"Come on ladies! Get your cheap, stylish dresses for half the price! Stock must go!" Kat yelled on her market stall, to ladies passing by.
"How about you darlin'?" she stopped a woman by, "this will look good on you!" But the woman just ignored her and walked away.
"just keep on walkin' yeah? Cheers for nothing" Kat said with a frown.
"It's all going wrong for you today is it? I wonder why, with an attitude like that…" Donna commented as she approached Kat, holding a coffee cup.
"Mind your own business Donna, unless you want that cup stuck where the sun don't shine!" Kat blurted out.
"Kat take it easy…" Stacey told her, standing right beside her.
Kat, madly, put the dress back on its hanger.
"Ooh just the two ladies I wanted to see!" Kim Fox exclaimed as she met Kat and Stacey on the stall, "How are we doing?" she added.
"We haven't sold one single dress!" Kat yelled.
"You know what you two need? A good night out with Mama Kim!" Kim suggested, "tonight… you, me at the Albert!"
"A few drinks in your condition?" Kat said without thinking.
"You must know, I know how to shake it, without the booze!" Kim said, as she rubbed her baby bump, "and plus it'll be fun like old times, ain't it? Come on Kat, we used to go out when you were pregnant with Tommy…"
"Come on Kat, it's only a few drinks…" Stacey tried to persuade Kat.
Kat looked up to see Alfie walking out of the Minute Mart, then at Kim.
"Fine; but only if you promise to find me a sexy bloke to take home!" Kat said with a smile.
"Oi, don't get any ideas!" Stacey said, turning to Kat.
"What? There's no harm done, we're all single here! You're on sista!" Kim said as she nudged Kat in the shoulder, "see you at 8!"
...
"Nan! We're back!" Stacey yelled as they walked into their apartment. Stacey and Kat walked into the kitchen to see Mo.
"Nan, could you do us a favour?" Stacey asked Mo, as they all sat at the kitchen table.
"What about?" Mo asked.
"Do you mind, minding the kids for us tonight?" Stacey asked her nicely.
"Where are you both off to then?" Mo asked, before she had a sip of tea.
"We're going out for a few drinks with Kim," Kat said.
"What you're gonna leave both twins with me?!" Mo made a face.
"and Tommy and Lilly… please Nan, we haven't gone out in ages!" Stacey pleaded.
"and you're gonna spend the night out? Kat you're not thirty anymore!" Mo blurted out.
"Nan!" Kat made a face.
"Please nan, Kat needs this, a night out without the kids, she's knackered," Stacey tried to persuade her.
"Fine! But this is a one-time offer! Don't expect this to happen every weekend!" Mo finally agreed.
"Cheers!" Stacey said with a smile on her face.
…
Kat and Stacey were sat at a table, when Kim joined them, holding a glass of orange juice.
"How rude!" Kim said with a frown, as she sat down.
"What?" Stacey asked as she sipped some alcohol through a straw.
"That bloke I was chatting with by the bar, I was trying to get to know him, and he just called me a fat cow!" Kim said, annoyed.
"Well you know one thing about him…" Kat said before she took a sip.
"What?" Kim asked.
"That at least he ain't a liar!" Kat said, before Stacey and her burst out laughing.
"Excuse me, I am one hot mama, alright? There's plenty of guys out there that finds this attractive…" Kim said as she used her hands to flaunt her body, "speaking of hot guys… Stac… that bloke over there, he had his eyes on you, ever since we walked in here, he looks alright…" Kim told Stacey.
"Nah I don't think so…" Stacey said, looking at him.
"Well you never know, unless you go talk to him!" Kat told her, "I never took you for a coward…"
"Fine, I'll give it a shot…" Stacey said, as she stood up and approached him.
Kat looked around and spotted a hunk by the bar.
"Listen, I'm gonna go top up, do you want anything?" Kat asked Kim, as she stood up.
"Anything other than orange juice would be great, thanks, I'm just not feelin' it!" Kim joked.
"Yeah right!" Kim said, with a smile.
Kat approached the bar and the guy she spotted earlier.
"Another vodka please," Kat asked the barman, as she gave him the glass, and placed her phone on the bar.
"Hello gorgeous," she turned to the man standing beside her, observing his biceps, "what big, strong arms you have… any lady is lucky to have you holding her at night," she smiled as she flirted with him, with her smokey eyes and red lipstick.
"There is no lucky lady… yet…" the man replied, as he smiled at her.
"Oh what a shame, but this must be my lucky night because I love a strong man, myself…" Kat said as she smiled back.
But their conversation was interrupted when Kat's phone started flashing on the bar, as it received a text. The man noticed her screensaver, which was a picture of Kat with Alfie and the boys.
"Um, sorry are you married?" the man asked her bluntly.
"No… well, it's complicated…" Kat uttered, as she put her phone back in her pocket, "but just so you know," she added as she leaned in closer, "it hasn't stopped blokes, before…"
"sorry, love, I just don't do women with a load of baggage," the man said, before he walked away.
Kat with a frown, drank her vodka, all in one. She looked around to see Stacey, laughing around with that bloke she met. Then at the table, where they were sitting, to see a bloke sat next to Kim.
She felt lonely and wanted to go home.
"Kim, it's the twins, I have to go early," Kat lied, as she took her coat from her chair beside Kim.
"What? Already?" Kim asked her.
"Yeah, tell Stacey later, I don't want to spoil her fun… good night Kim."
Kat walked out of the bar, and folded her arms across her chest, feeling cold. She took out her phone to see a text message from Mo, telling her not to stay out late. She looked at the picture on her screensaver and tears streamed down her face when she saw Alfie's picture.
She walked away, approaching Ian Beale's house.
She walked up to his front door, and lifted her hand about to knock, but then stepped away. She was going to try again but still couldn't find the courage to knock. It was late anyway, so she decided to go home and think about this in the morning. She walked off the pavement in the middle of the road, heading home, with her arms folded across her chest, facing the ground, when she heard someone calling her name.
"Kat!" Alfie called her from across the street, holding a beer bottle in his hand.
"Alfie…" Kat uttered, when she saw looked up and saw him.
Alfie walked towards her, "what are you doin' out here so late?"
Kat just stood there, trying to decide if she could really tell him what was on her mind, now that she had the chance…
To be continued...