Bill had been persuaded by his mate Chris that the blind date would be ‘a great idea’. Now he stood, terrified, outside the village hall dressed in his best suit, the smell of soap and Old Spice pervading the air. Music from the “Abba Revival” organised by the PCC spilled onto the car park.

“Bill!”

He turned and saw three silhouetted figures waiting for him at the entrance.

Bill had lost his wife two years ago to cancer after twenty five years of marriage. He’d met Maggie in secondary school and they’d been inseparable ever since. Until the illness came along and took her away that is. He’d been totally lost thereafter. His daughter Kate helped him cope of course, at seventeen going on forty she fussed and fretted like some Mother Hen, bless her. This evening, as his nerves again got the better of him, it was Kate who pushed him out the door
“Go on Dad! For goodness sake go out and enjoy yourself! It’s time you moved on”.

“Hi Chris! Hello Siobhan!”
He replied and turned nervously towards his ‘date’ for the evening.

“Bill, this is Siobhan’s friend Liz; Liz, this is Bill”

"Hello Liz", he said as he went to shake her hand.

She must have been mid blink because all Bill would remember of their first evening was the slow sensual opening of her eyelids, the palest of blue irises and the inky darkness of pupils that drew away his doubts and fears.

“Hello Bill…”