DEDICATED TO SIMON DURNEY

Clare parked her car on Goff's drive and getting out, locked the door.

She'd never been to Goff's house before, but even in the darkness she could tell it was a beautiful house, lovingly cared for. She wondered where the others had parked their cars, but perhaps he had only given her permission to park on his drive, as she had come alone. He was most considerate, Geoff.

She climbed the steps up to the front door and rang the bell. She heard voices inside and then someone came to open the door. It was Geoff.

"Hello Clare, nice to see you. Come on in."

"Hello Geoff, I've brought a bottle."

Geoff ushered her into the lounge, which was a large, beautifully decorated room full of sumptuous blue furnishings, gorgeous mirrors and lamps.

"Wow, what a gorgeous room." said Clare, noticing there was no one else there.  "Oh, am I the first to arrive?"

"Oh....um, yes, you are. I expect the others will be here soon. Please sit down Clare and make yourself nice and comfortable. We will, of course, be dining in the other room." He took her coat and disappeared. Again, she heard voices coming from another room and something about those voices began make her feel suspicious.

Five minutes later, the front door bell rang and Clare heard Geoff usher someone in. She heard a new voice. It was Alan's! And the next moment, there he was standing at the lounge door, tall and drop dead gorgeous.  His eyes were like two pools of blue in his white face. She stood immediately to her feet as Alan stared at her, in obvious surprise.

"Please sit." said Geoff, quickly. "I will get you both a drink." And Geoff was out of the door like a greyhound at the track!

"What is going on?" asked Clare. "There is no dinner party, is there? It's just you and me. How could you, Alan, after all I've said."

"Hey, wait a minute. This has nothing to do with me. I had no hand in this at all. Why would I? I'm as surprised as you are. I was expecting a dinner party and you weren't going to be here, I was told."

Alan sat down on the nearest chair, but Clare remained standing.

"I'm asking for my coat and going home." she said, making her way towards the door. "Why do people keep interfering? I hate it."

Alan didn't answer straight away. Clare looked at him and could tell he was deep thinking. He did this from time to time and the look on his face usually made her feel like laughing, but not now.

"They... are trying to help, that's all." he said. "And if Geoff has prepared a meal for us, the least we can do is sit down and eat it. Then you can go home.  If we both left now it would be very rude. You wouldn't want to hurt Goff's feelings would you?"

"Of course not."

"Well then, please sit down."

Clare sat in a chair near the fireplace feeling deeply uncomfortable.

She looked across at Alan, who, she could tell, was also feeling uncomfortable. He wasn't looking well. He looked pale and thin, like he had when Marie left him. It occurred to her that it was because of their break up. It had hit him hard.

There were voices again at the door.

"That's Angie's voice!" said Alan. "What is she doing here?"

"You didn't know what they were planning?" asked Clare.

"I've just told you, no. This has nothing to do with me."

At that moment, Geoff came in with menus in his hand and gave one to each of them.

"Have a look and let me know what you would like." he said. "Oh, you wanted a soft drink didn't you?"

They both agreed and Geoff was gone again.

Clare looked at the menu. It read:

Starter: Tomato Soup

Pate on Toast

Prawn Cocktail

Main: Caribbean Chicken with rice and peas

Fish 'n Chips

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Dessert: Apple Pie and custard

Ice Cream – Vanilla & Raspberry

"Well, at least we won't go home hungry." Alan said. "What are you going to have?"

"I'm too cross for words." said Clare, folding her arms across her chest.

"I'll choose for you then, shall I?" Alan studied the menu.

"We'll have Pate on Toast, Caribbean chicken and Apple Pie. Sounds good to me."

Geoff came with their soft drinks and took their orders. He looked very furtive.

"Lovely." said Geoff. "I'll just be ten minutes or so. Just talk amongst yourselves."

The lounge door closed.

"So that's what this is about! They want us to talk to one another." said Clare.

"I suppose they do." Alan replied, frowning. "Okay... so... let's talk. How are you getting on with Bob? Is it going all right?"

Clare sighed. What an awful evening this was going to be!

"Yes. I love Bob, it's going fine. How are you getting on with Angie?"

"I love Angie, it's going fine too. I miss you though. Catherine gets on my nerves sometimes, but only in a small way. I supposed it's okay." said Alan.

"Good."

"Yes. It's good."

"Toby misses you, so I thought mum could bring him round to see you sometime."

"I'm glad someone misses me." Alan replied. "I'd love to see him, of course I would. He's my best buddy. Which, when you come to think of it, is a rather sad state of affairs. When a 31 year old man's best buddy is only two years old."

Clare sipped her orange juice, ignoring Alan's attempt at humour.  "Did you do anything for New Year?" she asked. Knowing full well what the answer was going to be.

"No. I would have gone to Philip and Libby's, but they were away. It didn't matter anyway, I had a migraine. It usually spoils something." Alan replied.

Clare was surprised, she hadn't heard about the migraine.  "I think you should go and see another specialist. There may be something they can do about it now. Times have changed."

Alan leant forward in his chair.

"So you do still care about me?"

"I'm just making conversation." Clare replied, shrugging her shoulders.

They had just run out of things to say, when Geoff returned.

"Would you like to come into the dining room?" he asked.

"Yes, Geoff. That would be nice." said Alan, picking up his juice and rising to his feet.

Geoff led the way and they followed him into the dining room. This was also a large, beautiful room, outside of which, through another door, was a large conservatory. The lights were blazing in the dining room and Geoff turned them down and put on two table lights and an upright standard lamp.

"That's better." he said. "More romantic."

He then went to an old fashioned record player and started to play a record.  It was the 1812 overture (Full with Cannons), playing loudly. He then left the room.

"I'm going to sit here." said Alan. "You'd better sit next to me."

"No, I'm going to sit here." said Clare, choosing a seat much further away.

(The music, bumped and banged away). Geoff came in with place mats and cutlery and said, "If you both sit, here and here" he pointed at the two chairs nearest the door, "it will be easier for me to serve. Thank you." He laid the place mats down and placed the cutlery correctly. Then he was gone again.

"It seems we have no minds of our own." said Alan, smiling.

"Speak for yourself, Alan. I've always had a mind of my own and I don't intend changing." (The music continued to clash and bump).

Clare was furious! If it had been anyone else but Geoff, she would have got up immediately and gone home, but Geoff was the sweetest person she knew and she couldn't bear to hurt his feelings. Geoff came back and said "I'm so sorry, the pate and toast is off and the prawn cocktails, so it is just tomato soup I'm afraid. Is that okay? I'm having a bit of bother...with the chef."

The 1812 overture had come to a very noisy part (Full with Cannons!) and Alan was getting agitated. He cringed and held onto his ears.

"Geoff, do you have something a bit more gentle music wise? Some instrumental music perhaps?"

"Oh, sorry. That's my favourite. I forget other people like other things."

He found another record and put it on, turning it down softly.

"That's better." said Alan. "Who's that?"

"Matt Munro." said Geoff. "Before your time I expect. My taste in music is very old hat, my daughter says."

Clare was thinking how lucky his daughter was to have a father like him and she replied, 

"May be it is, Geoff, but we love you just the way you are."

Geoff said nothing, but grinned from ear to ear and went to fetch the soup and bread rolls.

"That was a very nice thing to say." said Alan, smiling.

Clare hated it when people made fun of Geoff's 'nice' expression. She'd told Alan about it many times before.

"Well, Geoff is a wonderful person and I admire him." she replied.

They ate the soup in silence. Alan seemed to be enjoying the bread rolls which he had covered with a thick coating of butter. She wondered if Alan was eating properly and it was on the tip of her tongue to ask him, when she thought better of it. It was none of her business now.

"Heinz Tomato Soup." said Alan, wiping out his bowl of soup with the last remnants of his bread roll.

"Well, I like Heinz Tomato Soup." said Clare, defensively.

"So do I," said Alan, "I was just saying."

"They've been out at work all day, so I suppose it was easiest, just to open a tin."

Clare picked up her juice and drank the dregs from the glass.

"It's not going to work, though, is it?" Alan asked, changing the subject. "You've made up your mind that I'm not the one for you and that's the end of it."

"You're too argumentative for me." said Clare. "I hate arguments and you seem to enjoy them. And boy when you get going don't you half let rip. I'm so enjoying the peace and quiet...."

"That was the old me." said Alan, grinning. "The new me, doesn't argue any more."

Geoff returned. "The Chef gives her apologies, there is only Spaghetti and meatballs, I'm afraid. Someone..." Geoff mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that Geoff?" Alan asked.

"Someone left the Caribbean chicken at home...." 

Geoff disappeared and Alan dissolved into a laughing heap on the dining room table.

They enjoyed the spaghetti and meatballs, which were cooked in a rich tomato sauce with garlic bread, as a side.

"I wish mine tasted like this." said Clare, putting down her knife and fork.

"It was lovely." Alan replied. "I wonder what we'll get for dessert? Those menus were a waste of time."

Geoff arrived with two dishes.  "Ice creams." he said, putting the dishes on their place mats and then leaving the room.

"No doubt the Chef forgot the apple pie too." said Clare. She tried hard not to, but she couldn't help but laugh.

After coffee and chocolates, eaten in the lounge, it was time for the evening to come to a close. They both thanked Geoff for the meal, but were not allowed to speak with the Chef. The forgetful one, who had forgotten the Caribbean chicken and the apple pie.

Clare gave Alan a lift home. He hadn't booked a taxi in case any other of the guests were passing his way. An icy 'good night' saw them part. As Clare stood in the bathroom cleaning her teeth, she saw a haggard face staring at her from the mirror and she reluctantly had to admit to herself, she was missing Alan...like crazy!

* * * * * * *

For anyone who has read 'Bed Story' this is the

Geoff from there. Alan appears in 'Bed Story' as

well. He lent Geoff the money for the mattress

topper!