Joe and Dianne Through The Looking Glass

Chapter 8 - Paso Doble week

It had been a very busy afternoon in the café and Alice had felt quite relieved to shut the door behind the last customers and flip the plastic sign over to read closed. The sign swayed on its string as she flipped the catch to lock the door. Outside it was pitch dark as it had been for a good few hours now. Occasionally a figure wrapped up against the cold would hurry past, their features disturbingly half in light, half in shadow. There was something a little unsettling about being locked inside the café when it was so dark outside. The glow of the lights inside only seemed to increase the blackness and knowing she was alone only made Alice feel more exposed – as if she was trapped in a glowing box, unable to see what was on the outside but knowing that whoever or whatever was out there could look in and watch her unobserved. Perhaps her senses had been heightened by all the Halloween build up – really some of the things she'd seen strung up outside people's houses these last few weeks belonged only in over 18 films, and if it was making her feel unsettled, goodness knows what it was doing to the children.

She took the broom from the store cupboard and began to sweep the day's detritus from the floor, reflecting as she did so on the afternoon behind her. It was just after she'd started her shift that her favourite couple had made an appearance. Already the café was busy and when she spied them standing by the cabinet selecting food from the vast and confusing array on display she had realised with a sinking feeling that all the tables were occupied and they would have nowhere to sit. She glanced up, remembering how upset the girl had been during that strange afternoon last week but today Alice was relieved to see that the familiar red head was back wearing her smile with confidence, as if last week had after all been just an easily forgotten bad dream. Standing with a packaged sandwich in one hand and a can of drink and a phone gathered in the other she was beaming at her messy haired companion, her arms waving with exuberance and it appeared that everything had returned to normal ... until Alice caught sight of the boy's expression. Gone was the blue eyed cheeky grin of a boy bent on mischief and laughter, gone too was the determined man of last week, protecting his girl at all costs. He looked .... worried, as if all the energy had been sucked out of him leaving behind just an under confident shell. Alice watched as he ran an anxious hand through his hair pushing his long fringe out of his eyes and looked at the beautiful girl in front of him before shaking his head and looking down at his feet. It was clear they were continuing a conversation started long before their arrival. The girl shook her head vigorously at him and grabbed his forearm forcing him to look again into her eyes. It certainly wasn't an argument, everything about the girl was focused on him and she seemed to be willing him on, as if by sheer force of her own positivity she could change his attitude, change some long held belief that was stealing his confidence away.

Turning to serve a customer Alice could watch no longer but as they approached the counter a few minutes later she caught something the girl was saying that had then rattled round in her head all afternoon; "....strength isn't just about body shape, it's about who you are on the inside. You are so strong and I know you can do this" It was a strange thing to overhear and Alice had glanced up in time to see the boy smile then nod and square his shoulders a little before flinging his arms into the air, his hips thrust forward and legs locked together, his whole body forming a rigid, upright curve. Alice couldn't help but smile, the sudden almost dancer like action combined with the serious frowning pout written on his face and the sandwich and yoghurt pot still held in his hands and now suspended in the air was an incongruous sight. She noticed the red head battle to keep a similar smile from breaking out over her own features, a struggle she soon lost when the boy, still holding his pose steady, wiggled both his eyebrows at her. The twinkle had returned to his blue eyes and as they piled their purchases onto the counter in a disorganised muddle, a movement attracted her attention. The girl had caught hold of his hand, slipping her fingers between his and squeezing before just as quickly letting go. "That was good, see!" she said quietly. They hadn't stayed to eat, hurrying out into the brisk Autumn day and away down the street talking nineteen to the dozen.