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\par }{\insrsid11696317 Stan woke up }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 late}{\insrsid11696317  Saturday morning.
\par 
\par At first he lay still while he put his scattered mind back together. Then he rolled onto his back, whispered, \'93}{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 Good morning, love,}{\insrsid11696317 \'94 and went over what had happened last night.
\par 
\par With the morning sunlight flickering through the curtains, last night\rquote s events didn\rquote t seem so momentous. Last night he\rquote d thought the evening was incredible. He\rquote d spoken to Anne in a non-work setting; it had been almost as if }{
\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 they\rquote d}{\insrsid11696317  been to a dinner date on their own. Now, this morning, he felt that he\rquote d over-dramatised it. It }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 hadn\rquote t}{\insrsid11696317 
 been a non-work setting after all. Percy and Rick had been right there at their table. And yet\'85
\par 
\par And yet they\rquote d all but completely disappeared from his mind last night. To him, it had felt like the only person there with him was Anne. What did that mean?
\par 
\par It meant he\rquote d betrayed Caron. }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 \lquote Oh, God, forgive me!\rquote }{\insrsid11696317  he thought and he saw in his mind\rquote s eye his wife\rquote 
s loving eyes, bright with amusement. Did that mean she gave her blessing? }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 \lquote Do you mean that, love?\rquote }{\insrsid11696317  he asked her, and felt a warmth run through him as it came to him that Caron would }{
\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 want}{\insrsid11696317  him to live on, and that included the romantic part of his life too. Stan felt a great weight lifting from over him. It wasn\rquote t a physical thing, more like an oppressive feel
ing that had now dissipated.
\par 
\par Now he had things to do. Stan went about his morning routine while thinking through his next move. He needed to get in touch with Belinda or Yves and ask if Anne could come along to the next class. He thought he\rquote d better do that as soon as he
\rquote d had breakfast. 
\par 
\par He got his morning coffee and a bowl of cereal and sat down at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. Over his cereal he thought about what he wanted to happen. He wanted to actually }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 go out}{\insrsid11696317 
 with Anne, not just to a dance class as a friend, but as a }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 boy}{\insrsid11696317 friend. Ha! A boyfriend who was almost ten years her senior. Did he really think he had anything to offer such a wonderful person?
\par 
\par \'93Oh God, I\rquote m going to have to ask her }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 out!}{\insrsid11696317 \'94 he groaned. In all his life he\rquote d only ever done that once, to Caron, the first time. After that, with Caron, things had just\'85
 happened. Caron had initiated everything. In fact, he\rquote d come to understand that she\rquote d fished for him and hooked him beautifully, }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 including}{\insrsid11696317  the beautifully engineered opening that Emma
 had so brilliantly carried out. In truth, Stan had never stood a chance, but he\rquote d gone willingly to his doom.
\par 
\par It wasn\rquote t going to be the same with Anne, since she\rquote d expect him to at least make the first steps himself. His doubts returned. \lquote She\rquote s surely not going to want anything more than a dance lesson with me,\rquote  he thought.

\par 
\par Well, in the minibus last night she\rquote d consented to taking dance classes. He\rquote d promised to make the arrangements, so he\rquote d better get on with it, he mused. \lquote Time passes quickly enough with my woolgathering.\rquote  
\par 
\par Finished with his breakfast, he rinsed out his bowl and mug and set them to drain. He grabbed his phone and dialled the dance studio.
\par 
\par After a few rings, he heard Belinda\rquote s cultured voice, \'93Hello, }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 YB Dance Studio}{\insrsid11696317 , how can I help?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Hi Belinda, it\rquote s Stan Hinch. How are you? Have you got a moment?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Oh, Hello Stan. Yves and I are fine, busy but fine. Nice to hear from you, nothing bad I hope?\'94 she said.
\par 
\par \'93No, no, quite the opposite I think. I\rquote ve got someone who\rquote d like to come along to class, if that\rquote s all right. But she wants to come on Monday.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Oh, }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 that\rquote ll}{\insrsid11696317  be fine, Stan,\'94 Belinda replied. \'93We\rquote ll be starting the Quickstep on Monday, so you\rquote ll be beginners together for that. Are you going to be bringing her, Stan?\'94
 Something in her voice told Stan her eyes were twinkling, even though she was miles away on the other end of a phone line.
\par 
\par \'93Erm, yes, er, Yeah. Sorry. Yes, I\rquote ll be bringing her. The name\rquote s Anne Berkely.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Okay then Stan, I\rquote ll see you on Monday night. With Anne. I look forward to meeting her!\'94 Belinda rang off with the faintest of quiet laughter.
\par 
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\par On Sunday morning Stan once again took himself off into town in search of a late breakfast. This time he went straight to }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 Iorio\rquote s}{\insrsid11696317 .
\par 
\par He walked in, nodded at the man behind the counter, said \'93Hello!\'94 and sat on one of the tall bar stools there. The guy, who Stan assumed was the proprietor, said \'93Hi. You were here this time last week, weren\rquote t you? My name\rquote 
s Tony. What can I get you?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Oh, Hi! Yes, I was. It\rquote s Stan, by the way. Er, I\rquote ll have a double espresso and a turkey-bacon panini, please.\'94
\par 
\par As Tony made the coffee, Stan called out over the hissing noise, \'93I\rquote m impressed you remember me with only one visit from a week ago.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Ah, what you }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 don\rquote t}{\insrsid11696317  know is that I\rquote m friends with Elaine and Susan, and they saw you coming out last week as they came in,\'94 Tony said. \'93Another couple of minutes and you\rquote 
d have walked right into them. They were just up the road coming here when they saw you leaving.
\par 
\par \'93So they came in and we got to talking about you, and your friend Denise. That\rquote s why I remember. Plus, it helps that I\rquote ve a good memory for faces anyway. One double espresso, and I\rquote ll just get that panini for you.\'94
\par 
\par They exchanged a little more chat, and Stan ate his breakfast and enjoyed his coffee, which he followed up with another. \lquote That should give me enough caffeine, better hold off a little now,\rquote  he decided.
\par 
\par Other customers came in and Tony became busy.
\par 
\par \'93Tony, can I have an OJ to go with this, please?\'94 he asked of the owner, indicating that he\rquote 
d go to the back for a while. He took a newspaper from the rack and went to one of the booths in the rear. Tony brought his orange juice, and Stan settled down to study the latest developments in whatever scandal the paper could dig u
p. A few minutes later his reading was interrupted by a woman clearing her throat.
\par 
\par \'93Uh-Hum! Are these seats taken?\'94 asked a grinning Susan.
\par 
\par \'93Er, no,\'94 replied Stan, lifting the paper off the table and folding it beside him.
\par 
\par Elaine appeared with the girl\rquote s drinks. \'93Tony will be along in a moment or two with our breakfasts,\'94 she told Susan and then said \'93Hello, Stan.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Tony said we\rquote d find you here,\'94 said Susan, taking her grapefruit juice from Elaine.
\par 
\par \'93He said you and he had a good chat this morning,\'94 said Elaine.
\par 
\par \'93Yeah, we did,\'94 said Stan, a little overwhelmed to find his contemplative morning interrupted.
\par 
\par \'93He also said that the main topic of conversation was Denise,\'94 she teased.
\par 
\par \'93Well, er\'85 we may have mentioned her a couple of times,\'94 Stan spluttered.
\par 
\par \'93And that you were looking forward to seeing her!\'94 interjected Susan.
\par 
\par \'93Yes, well, of course, I mean, Denise\'85 she\rquote s a good friend.\'94
\par 
\par Elaine looked at Stan seriously. \'93Yes, she is, Stan. I don\rquote t want to see her hurt; she\rquote s a good friend of }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 mine}{\insrsid11696317 , too. I go
t a call from her last night from Ibiza. She was about to go out and hit the bars with her guy.
\par 
\par \'93I asked about him. She said he\rquote s this wonderful guy who\rquote s good looking, lives on Merseyside, staying a month, blah, blah, blah. Only there a week and she seems to have fallen for this guy, }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 hard}{
\insrsid11696317 .
\par 
\par \'93I couldn\rquote t speak to her for too long as they were on their way out. I wished her well\'85 she sounded so }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 happy}{\insrsid11696317 , it was great. But\'85\'94 Elaine\rquote s voice trailed off.
\par 
\par Stan said into the silence, \'93But?\'94
\par 
\par Elaine amplified, \'93But it\rquote s a holiday romance.\'94
\par 
\par Stan thought a moment. He said, \'93I never had one \endash  I never went abroad until we got married \endash  but I\rquote ve heard of them. Still, Denise is a sensible adult and she\rquote s happy, so what\rquote s the problem? Provided she\rquote 
s, uh, well, }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 sensible}{\insrsid11696317  if you know what I mean. I mean, that\rquote s an assumption, I, er, well, I\rquote m babbling now aren\rquote t I?\'94
 Stan looked sheepishly at the two ladies sitting opposite him with identical grins on their faces.
\par 
\par Susan took pity on him.
\par 
\par \'93I\rquote m sure she\rquote ll use a condom if the situation arises, Stan. That }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 is}{\insrsid11696317  what you meant, isn\rquote t it?\'94 she said with raised eyebrows.
\par 
\par \'93Well, yes, but I shouldn\rquote t assume, I mean,\'94 stammered Stan.
\par 
\par \'93No, you shouldn\rquote t, but assuming and considering aren\rquote t quite the same thing. You were caring for her. That\rquote s fine,\'94 said Elaine. \'93I believe Denise is on the Pill, so birth control\rquote s okay, but I\rquote m sure she
\rquote ll take other precautions.\'94
\par 
\par \'93I hope so. I\rquote ve heard what a night out in Ibiza can be like,\'94 Stan said with concern evident in his voice.
\par 
\par \'93True, but it\rquote s not }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 your}{\insrsid11696317  problem, is it Stan?\'94 said Elaine. \'93You made that clear to Denise.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Not true,\'94 countered Stan. \'93I know you mean I told her we couldn\rquote t be }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 more}{\insrsid11696317  than friends, but we }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 are}{\insrsid11696317 
 good friends. I care about what happens to her. I hope she\rquote s happy now }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 and}{\insrsid11696317  in the future.\'94
\par 
\par \'93But not enough to give her what she wanted, Stan?\'94 She paused a moment, then when Stan was about to interrupt she continued, \'93Oh, never mind, it\rquote s not your fault, is it? People are people. You either want to be \lquote involved\rquote 
 with someone or you don\rquote t, you can\rquote t force it. I can\rquote t tell you how many times I\rquote ve felt like Denise, until I met this little flower here.\'94 Elaine finished by grabbing Susan\rquote s hand and giving it a squeeze.
\par 
\par \'93It\rquote s not that, I wasn\rquote t ready for that sort of relationship,\'94 countered Stan.
\par 
\par Elaine gave him a look, opened her mouth as if to say something, but stopped. She glanced over at Susan, whose hand was still being held by Elaine. \'93No, Stan, that\rquote s what you said,\'94 Susan quietly told him. \'93That\rquote 
s why Denise is in Ibiza, probably sleeping off a night out right this minute.\'94
\par 
\par Tony chose that moment to bring the girls\rquote  breakfasts over. Conversation turned to other things, and eventually they left the coffee shop, parting with goodbyes and air kisses.
\par 
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid11696317 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid11696317 - - - - - - - - - -
\par }\pard\plain \ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid11696317 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid11696317 
\par He\rquote d arrived home from his breakfast visit to the town, wandering around his home, his thoughts in chaos bouncing from one irrelevant subject to the next. He couldn\rquote t be bothered to do much for dinner, so he\rquote d ordered in a Pizza. He
\rquote d turned the television on, sampled the available channels and switched it back off again.
\par 
\par Stan brooded. He was quite good at that. It was Sunday evening, he was curled up in his favourite chair with a small glass of whisky on the coffee table to his right and a biography of the Germa
n WW2 Field Marshal Erwin Rommel open in his left hand. He couldn\rquote t remember what it was he\rquote d read. The drink was almost untouched. 
\par 
\par His thoughts had turned back to Denise, about her holiday. He hoped she was enjoying herself, having fun, \lquote Lord knows she deserves it,\rquote  he reflected.
\par 
\par Next, he found himself thinking of Anne, of how she\rquote d looked in that wonderful blue dress, of her intelligently shining hazel eyes, of her lips, that he wanted to\'85 \lquote Wait!\rquote 
\par 
\par \lquote }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 Are you really sure you\rquote re okay with this, sweetheart?}{\insrsid11696317 \rquote 
 he asked the eyes that only he could see. Suddenly he was filled with urgent longing. Tears filled his eyes as he desperately called out to her through a throat almost closed with emotion,
\par 
\par \'93}{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317 Caron!}{\insrsid11696317  }{\cs16\i\insrsid11696317  Why did you leave me!?}{\insrsid11696317 \'94
\par 
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\par }}