Bill had been persuaded by his mate Chris that the blind date would be ‘a great idea’. Now he stood in the car park, terrified and thinking seriously about climbing into the car and going home. He was regretting saying ‘yes’ to this mad idea and yet here he was, dressed in his best suit, outside the Hammer and Nail, with the smell of soap and his after shave pervading the air. Music from the “Abba Revival” organised by the PCC spilled onto the car park.

“Hi Bill! We’re over here!”

He turned and walked towards the 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 straightened his tie, brushed his collar and pushed him out the door.

“Go on Dad! For goodness sake get out and enjoy yourself! Mum would want you to be happy - 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.

As he caught sight of her for the first time, time itself seemed to slow and stop. She must have been mid blink, because the one thing Bill would never forget of their first evening together, was that moment and the slow sensual opening of her eyelids, revealing the palest of blue irises and the inky darkness of pupils that simply swept away his doubts and fears.

“Hello Bill…”