Caroline stared, mesmerised at the statuesque mussed up brunette claiming centre stage. She could pretend she was Sharleen Spiteri, couldn't she? She sounded like her. It was a shame their songs were so heterosexual. Caroline had had enough of that for a while.
She hadn't known what to expect at an impersonator gig so she chose something safe, someone performing Texas songs would be a good bet, she reckoned. She had forgotten how much she liked their music. The singer kept catching her eye and smiling. It made her feel fluttery inside. Other times she'd sung so intensely, like they were her own thoughts and Caroline could see them consuming her from within.
She caught her as she walked past her table with a glass of whiskey.
'You were fantastic.'
Fake Sharleen smiled and thanked her and sat with her.
'Oh you're from around here?' said Caroline, registering an accent similar to her own.
'Been away for years, come back home for a while.'
'What do you do?'
An anaesthetist. Caroline didn't realise it was such a prestigious job. She'd watched medical dramas of course but never really understood the ins and out of the medical industry. That the subject was in the army was quite a bit more interesting. An army medic was rather glamorous in Harrogate. Alex could see the interest in her eyes and thought that it might well be her night.
'What do you do?'
'I'm a headmistress.'
'Oooh very prestigious.'
Alex could see her strutting around the school in a sharp pencil skirt and blouse, glasses perched on her nose as she sat at her desk. Not Alex's usual style but then her last relationship with another army medic had ended disastrously. She seemed to be on a roll with blondes recently.
'Lies that take her
Places she's never seen
The kiss and tell of it all
To her it seems so obscene'
Alex sung those lyrics up on stage, thinking of Bernie who had crept back into her shell, barely able to express to the world who she was and had felt a stab in the heart again. Soon there would be a dull ache but for now, the longing was too real.
'She's so pretty
Her hair is a mess
We all love her
To that we confess'
That too. Bernie's hair was silky soft and tousled. Alex liked those tangled waves. Caroline's hair looked just as soft but it was straight. She looked much more polished than Bernie and maybe Alex wanted to see what it was like being near someone a little more high maintenance. She was taking a break from the army after all. Settling down in a big hospital on the outskirts of the city she'd grown up in. Maybe Caroline was just what she needed.
'I'll let you have my life to share
Years, the days
And the minutes
Yeah time has such a puzzling grace'
Alex had offered that but Bernie had declined. She wasn't ready for that. Not then. Not with her anyway. She'd heard that her former flame had settled with another surgeon at her current place of work. Good luck to them both. She couldn't be bitter about it.
'That it's you who is sinking
Locked behind iron gates
You will find
Your own space and time'
Too many of these songs she'd been singing tonight had reminded her of Bernie. When she'd seen a flash of blonde in the audience, she'd hardly dared it could be her. The woman was the right age but that was where the similarities ended. Caroline was nothing like her.
'I can tell you were preoccupied up there.'
Alex clinked her finger on her glass of whiskey and battled with how much to tell her. She didn't want to scare her off. Caroline was intelligent, perceptive and a little melancholy. She could tell that this was her first gig, stiffly sitting in a corner and observing from a distance. Alex gave a brief overview of what had happened with Bernie.
'Well at least she decided on what she wanted, even if it wasn't with you. She chucked the husband in the end. I've only just done that.' Caroline drained her glass and ordered a carafe. 'Sorry to be so harsh.' She laid an hand on Alex's arm. Alex smiled to show there were was no offence taken.
'And now?'
'Well…I'm not sure.'
'Nobody you've got your eye on?'
'A brief flirtation with a colleague. But it didn't go anywhere. A bit awkward to be honest.'
'After my last brush with one of those, I'd steer clear.'
'We had something going. But then she had a one-night stand with an ex-boyfriend and now they're existing in limbo with their baby. She did want the baby. She says she still wants more with me but I've had my children. I don't think I want to be plunged back into baby land.'
'There's your answer.'
'But now what do I do?'
'Opportunities are there if you know where to look for it. But if you don't, I can give you a good starting point.'
Two pairs of blue eyes locked with each other. The owners were usually used to brown. One pair propositioned while the other considered it. Caroline did want a good starting point. One night couldn't hurt. Alex stroked a finger down her neck and she shivered in its warmth. She didn't want to run away this time. The tone of the night was set.
When they left together, they had no idea that it would last a lot longer than that magical night. It would last a lifetime.