Aunt Sophie and Uncle Luke

Hope had spent many shifts at the café wishing she was anywhere else in the world, thinking and daydreaming to pass the time. But the shift she passed after her meeting with Joe was definitely the worst. Her mind went over and over the conversation she’d had with Joe, cursing the hours and minutes as they dragged by.

The song he had sung, Youngblood, played in her head on an endless repeat. Hope was so consumed by the sound of Joe’s voice that her whole being seemed controlled by it.

‘You’re quiet.’

Hope jumped, pulled out of her reverie. She looked down at the teaspoon she’d been polishing, not even remembering the automatic movements that had polished a whole silver bucket of teaspoons.

Snapping her head up to see her Aunt Sophie who had spoken, Hope automatically smiled.

‘Sorry, did you ask me something?’ Hope asked sheepishly.

Aunt Sophie laughed. ‘Dare I ask what’s on your mind? You haven’t said a word to me for two hours.’

Hope hesitated. She trusted Aunt Sophie, with her short blonde bob and honest blue eyes, always seeming to have the answers. But for once, Hope wanted a secret of her own. Besides, she couldn't make her thoughts into a simple answer.

‘Nothing much. I’m just bored.’ Hope continued to polish the spoons.

Aunt Sophie frowned. ‘I’m sorry you don’t like it here Hope. It’s my dream and I totally understand if it’s not yours. You should really get another job. I don’t want you to stay in a job you hate.’

Hope smiled. ‘I’m trying, Aunt Soph, but no one seems to want me. And to be fair, I have no experience at anything. I’m useless.’

‘I find that hard to believe. I’m sure you’ve just not found the right thing for you yet.’

Hope smiled. ‘I promise I’ll keep looking for a place. I’ve just got to think of the right place to try next.’

Nodding slightly with a knowing smile, Aunt Sophie walked across to a table that needed clearing. ‘Make sure you finish that cutlery whilst you’re at it. You may as well do something productive.’

Hope laughed, turning to a bowl of knives and forks to polish. After polishing a few, she quickly drifted back into her thoughts. What if Joe was right in saying she could have a career in music? That wouldn’t be boring. It would be vibrant, thrilling and different. Just what Hope craved. For every day to be unlike the day before. What if she could live that dream?

Hope had never been scared of hard work and had never been the sort to shirk duties. But to take such a chance? To risk everything? She didn’t know whether she had the courage to do that.

Eventually, Hope’s shift was over. It was dark outside as she pushed through the swing doors to the back of the café and grabbed her coat off the side.

As usual, her aunt and uncle sat on a few packing boxes, talking about the day over a cup of coffee. Uncle Luke, who had been an accountant at a law firm, was in charge of accounts for the café, so always wanted ‘progress reports’ of the day’s sales. At home, Hope always saw him calculating figures and creating graphs or spreadsheets and couldn’t see how that helped the business, because Aunt Sophie never paid much attention to them.

That night, Uncle Luke had a particularly large pie chart in his hands, which he was trying to explain to a confused Aunt Sophie.

‘It’s very simple, you see. If the sale of filter coffee is increasing to surpass the sale of mochas, we should…’

Aunt Sophie smiled absently whilst waving her hand in disinterest. ‘Of course, my love. Whatever you say.’

‘But Sophie, at least let me explain my reasoning.’ Uncle Luke declared in exasperation.

‘Later darling, later. Hope, what are your plans for this evening?’ Aunt Sophie asked.

Hope smiled, slipping on her coat. ‘I’m off to meet a new friend.’

‘Where exactly are you going? The den?’ Uncle Luke asked, barely hiding his disapproval.

Hope shook her head. ‘No. I’m going to Mack’s house. My new friend, Joe, his name is, he’s staying with Mack for a few weeks.’

‘I don’t like you hanging around that boy, Hope. He’s no good, what with leaving home so young and getting his own place. No one who kept on the straight and narrow path would ever do that.’ Uncle Luke declared.

‘He lives right up the street from his mum. Two doors down. And he pays his own way with his own good money.’ Hope defended Mack. ‘He only wanted independence and to become more mature. And to help his mum get back on her own two feet after his dad died without having the responsibility of taking care of someone else.’

‘Well I still don’t like you spending all your time with him. I do hope you don’t… well, you know, think of him as a potential boyfriend. You would tell us if you were seeing each other, wouldn’t you?’ Uncle Luke asked hopefully.

Hope smiled. ‘Mack and I aren’t like that. He’s more like an older brother than a boyfriend. Besides, he doesn’t have time for a relationship what with the boys, work and his mum.’

‘Luke don’t be so hard on the boy. I’m sure Mackenzie is a nice boy. We know he tries to do his best and is always good to Hope. You wouldn’t be friends with him if he wasn’t, now would you Hope?’ Aunt Sophie smiled. ‘What about this other boy? Joe, did you say?’

Hope smiled impulsively, a picture of Joe from earlier that day filling her mind. Had it only been the day before that they had met? It felt like a lifetime. ‘I met Joe the other day. He moved over to New York from LA a few weeks ago. He’s using Mack’s place to stay until he finds a place of his own.’

‘Why’d he make such a big move? New York is nearly 5 hours flight from LA.’ Uncle Luke asked.

‘He’s looking for his “inciting incident”. He thinks he’ll find it here.’ Hope smiled.

’And what exactly is an ‘inciting incident’?’ Aunt Sophie queried, looking puzzled.

‘The moment that someone or something changes your life in ways you could never anticipate. It’s a thing in stories apparently. I’ve got to go help him see if he’s found it.’ Hope grabbed her bag, waved over her shoulder and pushed through the swing door out into the darkness.

‘Isn’t that lovely?’ Aunt Sophie said as she rose from her seat. ‘She’s got herself a boy.’