Page 54 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

She realised it was already beginning to feel different in there, day by day. Bigger, too. Katy could now see the oak beams running across the ceiling and the charm of the place underneath. They had even cleared a space on one of the long leather benches that ran along either side of the room so Bob was able to sit down on it.

‘I’d forgotten how lovely this panelling was,’ he said, reaching out to feel the wall. ‘I can see all the passengers in here waiting,’ he carried on, Bob’s eyes misting over with the memories.

Behind each bench was a dark oak panel, a little scuffed from wear and tear, but a polish would bring up the intricate ornate carvings.

‘We’ll get them polished up when we do the painting,’ Katy told him. ‘Once the whole place has had a good clean, of course.’

‘I’ll help,’ said Bob standing up.

‘Great,’ Katy told him. ‘Because I’m rubbish at cleaning windows.’

‘Vinegar,’ said Bob with a wink. ‘That’ll work wonders. Leave it to me. I’ll go and see if Dad’s got some.’

As he headed outside, Katy watched him go. Bob seemed stronger with each passing day, despite the boot on his foot. His back was a little straighter. His smile not so sad.

Katy allowed herself a satisfied smile as she looked around. Because it appeared that clearing the waiting room hadn’t just brought that back to life. It was bringing life back to Bob as well. And maybe even her as well, she thought with a nod. And it felt good.

* * *

Later on that afternoon, Flora joined them to discuss how to decorate the place as it was transformed into the coffee shop.

‘I reckon we’re going to have this place finally empty by the end of the weekend,’ Katy told her. ‘That leaves us just over a week to get the place painted and decorated before hopefully opening it up to the public. Sooner the better, I reckon.’ Katy looked at Flora. ‘You’ve got such a good eye for interior design and we could really do with some ideas. My gut feeling is that it should be authentic but nicer, if you know what I mean.’

Flora laughed. ‘Yeah, I get that. Who wants to eat in an abandoned shabby railway station?’ she said.

Ryan came out of the kitchen, where he had begun to give everything a thorough clean, and said, ‘Excuse me. Shabby? That’s my home you’re talking about.’

Flora gave him a sheepish grin. ‘Yeah, I know, but come on! You need it to be a bit more cosy and cute, don’t you?’

‘Aren’t I cute enough?’ asked Ryan with a cheeky grin.

‘I’ll let you answer that one,’ said Flora, giving Katy some side-eye.

Katy quickly looked away and concentrated on the nearby items from the station. ‘I thought I’d move most of the memorabilia displays into the ticket office,’ she said. ‘That way, it frees up a lot of space in here for the tables when we beg, borrow or steal some.’

Before they could carry on, they were joined by Libby, who was about to leave for work but, as always, had an opinion about everything.

‘So when are you opening?’ she asked, pacing around at speed in her heels.

‘After the health and safety officer has been which will hopefully be next week,’ said Katy, holding up her crossed fingers. ‘We’ve just got to paint it, clean it and get everything in place before then!’

‘I think it’s going to be amazing!’ said Libby, clapping her hands. ‘You’ll need a decent coffee machine, of course. Proper coffee is a must. And delicious cakes too. Fairy lights, I reckon. Keep the posters up and those cute signs too, but not too much. They know they’re in a station so don’t go too crazy. So what will you be serving?’

Ryan laughed. ‘Oxygen, if you’re coming, Libs,’ he told her. ‘Draw a breath, would you?’

‘Give over,’ she said, giving him a playful nudge. ‘You want my opinion, don’t you?’

‘I don’t recall ever asking for it,’ he drawled.

‘Tough,’ she replied. ‘And if you’re not nice to me then you can’t come to my birthday party tomorrow night.’

‘Maybe I’ll be busy,’ said Ryan, but he was smiling as he spoke.

Libby ignored him. ‘You know, this place needs a name as well and I’ve already thought of it – Platform 1.’

Katy nodded. ‘Oh, that’s a great name!’

But Ryan frowned. ‘But it’s the only platform here.’