Jem and Sash

The grey knickers that protruded above her jeans had once been white and silky, had once fitted her large but sexy arse perfectly instead of bunching up uncomfortably. They were the pants that Josh had taken off with his teeth on the night that she'd conceived. So much passion then, so much lust, raw, sexual energy. And now? Passion was just a perfume and lust was a long lost memory. Josh had planted his seed but had not stayed around long enough to plant a ring on her finger, he was a dad but not a father or was it a father but not a dad? Whatever he was a part timer; there when he wanted to be not when she needed him and certainly not when their daughter needed him.
Sasha was 2 now and so beautiful it made Jem want to cry, how had she created something so beautiful with that jerk. She wouldn't change her for the world but Jem sometimes wished she could be the centre of someone's world, could be the apple of someone's eye. When you have a kid but no ring you become invisible to men, undesirable. As soon as you mention the child their interest wanes or you’re considered one-night stand material.
Oh god Sasha was taking her shoes off and throwing them around the cafe. Jem smiled wearily and looked around the café apologetically. The other coffee drinkers were smiling at Sash and why wouldn't they? With her mop of blonde hair, her Run DMC t-shirt and winning smile she was already melting hearts. But was the man in the Union Jack t-shirt smiling at Jem rather than her daughter. He was only young, a tatty beard and that modern haircut that looks all 1950s, she didn't much care for his skinny jeans and hipster shoes but he was cute alright and yes the smile was for her not for the child. She felt herself blushing as she tentatively smiled back. It was a smile she'd forgotten she had, it lit up the cafe and momentarily took the attention away from Sash. His smile widened showing his pearly white teeth and cute dimple. He was too young for her really but... he was smiling; he could see she had a daughter and that didn’t seem to worry him.

Just then Sash threw one of her shoes in the man's direction, knocking his ice tea all over the place. Jem blushed the colour of Ribena as she watched the man jump up to try to protect his skinny jeans from the spilt liquid. Sasha was laughing her head off thinking it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen but Jem was mortified.
‘Oh my god, are you okay, let me buy you a new one.’ Jem moved over to the man proffering some napkins to help with the clean up operation.
‘It's okay,’ he said, but Jem noticed he was no longer smiling. Oh well it made her smile for a minute.
Jem went to the counter and ordered another drink and brought it to the damp man while cursing her daughter for ruining her chances.
She put the drink on the table and went to leave but just as she turned her back he said ’Why don’t you join me?’

As she pushed the pushchair home, Jem light-heartedly scolded her daughter? ‘Sasha, never throw shoes at strangers, it's very naughty.’ She said with a smile in her voice, ‘unless they are drop dead gorgeous. Now I hope granny is free to look after you tomorrow night.’