wouldn’t know that a clown fell on her a few weeks back.

Paul the clown was now waiting to be sentenced and was in a police cell.  He was predicted to go down for years for stealing the diamonds and Grievously Bodily Harm to Doris.  The child had been in trouble with school and his mother, who had not known about her husband’s dodgy dealings.

Our charity event had raised money but had not been the success it should have been.  Doris has suggested that we try again, I don’t think I will be hiring a clown this time.

Written for A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK

Here is my fundraising page if you would like to donate.   Any size donation is appreciated.

Duvet day

Jumping from one disaster to the next, I push snooze and pull the duvet over my head. Digging myself deep into my pit, I fight to revisit the dream the alarm disturbed.  Why is it that it is always when you reach the best bit that you wake up?  I was enjoying flying like superwoman over the Dover Cliffs.  Not sure what a dream specialist would make of that.

As the alarm went off again, I forced myself to sit up in bed.  Thinking of the day ahead of me I shuddered. My sick record flashed in front of me, but I can’t face it.  I’m in danger of being dismissed but with Vile Marcus on my case, playing at being sick is preferable.  I’ve always known not to get involved with a colleague, but his calm confidence drew me too him.  Before I knew it, he cast me aside for another girl and my name became dirt.

The feeling of being thrown away when you start to trust someone, the hurt caused, especially when shared secrets become the departments business.  Reaching for my phone I can feel a story of food poisoning coning on.  In the last few weeks, I think I’ve covered all possible ailments, I’m unlikely to get a glowing reference thanks to Marcus.

Finishing my phone call, I bury myself again in my duvet, when I feel like this, bed is the place to be.

Melinda

Sitting at her desk, she thought of last night.  Catching Marcus with Beatrice had been a punch in the gut.  As she saw him arrive, Melinda wasn’t sure what to say to him.  She had believed all the stuff about Tanya, now knowing it was cruel lies, she felt her palms go sweaty.  They had to stop him, it would be Beatrice next.  How though do you bring down senior management?

Hearing laughter, she looked up.  Seeing Pam and Jenny giggling, she knew something was up.  She thought of things she had told Marcus, private things, how could she have been so stupid?

Overhearing the words, ‘Tim and ‘father figure’ Melinda knew that indeed Marcus had made an idiot out of her too.

Looking at Tanya’s desk she could see she had phoned in sick again.  They had never been friends but now was the time to make up for the twisted stories she had believed.   Surely it wasn’t just her and Melinda hurt here, she wondered what why he left his last job.  Opening up google she entered the name, ‘Marcus Tenneson’, nothing came up.   She tried again with ‘Marcus woman’ still nothing.  Then ‘Marcus, predator.’  Success, up came a photo of Marcus Jeffries dismissed from his lead role.  So, he had done this before.

The boss’s office

Picking up her laptop, she had to do it.  Knocking on the door, she heard sniffing. As there was no answer, she knew something was very wrong.   Pushing the door open slowly, she saw Kerry crying into a box of tissues.

“Kerry, what’s happened?”

She passed me her mobile phone.  There in a text message, partner Paul of two years had finished everything with her.  I’d liked him, I didn’t like him now.

“Kerry this might be a bad time, but it might also be a good time.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, if you want to hate men, look at this.”

Handing Kerry the laptop, Melinda watched as her jaw dropped.

“The dirty rat!  Isn’t he with you?”

“No, I caught him with Beatrice last night.  He finished with Tanya for me, all the nasty stuff he has said about her was private and shouldn’t have been shared.”

“I had wondered, she has phoned in sick again today”.

“To be honest, I considered it this morning.  I didn’t want to see Marcus and he has already shared something that I trusted him with.”

“Yes, this was a good time to tell me.  Task for today, could you please go and see Tanya.  Tell her what has happened.  I will see Marcus and yes, he will be dismissed.  I’m not having him hurting my staff.”

The day improves

Hearing the doorbell I groaned, I just want to be left alone.  Seeing the shadow at the door I questioned my sanity opening it.   Pulling down on the handle, I nearly slammed it again seeing Melinda.

“Tanya, I’m sorry but we need to talk.  There’s something you need to see.”

“No, I’m ill, I need bed.”

“Tanya, you will feel better in about ten minutes, just let me in.”

Leaving the door ajar, without inviting her in, I headed for the kitchen and flicked on the kettle.  What possibly could this woman have to say.   Watching her pull her laptop from her bag and turn it on, what was happening?

“Last night Tanya, I caught Marcus with Beatrice.  Today’s story in the office is how years ago I dated a man old enough to be my dad. That was private and should not be shared.  Kerry knows I’m here.”

Pushing the laptop to me, she added, “he is now being dismissed, sorry I’ve been so horrid to you.”

Reading the screen, I knew he was bad, but this was very bad.

“So, what is his name? Is it even Marcus?”  The tears started again.

“Tan, I don’t know but you can come back to work tomorrow.  Kerry’s given me the day off to come and see you.   It will be Beatrice hurt next but he will be gone today.”

“How did you find this Melinda?”

“Internet search and there he was, he didn’t cover his tracks very well, serial womaniser.”

A better day

Today had evolved in a way I had not expected.  Thanks to Melinda, who I had hated this morning, Marcus was now out and I can go back to my life again.

Spending the afternoon with Melinda was actually better then hiding under the duvet. Exchanging stories we found that we did like each other. Today was a good day and tomorrow I will start repairing my sick record. It will be another day, without the need of my duvet.

Here is my fundraising page if you would like to donate, any size donation is appreciated

Written for A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK