Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

Guided by Voices

She found it quite odd, but for some reason Beatrice couldn’t decide what to wear. It was only a walk along the promenade but her focus had become as fogged as kitchen windows beneath a pan of simmering pasta. Anxiety mixed with excitement, clarity clouded by unfamiliarity.

It wasn’t long before she’d keyed Patience’s number into her cell phone.

‘What were you thinking of wearing?’ Patience said. .

Beatrice told her.

‘Call the fashion police,’ Patience moaned. ‘We have a crime in progress.’

‘Not good, eh?’ Beatrice said. It was apparent she was totally rubbish at such things. No real surprise since most of her short life had been spent on dressing dishes, not herself.

‘What you need is something subtle but not understated. It is your first real date after all.’

‘It’s my first date ever,’ Beatrice reminded her.

‘Then it’s even more important to create the right impression, right?’

‘I suppose,’ Beatrice replied.

‘You have that summer dress,’ Pat