At0micAndy

Chapter 1 - Part 9 “Sod, eating then?” “I thought so, seems a good safe option for you, we would be in the company of others which should help ease your mind, and I always found it easier to talk when stomachs weren’t rumbling. I never quite sussed the point of taking someone to the pictures as a date, I mean, you can’t talk or anything, so, food. Anything in particular you don’t like, or can’t eat? And will you be able to organise a sitter or are we having a third for dinner?” “Third? Oh, you must mean Debbie. No problem on that score. It will just be the two of us, and I can eat anything. I will phone you later to agree the arrangements. I really must get off just now; I do have some calls to make to see if I can be free. Thank you for a lovely time and here is my part of the bill.” Taking a five pound note from her purse, she passed it across to Edward. “I don’t think your money is any good here, and I shall not accept it either Geraldine. Put your money away. Thank you, the offer i...

Chapter 1 part 8 Geraldine reached down into her handbag and pulled out a small diary, it had been free last year with a glossy magazine that showed how to spice up her life. The diary was to enable her to record her new and exciting life, now filled to overflowing having followed the guidelines in the magazine of course. She flicked through the pages, most pages indeed had an entry, but sadly for the magazines success ratings, most were entries like ‘Nothing doing’ or ‘Still Bored’. She hoped he could not read upside down. “Well Edward, I think I can fit you in for a social engagement. Would you like to let me know where and when?” Edward paused before replying. He needed some time to make any arrangements if they would prove necessary, and it would probably be in poor taste to seem too eager. However his composed and logical thought process was under attack from his inner and usually hidden self. That inner man simply wanted to see the woman again soon. “Tonight I have a prior ...

Chapter 1 Part 7 The waitress arrived with two plates of bacon sandwiches. Edward cast a critical eye over the sandwiches and was impressed with what he saw. Malted whole grain slices of bread, thickly cut and buttered and then filled almost to overflowing with thick cut bacon, and by the look of it, little in the way of fat or rind. The waitress returned with a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of brown spicy ‘parliament’ sauce. “Enjoy” she said as she turned and left them to enjoy their food and drinks. Edward slipped the cotton napkin on his lap, lifted the sandwich and took a bite. He chewed and then swallowed. “Okay. So I still don’t know why.” “What do you mean, ‘why’?” “Well as we arrived I looked through the windows at the empty chairs and thought, “How can this shoddy looking cafe survive?’, and now I have had a mouthful of sandwich, I can not understand why the place is not full and heaving with people. It is absolutely delicious.” “No idea. It’s a treasure thou...

Chapter 1 part 6 The waitress returned with a tall mug, the double wall insulating type, of hot water for Geraldine to steep her herbal tea in, and a cafetière ready to plunge of roasted smelling coffee for him. Geraldine dropped her herbal tea bag into her mug and idly pulled at the string; swirling the bag through the water to try and accelerate the steeping process; as she watched Edward slowly but steadily plunge the cafetière. Edward did not miss the attention that she paid him; his own observations were, he hoped, a little more discrete. He smiled and looked directly at her as she spoke. “These teas always smell so divine, it is such a shame that the flavour does not live up to the promise of the aroma. But I have become accustomed to the weak flavour now, and honestly quite enjoy them. But they really are an acquired taste I think.” “I must admit the fragrance from your tea is very …, well, tantalizing. It is quite perfumed. I don’t drink tea as something in it always s...

chapter 1, part 5 Edward smiled and nodded an acquiescing yes and took his few bits of paperwork out to the car. He looked at the tax disc and thought ‘Well I shall have a good reminder of Geraldine for the next year even if nothing comes of this, I have a paw print in the middle of my tax disk to look at every time I take out the car.’ He sat in his Vauxhall, idly working at the perforations around the disk as he waited for Geraldine to appear. He analysed what he had seen of her so far. She was wearing a beige sheepskin coat unfastened, over a revealing white blouse buttoned to reveal only a slight amount of cleavage. Nestled in her cleavage was a small gold locket. Her skirt was a dark brown and was at approximately knee length, stopping just above the high leg boots that covered her feet and calves. Her bra had been slightly discernable through the blouse and appeared to be a lacy affair. Did, he wondered, her other underwear match? It was not him to pick up women, which was ...

Chapter 1, part 4 Eventually he arrived at the counter and handed across the forms and after the counter clerk ascertained that everything was in order, Edward signed and proffered the cheque that paid for 12 months more road tax. He turned to leave and walked straight into the woman, dropping his documents and new car tax on the floor and knocking her shopping selection from her hands. “Oh, I’m so sorry” he said as he stooped to pick up her items, and then fell back flat onto his backside as their heads collided - she had bent down at the same time. As they sat there bemused and a little stunned, a Guide dog carefully picked its way past them, leading its owner safely to the post office counter, leaving a perfect damp paw mark in the centre of the newly dispensed car tax disk as it went by. “Stalking is one thing, but this amounts to assault” the auburn haired woman laughed as she looked around for her shopping, rubbing her head where it felt as if an egg was forming at the si...

Chapter 1, part 3. The evening came and went and soon the days merged and a week was almost done. As Saturday morning arrived he gathered together the car tax form that had arrived in the post a few days before, his car insurance and ‘log book’ and headed off to the post office to tax his car. Some years before he had begun the habit of changing his car in the New Year, and now every January was either the excitement of new wheels, or the drudgery of the car tax renewal at the post office. As he stood in the inevitably long queue he saw the auburn haired woman again, without her child once more as she had been in the supermarket a few days before. He could not help but follow her with his eyes as she wandered around the store. She stopped and browsed through the cheap end-of-line bin, then moved on and looked through the children’s comics and magazines, before selecting one of the comic style history explained magazines aimed at children. More than once he had to avert his eyes ...

Chapter 1 part 2. The darkness of the night conceded ground to light as another winters’ day broke to reveal a sparkling carpet of raggedy edged white hoar frost. The weak January sun slowly climbed the brightening sky and warmed the cold still air; leaves on plants and tiles on roofs began to steam, their frosty frozen coating turning to a shimmering vapour. As Edward stood at home dressing, people hurried from home to work, some scurrying along paths to wait at bus stops or railway platforms, others stood scraping car windows, but all with breath puffing out of their mouths like steam from long gone and mostly forgotten trains. An ethereal mist floated, reflecting the red light of the early morning sun, softening the coldness of the frosty start. A fuzzy white line crossed the pure blue heaven growing wider and fainter as it headed west, the tell tale evidence of a fortunate few escaping the cold of an English winters day, heading for hotter climbs, perhaps Caribbean, perhaps not...

1. First Encounters The soft click of the alarm was enough to take his attention away from his early morning dreaming. There was no morning disk jockey inanely greeting him to a wonderful day, no tuneless pop music to shake him from slumber. He had long ago learned that the clock radio with the sound turned down was enough. An almost inaudible click and he was awake, if not exactly ready to go just yet. Edward had been lying half dreaming and half watching a small spider spin a web in the corner of the bedroom. He leant across and took the remote and clicked on the TV. Sky News came up and he scanned the headlines – nothing really grabbed his attention. He flipped the sheet and duvet off and raised himself from the bed. His feet sank deep into the carpet, its pile caressing and embracing his toes as he walked to the ensuite. Edward turned the mixer tap on the hand wash basin to get the hottest of water ready for the morning ritual. He warmed his face with a towel held ...