28
Wednesday has come around all too quickly and I have nothing to wear. Everything I bought on my shopping spree looks stupid on me now. The skirt makes me look like a frump. The trousers are too tight which won’t work for going out to eat. The dress is too flowy so I would be at risk of a Marilyn Monroe moment. My hair won’t behave. My eye keeps watering, so I need to keep redoing my makeup. What the hell is going on? It’s almost half past six, I need to be ready but I’m not. I’m not going. Forget it. I’m cancelling. I can’t go. Who needs a man anyway? I’ve survived being single all this time. I’ll live.
“Don’t you dare cancel! Stop being stupid!” I could hear Sarah shouting at me from her text message. “You will look fabulous, you’re just nervous. Wear the dress, that was my favourite and it shows your figure. Zack won’t care if a strand of hair is out of place. And men never notice makeup. Stop being a spoon and have a glass of wine while you wait!! Take a deep breath. Chill Xxx”
I followed her advice and took a deep breath before putting the dress back on. With a pair of glossy, skin coloured tights and my white high heeled sandals, I actually looked ok. Once I put a smile on too, I felt ready, forgetting the makeup fiasco earlier. Contouring is not for everyone. What should have been accentuated cheekbones and big, dark eyes turned out looking like twelve rounds with Mike Tyson. If I didn’t have the knack of applying makeup by now, I never will. Foundation, blusher, mascara, done! No need for messing about.
That morning I had a glance at the menu on the Ricci’s website and already picked what I was going to have. All were safe options so no dental floss would be needed. I would also be making sure I had a glass of water on the table at all times to sip in between the wine so I wouldn’t get too tipsy and embarrass myself. Tonight has to be perfect. It will be perfect. I look perfect. He will look perfect. Happy vibes. Happy, not panicky, vibes.
My phone buzzed from behind me on my dressing table. It was a text from Zack. My heart started pounding as my internal organs tried to make an escape out my arse. I will need to take some Imodium before I go anywhere.
“I think I’m here x” his text message read. I glanced out my window and there he was getting out of his blue Ford Fiesta. I can’t believe he is outside my house. Oh, the tingles.
Crap. Shit. Balls. Do I look ok?
As I did one final twirl in the mirror to check for ladders in the tights and cat hair on my bum, I luckily saw the tag still attached to my dress, so I quickly yanked it off. There will be no embarrassments or disasters tonight, none! I picked up my bag and I was ready…
“Hello there.” Zack said as I opened the door. “Wow, you look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I blushed, dammit! “You look good too. I’m glad you found my house ok.” I stepped outside and we walked side by side to his car. We were so close our arms were almost touching. I could smell his aftershave. I wanted to lick his face.
“I did drive down the wrong street first but I blame the sat nav on my phone. Oh, here you go.” He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for me.
“Thank you, very chivalrous of you.” I smiled.
“Well I need to impress you so you have something juicy to tell your girlfriends about me.”
“I’ll add it to the list, you’ve got your work cut out for you though. I hope you’re prepared.”
“It’s a good thing I like a challenge.”
He winked as he closed the door and the giddy, schoolgirl grin returned to my face. I had to fight to get rid of it before he got in the car.
Ricci’s was as busy as ever. It did not need to be a weekend for this restaurant to be fully booked. When it first opened, it took weeks for Sarah and me to be able to book a table. The heat from the bustling kitchen hit us as soon as the door was opened and the sound of happy chatter filled our ears. The flame from a pan whooshed in the corner of my eye and perfectly presented meals were placed on the counter ready to be taken to their tables.
The hostess greeted us at the glass door with her picture-perfect smile. Her hair was immaculately presented in a bun without a strand of hair out of place and her makeup looked amazing. How come some people possess the skill to put that amount of makeup on without looking like The Joker’s evil twin?
We were taken to a table by the window and thanked the hostess who handed us our menus. I don’t think I’ve ever sat this close to Zack before. We’ve sat next to each other at work but sitting opposite him was a new experience. Now I didn’t need to worry if he caught me looking at him because we were on a date! Eek!
“I hope you’re not one of those girls who orders a salad with a side of salad.”
“Hell no, the food here is too good to waste on a bowl of lettuce. I know exactly what I want.”
“That’s good to know, I had a sneaky look at the menu online earlier so I’ve already picked what I want. Is that weird?”
“Ha-ha, no. I did the same thing. I don’t even need to look at the menu.”
We both put our menus back down on the table. Now for the complicated part of the date: conversation. What do we talk about? Years ago, I read that the best way to get a guy’s interest is to ask them questions about themselves. Guys love to talk about themselves and love it when girls act really interested. So here goes.
“So how long have you worked for the company?” I asked.
Yes, lets talk about work. Great idea, Jenny.
“Quite a while now, it was my first job straight out of uni. How about you?”
“Too long. I’ve had a few jobs over the years but seem to have settled there for some reason.”
“Where did you work before?”
Conversation was supposed to be about Zack, I’ll try and flip it around later.
“At the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford. That was my favourite job.”
“Oh wow, were you backstage mingling with the stars?” he placed both his arms on the table so he could lean in towards me.
“No, nothing as exciting as that. I worked on the bar as a supervisor. I loved it. Every now and then I’d spot a star and act like a crazed fan if they spoke to me. Stephen Mulhern was there once to support his girlfriend in a show. He came to the bar and ordered a glass of wine and a bottle of water before I’d even realised who he was. The first words out of my mouth were ‘oh wow’!”
Zack found this really funny. This was a good sign.
“What did he do then?”
“Nothing, he just looked at me like I was a crazy person and I just served him his drinks. He was really nice actually. Also, taller than he looks on TV.”
“An interesting fact. Which other celebs have you seen?”
“Oh loads. Ainsley Harriot, he was hilarious. Linda Bellingham was my all-time favourite celeb. Jimmy Carr was a bit of a tosser. There was Lee Evans.” His eyes lit up at the mention of all the celebrities I had encountered. “The singing kid too, what’s his name, Ray Quinn? Oh, and Connie Fisher! That was a random encounter. She got lost backstage and ended up in the private member’s bar area. I think she was as shocked to see me as I was to see her!”
“That sounds really exciting, why did you leave?”
“It was only part-time, and I needed a full-time job. Some weeks there were no shifts available at all, it depended on which shows were on. But it will always be the best place I ever worked.”
I then noticed a change in Zack’s smile. It was the same, but different. Like he was genuinely interested and touched by me recalling happy memories of years gone by. He’s never given me that look before. I don’t think any man has. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, or the smile off my face. I could have slapped the waitress who dared to interrupt us.
“Would you like any drinks?” she asked, looking at Zack.
Damn you.
“Yes, please, erm, just a bottle of Peroni, thanks.”
The waitress looked to me, but I had been distracted by my phone buzzing in my bag. I pulled it out and saw it was the vets ringing me again
.
“Erm, I, erm,” I looked from the waitress to Zack and back to the waitress. “I’m really sorry but I need to take this.”
“That’s ok, I’ll come back in a couple of minutes.”
“Is that ok? It’s about my cat.”
“Of course, go for it.”
I answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Hi is that Jennifer? This is Gale, we’ve found Bing again and we’ve got him! He’s in a cage, he’s not going anywhere this time.”
“He’s there? Really?”
“Yes really. He’s here and he’s a little bit angry but he’s fine.”
“Oh, thank you. I’ll be there in the morning to get him. Thank you so much.”
“Actually, that’s why I’m calling you. The surgery is closed tomorrow and not open again until Monday. There won’t be anyone who can look after him. Can you get him tonight? I can wait here until you get here for him.”
“Tonight?” I looked up at Zack who was having a look through the menu.
“Yes. I could call the RSPCA to see if they could take him for the night but…”
“No, no don’t call the RSPCA.” I said as Zack looked up. “I’ll come get him tonight. I’ll come now. Thank you, I’ll see you soon.”
I put my phone back in my bag.
“Is everything ok?” he asked.
“I’m so sorry. I hate to do this. But my cat. They’ve found him. He’s in Huddersfield and I need to go get him. I can’t believe I have to do this, but I need to get him home.”
He was going to think this was a lie. Like I had asked a friend to phone me with a ridiculous excuse to get out of the date. He’ll never want to take me out again. Damn you Bing, you ruin everything!
“Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s great that they’ve found him.” He put his menu back down. “Come on, I’ll take you.”
“You will?”
“Yes, it’s too late to be traipsing to Huddersfield on your own. Do you need to pick up a cat carrier for him?”
“I’d best do. He’s known to be a flight risk.”The last thing I needed to be doing in this dress was running around the streets of Huddersfield chasing Bing.
“Come on,” he stood up and held out his hand to me, which I happily grabbed. “we’ll go get the carrier from your house and then we can rescue your cat.”
I couldn’t believe his reaction. He seemed genuinely concerned. I’m not used to men being so caring. I can’t wait to tell Sarah about the twist in our date.
“Thank you, that’s so nice of you. I’ll warn you though, he won’t be grateful, he’s kind of a wanker.”
“That’s fine, I can cope with that.”
The waitress came back to our table, seeing that we were leaving.
“Is everything alright?”
“We have an emergency and need to go,” he said to her, “but thank you.”
He grabbed my hand and led us out of the restaurant and back to his car. Disaster or not, this is my favourite date ever.
29
“It’s just up on the left here.” I directed Zack via the sat nav on my phone. He pulled up in front of the surgery.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” he asked.
“I don’t know, he doesn’t react well to strangers.” He didn’t often react well to be to be honest, but I had horrifying visions of Zack’s perfect face being scarred by psycho cat scratches. Then I would have to kill the cat, and that would mean all the weeks being worried about him would have been a waste of emotion.
“I’ll wait in the reception area then, come on, I’ll take the carrier in for you.”
We got out of the car and Zack collected the carrier from the back seat. I suddenly felt nervous. I had not seen Bing for some time. Would he be excited to see me? Would he even care? Will he have forgotten about me? He was a rescue cat after all, I’m not the first owner he has had to forget about. And cats aren’t exactly loyal creatures. I read recently that a cat’s meow was created by them to get our attention and get their own way. How often do you hear a cat meowing to another cat like a dog barks at other dogs? Yet, they’re perfectly able to meow at you. They’re sneaky buggers.
Zack seemed to sense my apprehension and he grabbed hold of my hand as we walked to the door. This was a very welcome distraction. I just hope my hands weren’t too sweaty.
We were met at the door by a short, plump woman. Her grey roots were peeking out through her faded red hair and her glasses were hanging from her neck on a badly crocheted cord.
“Hi, I’m Gale. Are you Jennifer?”
“Yes, it’s me. This is my, erm, my friend Zack. He gave me a lift. Is Bing still here?”
“He’s here,” she held the door open as we entered the reception area. “He’s had some food but he’s not a happy chappy! I think he just wants his own bed. He’s quite a character!” That’s one way to put it. I think he wants to strangle you with that glasses cord for putting him in a cage though.
“Oh, well, his presence has certainly been missed at home.” I’ve not had to check my shoes before putting them on for spider corpses. Life has been a lot less stressful.
“It’s just this way.”
She walked behind the reception counter and motioned for me to follow her down the corridor. Zack passed me the carrier and gave me a reassuring smile.
“I’ll wait right here.”
“Thank you.”
I followed Gale down the corridor and into a room filled with cages and the blinding smell of disinfectant. There were cages of all sizes. Some were small enough for rabbits and some big enough for a Great Dane. And then there was one with a white ball of fluff in the corner, making a strange sound. A deep, angry growl. He was pissed off…
Gale sensibly stayed by the door.
“I’ll wait out in the reception area,” she slowly backed away, “I’ll let you calm him and bring him out.”
This was going to hurt.
“Bing?” I took a step closer to the cage, “Bing? Here kitty.” Like that ever worked.
Two ears popped up through the fur and the growling stopped. Has he recognised my voice?
“Bing? It’s me. Hey boy.”
Two eyes suddenly opened, staring straight at me. The deep, annoyed growl suddenly became a high-pitched mew. I had never heard him make that sound before. Mew. He did it again. And again. He rubbed his head against the cage causing a clattering sound. He wanted to get out. I felt a little bit emotional.
“Ok, it’s ok Bing. I’m here.” I put my hand against the cage and he pushed his head against it.
I made sure the carrier was ready and that the door behind me was shut. I couldn’t let Zack witness me chasing Bing around the veterinary surgery. I slowly lifted the handle to the cage and pulled it back, gradually pulling the door open until Bing and I were face to face. He couldn’t keep still. He seemed gitterish, nervous, excited. As soon as he could, he leapt out of the cage and into my arms.
“Hey little man!” I held on to my cat with very little effort to keep him from escaping. He actually seemed happy to be in my arms and purred into my neck. I couldn’t help but shed a tear. “Come on, lets go home.” I gave him a quick kiss on the head without fearing that my lips would get bitten off and he happily went into the carrier without a fuss. If they hadn’t checked his microchip information, I could have sworn this wasn’t my cat.
I found Zack and Gale chatting in the reception area. They both turned towards me when I walked through the door. Gale seemed to look me up and down for signs of scratches, bites and heavy bleeding.
“Is everything ok?” She asked. “He didn’t bite you?”
“No, everything’s fine.” I looked down towards the calm cat in the carrier. “He just wants to get home I think.”
“Perfect, that’s just great.” She instantly relaxed. “Well, I’ll let you both get him home.”
“Here you are.” Zack pulled up outside my house.
“Thank you. I’m so sorry
about tonight. As happy as I am to have Bing back, I didn’t want our date to be cancelled.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’m glad you’ve got him back. Anyway, we can reschedule. Are you free Friday night? We can try again.”
“Yes, definitely.” I heard Bing mew on the back seat. “I’d invite you in for a coffee but… I’m not sure how that would go down with His Highness.”
“Not a problem, I’ll find somewhere for us to go on Friday and will text you with a time that I’ll pick you up.”
I was so relieved that he hadn’t been put off by tonight’s drama. It was certainly a story to tell the grandkids. If that’s where we end up of course. Our next date will be more successful. It couldn’t go any worse, could it?
30
I woke up the next morning to an odd sensation. One that I am not used to. In all my years of being a cat mum, this had never happened before. I was scared to move at first, not wanting to disturb him. I managed to lift my head enough to look at my new fluffy pillow tucked up between my arm and my body. His fur was tickling the skin under my arm. When I came upstairs to bed, he was at my feet the whole time, but not in a way that suggested he wanted to kill me, for the first time ever. Even when I went to the bathroom, he was super close to me, which proves that cats have no boundaries. When I climbed into bed, he got comfy on top of the duvet in between my knees, but sometime during the night he had managed to sneak under the cover and nest himself as close to me as possible.
I carefully reached for my phone with my free hand. I have to take a photo, this has #catselfie written all over it. I just need to make sure I don’t… bang. The phone slipped from my poor left-handed grip and landed back on the bedside table, but Bing didn’t budge. I had to check he was breathing, which he was, luckily. He was in such a deep sleep.
At my second attempt, I managed to pick up my phone and swipe open the camera. I didn’t care that I had some serious bed head going on, this was an amazing photo opportunity. However, once I saw the photo, I decided that people don’t need to see my face after all. Seeing my arm was good enough for this.
Blind Date Page 12
