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\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid13831478 {\*\bkmkstart _Toc143679037}Chapter 7{\*\bkmkend _Toc143679037}
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Elizabeth was, of course, all over him on Tuesday morning, wanting to know how the dance lesson had gone.
\par 
\par \'93Well, thank you, Elizabeth. I actually enjoyed it.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Good. So, what\rquote s it like? What did you do?\'94
\par 
\par So, Stan briefly described the hall, and told her that they\rquote d begun learning the Foxtrot.
\par 
\par \'93Ah, yes. My mum and dad used to do all of those. She tried to teach me once, but I never really got it. I was more into rock\rquote n\rquote roll,\'94 she said.
\par 
\par Then, \'93Did you meet anyone?\'94 she asked
\par 
\par \'93Well, I met Yves and Belinda, the teachers. They\rquote re wonderful, you should see them dance together. Belinda must have been one hell of a catch when she was younger, she\rquote 
s still a real beauty. Yves is a foreigner, comes from Spain or somewhere, I can\rquote t quite make out where. Strange accent. But oh, God, can those two }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 dance!}{\insrsid13831478 \'94
\par 
\par Elizabeth said, \'93I\rquote m glad to see they made an impression on you.\'94 After a moment, she prodded, \'93Anyone else?\'94
\par 
\par The look was innocent, the question anything but. Stan knew what she was driving at. He thought briefly of Pamela, but dismissed the idea \endash  he was far too old. \'93
No, not really. There were about seven of us, all beginner level, although I was the only one who started last night.\'94
\par 
\par \'93So, did you talk to them?\'94
\par 
\par Again, Stan thought of Pamela.
\par 
\par \'93No, not really.  Just chit-chat,\'94 he said, finally.
\par 
\par Elizabeth regarded him over their desks for a moment. Finally, she said, 
\par 
\par \'93Well, it all has to start somewhere. I\rquote m glad you enjoyed yourself. Now\'85\'94 and they began discussion of work.
\par 
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\par 
\par Stan was a little surprised by Denise\rquote s first words when they met later that afternoon.
\par 
\par \'93I\rquote ve just booked my holiday!\'94 she said, obviously excited.
\par 
\par \'93There was me thinking you\rquote d ask about my dance lesson!\'94 he teased.
\par 
\par \'93Oh! Sorry. I forgot, actually. Over the \lquote net this lunchtime I managed to book a fortnight in Ibiza, starting this Thursday, and I can\rquote t wait,\'94 she said in a rush. \'93But tell me about the lesson. How are Yves and Belinda?\'94
\par 
\par Stan told her they were well, and that Belinda had remembered her. He neglected to mention what she\rquote d said about Raoul though!
\par 
\par Denise told him that she\rquote d have to miss their weekly date, \'93I\rquote ll have a bit of packing to do, and I want to get some sleep. I have to be at the airport }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 early!}{\insrsid13831478 \'94
\par 
\par \'93Okay. Well, you can tell me all about it when you get back. When }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 is}{\insrsid13831478  that?\'94 he asked.
\par 
\par \'93I get back in the UK on Thursday the seventeenth, \'93 she replied, \'93but I\rquote m off work that Friday as well. I expect I\rquote ll be absolutely }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 knackered}{\insrsid13831478 .\'94
\par 
\par \'93Yes, I\rquote ve heard that holidays in Ibiza can be tiring,\'93 Stan said, with a little mockery.
\par 
\par Denise just looked at him, giggled and said, \'93You\rquote re just jealous!\'94
\par 
\par Stan said, seriously, \'93No, not really Denise. You\rquote re a grown up woman and if you want to party on down all week then it\rquote s up to you. Just, please, be careful. I\rquote ve heard what can happen there.\'94
\par 
\par Denise smiled, took his hand a moment, and said, \'93You\rquote re a good, caring man Stan. Actually, I expect I\rquote ll spend the days lying on the beach or next to the hotel pool, and the nights in bed\'85 alone, before you say any more!\'94
 She grinned, squeezed his hand a little and then let go.
\par 
\par \'93I\rquote ll ring you here at work on the Friday after I get home, Stan. See you later.\'94
\par 
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\par Wednesday night came. Stan felt lost, without anything definite to do. He thought of goin
g to the pub on his own for a moment, but discarded the idea as soon as it formed. Drinking alone was bad enough. Drinking expensive soft drinks in a bar full of strangers alone was intolerable.
\par 
\par He got a can of beer out of the refrigerator, switched on the TV and started hunting through the channels. Half an hour later he switched it off again. He picked up a book \endash  John Keegan\rquote s }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 The Mask of Command}{
\insrsid13831478  \endash  and began reading the author\rquote s commentary on Wellington.
\par 
\par He woke up with a start. The clock on the wall said eleven fifteen. He\rquote d barely managed a dozen pages, and could remember none of it. Stan went to bed feeling the evening had disappeared out from under him, and he wasn\rquote 
t sure whether to feel good or bad about it.
\par 
\par Before going to sleep he idly thought of Denise. He hoped she\rquote d enjoy her holiday. She deserved to, for she was a good friend.
\par 
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\par Even though Denise and Stan rarely spoke a lot during a normal working day, Stan felt her absence acutely for the next two days. However, he was busy and took his mind off the redhead by applying himself to his work.
\par 
\par The first preproduction samples of Anne\rquote s chip were due in from Shucor next week. Stan was reviewing the measurements from the wafer manufacturer and the subcontractor\rquote s assembly data.
 All seemed fine, everything was within specification, but something nagged at him. He couldn\rquote t place it, but something was off.
\par 
\par \'93Bob, have you got a minute?\'94 he finally asked his boss. The Quality Manager indicated that he did, so Stan sat in Bob\rquote s \lquote visitor\rquote s chair\rquote  and explained,
\par 
\par \'93I\rquote ve been looking at the data we got from Shucor about Anne\rquote s chip. Everything is within their specification, and Anne assured us all at the meeting that it would be okay, but there\rquote s something not right. I can\rquote 
t put my finger on it, but I\rquote ve got a feeling. Can I take some time and try to chase it down?\'94
\par 
\par Shucor, the company actually making Anne\rquote s device, was reputable but well known within The Firm for being a little difficult to deal with. If something was pointed out to them as being wrong, they\rquote 
d never admit it, but it would never happen again. First, of course, you had to show what was wrong, and getting their cooperation was, well, }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 difficult}{\insrsid13831478 
. Stan had done this before and had made a good call saving The Firm thousands, so Bob was inclined to trust his subordinate.
\par 
\par Since Stan was up to date on all the routine work, his boss simply said, \'93Sure. Just keep me up to speed,\'94 and Stan returned to his desk.
\par 
\par He went back to checking the data from Shucor.
\par 
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\par By Friday evening Stan was almost convinced he\rquote d imagined the problem, and told Bob that he thought he\rquote d probably made a mistake. Bob simply shrugged, said \'93Win some, lose some, Stan. Don\rquote t worry too much. I\rquote 
ll see you on Monday, you can write up what you did or didn\rquote t find and we\rquote ll wait for the devices. They\rquote re due in on Wednesday.\'94
\par 
\par Stan went home and spent a simple weekend doing household chores and relaxing. On Sunday morning he woke up to blazing sunshine and high temperatures, so he decided to walk into 
town and idle-away some time there. It was a leisurely half-hour walk, most of the way shaded by the trees planted along The Avenue, the main road from his area towards the High Street.
\par 
\par He had a late breakfast at one of the caf\'e9s and wandered around until lunchtime. He found himself at }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 Iorio\rquote s}{\insrsid13831478  and decided that, since he\rquote 
d never been there before but had heard Denise talk about it, he\rquote d try it.
\par 
\par Stan got a double espresso and then checked the menu. He wasn\rquote t very hungry, so he just had an Italian-style saus
age and pepper sandwich, which he enjoyed with a bottle of mineral water. The place was quiet, clean and the guy behind the counter was friendly. Stan thought he\rquote d enjoy going there more often.
\par 
\par Stan walked home, savouring the day. Brilliant blue skies, high temperatures and, for a change, no chance of rain. All these things had combined to make for a perfect Sunday. 
\par 
\par Arriving home, Stan hung up his keys and put his sunglasses down on the table beside the door. He wandered into the kitchen and got a mineral water out of the refrigerator, then made his way into the living room.
\par 
\par In the local music store, near the check-out counter, he\rquote d found a CD of instrumentals intended for ballroom dancing as a discounted item and bought it on impulse. He played it, amused that they\rquote d managed to turn the \lquote Muppet Show
\rquote  theme into a Quickstep dance song. Also on the CD was a version of \lquote Me and My Shadow\rquote  which was intended as a Foxtrot and Stan made himself laugh out loud attempting to dance to it. It simply wasn\rquote t the same
 feeling without a partner, you could do the steps but there was no tactile feedback for when you were about to go wrong \endash  so he went wrong. Often.
\par 
\par \'93I guess I need more practice than one lesson!\'94 he told himself, with a smirk.
\par 
\par For no apparent reason he felt Caron\rquote s eyes on him, and his mood fell instantly. He told her silently, \lquote }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 
We should have done this, sweetheart. Like a lot of things we never got around to doing, we just ran out of time.}{\insrsid13831478 \rquote 
\par 
\par Stan turned off the music, put the CD away and moped for the rest of the day.
\par 
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 - - - - - - - - - -
\par }\pard\plain \ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 
\par Stan had been anticipating the dance class on the Monday but, once again, on the drive there he started to doubt himself. He tried to shake it off, telling himself that the dancing wasn\rquote t as hard as he\rquote d thought it woul
d be and that he looked forward to meeting Belinda and Yves again.
\par 
\par As he drove, he concluded that meeting those two again really was something he was looking forward to. He grinned, thinking,
\par 
\par \lquote Then there\rquote s always Pamela. Sweet, pretty and smart. It\rquote s a shame she\rquote s young enough to be my daughter!\rquote 
\par 
\par Caron and Stan had never had children. It had never been an issue between them. Caron had simply said, early on when they were just beginning to date, that she didn\rquote t want children for herself, she much preferred other people\rquote s kids.
\par 
\par Stan could hear her now, saying, \lquote }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 After all, Stan, it means I can give all my love to you!}{\insrsid13831478 \rquote 
\par 
\par She had. Their love had been intense. Caron had been asked, while the two of them were on a trip to celebrate their twentieth anniversary, if they were newlyweds, and they were flattered by the mistaken observation and }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 very}{
\insrsid13831478  happy. The old lady who\rquote d asked the question congratulated them on their anniversary and said it was wonderful to meet a couple who were so obviously in love. Stan had told her that the only girl he\rquote 
d ever loved had been Caron, and that he couldn\rquote t ever see that changing. His reward was a passionate kiss from his Welsh-Irish love.
\par 
\par As always, thoughts of his beloved Caron made him morose and the rest of the journey was a me
chanical exercise. It was only when he reached the old school that he pulled himself back to the present. He drew up outside, hunting for a parking space, eventually finding one just around a corner, a bit further than last time. Getting out of the car, h
e stood for a moment. He felt sure Caron gave her blessing to this. He nodded, said a quiet \'93Thank you darling,\'94 and went to the old school entrance.
\par 
\par This time it was Yves\rquote  turn to do the \lquote meet and greet\rquote  job at the door. He said to Stan,
\par 
\par \'93Ah, Mr. Hinch. Yes, Stan, I remember. I\rquote m pleased you came back after the }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 ordeal}{\insrsid13831478  of your first lesson!\'94 He winked after a moment, showing Stan that he was teasing.
\par 
\par \'93Go on in and chat with the others. If you should see my wife, please ask her if I could borrow her for a moment?\'94
\par 
\par Stan smiled, and said he would. Then his curiosity became too much, and he asked Yves,
\par 
\par \'93Where does that accent come from? I can\rquote t make out if it\rquote s Spanish or what? And a name like Yves sounds French.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Ah! I am an Euskaldunak, what you would call a Basque. I actually hold a Spanish passport as well as a British one, but my name comes from my mother\rquote s family and they were technically French. So I\rquote m a bit of a mongrel, yes?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Ignore him, he\rquote s much more than a }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 bit}{\insrsid13831478  of a mongrel!\'94 came the affectionate but crystal clear voice of Belinda, from the doorway into the main hall. \'93It\rquote s nearly time to start, Yves.\'94
 She continued.
\par 
\par \'93Yes, Bel. But can I have you for a moment?\'94
\par 
\par Stan and Belinda swapped \'93Hellos\'94 as they passed in the corridor, and Stan moved into the hall.
\par 
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 - - - - - - - - - -
\par }\pard\plain \ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 
\par He found that he was nearly the last there. He was pleased to see Pamela had arrived, but, as usual, he stood alone against the wall.
\par 
\par One of the guys who\rquote d been at the previous week\rquote s lesson saw him and approached.
\par 
\par \'93Hi, Stan!\'94 he said. Stan couldn\rquote t for the }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 life}{\insrsid13831478  of him recover the guy\rquote s name, so he merely said \'93Hi!\'94 in return.
\par 
\par \'93I hope you\rquote ve got your protective shoes on?\'94 the other asked. 
\par 
\par \'93I told someone I was going to be doing this, and that she ought to invest in a company that made them,\'94 Stan, recalling last week\rquote s conversation with Elizabeth, laughed. 
\par 
\par \'93Well I\rquote ve only been here twice before, but believe me Carol over there,\'94 indicating a larger woman in a pink, full dress, \'93has got big, heavy feet. I swear I had bruises when I left here last time.\'94
\par 
\par Stan reflected that he\rquote d almost crushed a few toes himself on his first lesson.
\par 
\par \'93How many times has she been here before, er\'85?\'94 Stan was stuck. He still couldn\rquote t remember the name.
\par 
\par A moment or two passed, then he was put out of his misery\'85
\par 
\par \'93Tom, Tom Orbison. It\rquote s nice to have made an impression!\'94
\par 
\par \'93Look, I\rquote m really very sorry, I don\rquote t have a head for names\'85\'94
\par 
\par \'93Don\rquote t worry about it. Now, what }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 I}{\insrsid13831478  want to know is who I have to pay around here for a dance with }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 that}{\insrsid13831478  sweet little thing!\'94
\par 
\par Stan looked. Tom was clearly meaning Pamela. Stan didn\rquote t know what to say at all.
\par 
\par \'93I suppose I will just have to ask her!\'94 said Tom, and he winked at Stan, then walked over to Pamela. Stan couldn\rquote t hear the details of the negotiation, but when he stayed with the girl, it was clear he hadn\rquote t been told \'93No!\'94

\par 
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 - - - - - - - - - -
\par }\pard\plain \ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 
\par \'93Good evening, everyone. I\rquote m very glad you could all make it again tonight. Can we all get ready please?\'94 called Yves from the sound machine.
\par 
\par \'93Yes, please, everyone,\'94 amplified Belinda, standing in the open area that was the dance floor. \'93This week we\rquote ll practice the Foxtrot some more, so everyone please select your partner. James, I\rquote m very much afraid that you\rquote 
ve drawn the short straw.\'94
\par 
\par She was looking at a short, heavyset man in his fifties.
\par 
\par Impishly Belinda continued, \'93You get me.\'94 James didn\rquote t look }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 too}{\insrsid13831478  upset.
\par 
\par Yves and Belinda calling them all together for the beginning of the lesson interrupted Stan\rquote s study of the pair. Stan found himself paired with Carol, and wondered if they\rquote d both get bruised feet.
\par 
\par As the lesson progressed he found that Carol was much better than Tom had suggested. He asked her,
\par 
\par \'93How many lessons have you had so far?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Oh, this is only my third,\'94 came the reply. \'93I needed to do something to get exercise, and since I can\rquote t stand dogs, I thought of dancing instead.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Hmm?\'94 Stan didn\rquote t make the connection at first.
\par 
\par \'93You see, a friend had suggested I get a dog, as the walking would be good for me. But I\rquote m a cat person, I have three of the little darlings. So a dog wasn\rquote t going to work.\'94
\par 
\par Now Stan \lquote Got It\rquote .
\par 
\par Conversation stopped while they had more instruction from Belinda. Stan found he had to concentrate hard to make sure he was doing what she told them, but once again found it easier as the lesson wore on.
\par 
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 - - - - - - - - - -
\par }\pard\plain \ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 
\par During the break period Tom queued behind Stan for drinks, and whispered in his ear, \'94God, I love this! I wonder if I can persuade Pam to let me get my hands on more of her!\'94 Stan turned, a little shocked, to find a smirk on the other\rquote s face.

\par 
\par \'93What? You never thought of it?\'94 Tom asked, seeing his expression. \'93She\rquote s young, pretty, available,\'93 with a waggle of the eyebrows, \'93and mine at the moment!\'94
\par 
\par Stan didn\rquote t answer. He merely turned back to the drinks, grabbed a bottle of mineral water and walked away to where Carol was standing, alone.
\par 
\par \'93I don\rquote t much like that }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 gentleman}{\insrsid13831478 ,\'94 she told Stan.
\par 
\par \'93I\rquote m not fond of him either,\'94 returned Stan, \'93He seems to like Pamela, though.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Well, of }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 course}{\insrsid13831478  he likes her! She\rquote s young\'85 and pretty. If she hasn\rquote t been chatted up by all the guys here at least once I\rquote d be surprised!\'94
\par 
\par Stan looked at Carol. It was clear that she was jealous of the attention being paid to Pamela by Tom. Stan couldn\rquote t work that out at all in light of what she had told him. She said that she didn\rquote 
t like the guy, but she was jealous over seeing him with Pamela?
\par 
\par It was an emotion Stan just never felt. How could a body feel that way about someone they didn\rquote t trust? Once Stan felt that he trusted someone, he felt no jealousy because he put }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 full}{\insrsid13831478 
 trust in that person. For him it was either/or, but no matter what, }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 jealousy}{\insrsid13831478  just didn\rquote t figure.
\par 
\par He just felt that some people were odd.
\par 
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 - - - - - - - - - -
\par }\pard\plain \ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 
\par Their proximity meant that for the second half of the lesson Stan once again found himself partnered with Carol. She }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 did}{\insrsid13831478 
 catch his toes once, apologising profusely, but Stan told her it was fair payback for the times he\rquote d done it to her!
\par 
\par Before the end, Belinda partnered him briefly, commenting on his improvement. \'93You\rquote re still far too }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 stiff}{\insrsid13831478 , Stanley, and that\rquote s got to change, but you\rquote ve definitely improved. Well done,
\'94 she told him, before moving on to another man.
\par 
\par Once again, the lesson finished with a demonstration. Then, Yves told the group,
\par 
\par \'93Next week our subject will be the Quickstep. See you then, everyone!\'94
\par 
\par On the way home in the car, Stan considered Belinda\rquote s comment. Stiff? He thought he\rquote d relaxed, although he\rquote d been concentrating on the steps, sure enough, and on not stepping on her feet. She can\rquote t have meant\'85?
\par 
\par No. }{\cs16\i\insrsid13831478 That}{\insrsid13831478  hadn\rquote t been stiff for a while!
\par 
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid13831478 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid13831478 - - - - - - - - - -
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\par }}