First Date

 

He thought it was their first date; she knew it was their anniversary. 

Bill grew up in a housing estate, in a mediocre road, in a boring town, with his parents and sister. The area groaned of desperation as though an old man was hovering above the place moaning about his pointless life. He was twenty-three years old and worked as a scaffolder. It was hard work, especially in the winter when the steel poles were freezing cold.

 

Clare was a student, she was young, carefree, and beautiful. Her smile was like an adrenaline shot to the heart. She had been unlucky in love and never had a boyfriend. One night her friend Liz suggested going to the pub, it was Clare’s birthday, and she wanted to take Clare out to celebrate it.

 

Bill had his head in the clouds and was always trying to think of new ways to make money. One idea he had for was to stage real life Festivity scenes at Christmas time. He thought that people go to such extremes to out do each other that he could offer a human production of a Christmas scene in peoples front gardens. They would only be for around twenty minutes, and he could have several bookings every evening. It would take the Christmas decorations to another level. However, after mentioning it to his family and friends they talked him out of it by organising a collective mocking and were hysterical at the thought of it. His father said,

“Let me get this straight. You’re going to higher a group of actors in the hope that members of the community will hire them to put on a nativity show on their front lawns. There are so many questions I have, my first being, have you lost your mind?”

 

Clare and Liz got ready together at Clare’s house, they had their music blasting away and they were dancing whilst fixing their hair. They hadn’t been out for a while and were really excited. Liz was a bit more streetwise and was trying to rid Clare of her butterflies by lining up shots of Vodka. Clare was turning twenty but still wasn’t ready to grow up.

 

Dale and Mike were celebrating Dale’s morning in court. He was charged with a Public Order offence and just received a fine, which he was happy with, with his past record he was worried he might get a custodial sentence and end up behind bars for six months.

 

On the same evening, after work Bill went to the pub for a drink with his work colleague, Paul. It was a damp, wet night with nothing going for it at all. Bill walked into the Forester’s and ordered a pint of beer. He stood at the bar and slurped on his cold frothy drink. He was tired and hungry but got caught up listening to one of Paul’s stories about when he was a window cleaner. 

 

Clare ordered a glass of white wine at the bar and sat down with Liz. They looked around the pub and smiled at each other, both disappointed with the quality of patrons. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Bill chatting away. He was tall and strong, with short dark hair. He was rough and ready but looked like a kind person. 

 

A little while later when Clare went to the bar to order another drink, she deliberately stood near Bill and tried to get his attention. Her female charm worked, and Bill began to speak to her. She invited him and Paul over to their table, a bold move for a shy girl, but the pre-drinks had done their job. She now had the courage of a gladiator. 

 

Bill and Clare really hit it off; they spoke all night. They had a similar upbringing and knew a few of the same people. They had arranged to meet the following night, but this time it was going to be just the two of them. 

“Do you like steak Clare?”

She excitedly replied, “yes, I do Bill. It’s my favourite.”

“Well, I know this lovely restaurant, just outside of town that we can go to.” His approach was Shakespearean, or more like Del-Boy from Only Fools and Horses.

 

Unfortunately, there were two guys, Dale and Mike who had been drinking since lunchtime, they were almost leg less. They were having a disagreement with the tired and annoyed landlord and Bill stepped in to mediate. Dale and Mike were aggressive and wouldn’t listen to reason, even after Bill offered to buy them a drink. They set upon Bill like wild animals, both trying to punch Bill in the face. They were so drunk that they were unable to keep their balance in the old pub. Bill ducked and dived and swung a clenched fist back. Dale received a fist to his jaw; a crunch could be heard from the other drinkers. Dale fell back and smashed his head against the stone tiled floor. He didn’t move. 

 

Mike made for the exit and left the pub with like a retreating lone wolf. The landlord called for an ambulance and without hesitation Clare got up, grabbed Bill and dragged him outside.

“Bill, Bill, come with me, let’s get you out of here.”

Bill was in shock; he was in a daze. He just held on to Clare’s hand and followed her, like a small child and his mother.

 

Clare hugged him and put him in a taxi. She thought it would be best if he wasn’t at the scene when the emergency services arrived. She went back into the pub out of breath and full of stress, where there was a crowd gathered around Dale.

Liz said,

“Clare, I think we should go. There’s nothing we can do here. Let’s just walk home.”

 

The girls had so much to discuss on their way home. The fight was the main talking point, but also Clare couldn’t stop thinking about Bill. 

“I really like him Liz, he’s lovely. I can’t wait to see him tomorrow.”

 

The following morning Clare woke up with a sore head; her mouth was dry and dehydrated so she went downstairs for a glass of water. Her dad was standing in the kitchen, the radio was on and he was listening to the news. 

 

“Good morning, Clare. Were you at the Forester’s last night?”

 

“Yeah, why?” Replied a defensive Clare. 

 

“Well, you must have seen the fight then. It’s been on the news, they just said the police are appealing for witnesses as a young man died of his injuries.”

 

Clare almost collapsed. She said,

“Oh my god. Oh no, please say you’re joking. I can’t believe it.”

 

“I’m not joking Clare. You need to have a shower, and we need to have a chat before the police come over.”

 

Without fail the police arrived to take a statement from Clare, they were two young women in smart attire. Fortunately, her father briefed her on how to answer their questions. He had previous run-ins with the police so knew how to handle them. He said,

 

“The key is Clare, be open and honest but just hold back on any details that might get you or your friends in trouble. They will try and tie you up and before you know it, you’ll be in court charged with some conspiracy or something.”

 

Within the day, Bill had been arrested on suspicion of murder, he was remanded in custody whilst further investigation went on. It was a terrible time for him, and he was eventually charged with man slaughter. Clare was in pieces; the first time she had met someone who liked her and they were taken away.

 

The court case took two years to conclude, and Bill was eventually acquitted of all charges. The defence argued that the defendant (Bill) was acting in self defence under Common Law. When he was released from custody, Clare was outside waiting for him.

 

A group of them went to the local pub to celebrate. Bill joked around and called it their first date, but Clare knew it was their anniversary, because it was her twenty second birthday.

 

The end