Caroline

“And do you know the craziest thing? When I told her we were through she started crying! Can you believe that?”

“You had just dumped her!”

“I know but she was the one cheating on me.” Filled with indignation Ian rummaged through the box of twelve inches in front of him trying to find something take his mind off his slut of an ex girlfriend and then he found it. 

“Look its here,” he shouted to Tomas as he cradled the latest Dog’s record in arms. 

“Yeah!”

Stunned by the lack of enthusiasm in his best friend’s voice, now they had found the record they had spent weeks searching for Ian looked over at Tomas only to discover, it seemed, his friend’s attention had not been on his tales of Emma’s infidelities. “Who are you looking at?” He asked as he searched the market stalls for who or whatever had diverted Tomas’ attention. 

“No one,” Tomas replied sheepishly, realising his lack of interest in his friend’s love life had finally been rumbled. Belatedly he looked at the twelve inch cradled lovingly in Ian’s arms and hoped the interest he was now showing would be enough to appease his friend but the wicked smile on Ian’s face told Tomas he had spotted the red headed girl on the other side of the market.

With a grin like the Joker's Ian looked in the direction of the red head and smiled, “not the red head by the Oatcake stall then. You know you should go and speak to her if you’re interested.”

Something about the twinkle in Ian’s eye, which had been missing ever since his friend had discovered Emma’s unfaithfulness told Tomas Ian was acquainted with the object of his fascination and so he asked “what are you smiling for?” But when no answer was forthcoming Tomas shrugged his shoulders and walked across the market towards the girl he found so fascinating.  “I saw you from over there and I just had to come and talk to you,” Even as the words left his mouth Tomas winced.

Thinking he might have a chance of sneaking away before the red headed girl turned to see the idiot who had delivered such a lame chat up line, Tomas was about to turn and run when the red head turned and smiled. “Hi what are you after oatcakes or pikelets?”   

“Err” was all Tomas could think to say as he tried desperately not to look at the hearing aid in the girl’s ear.

Five minutes, a dozen oatcakes and half a dozen pikelets later Tomas marched up to his best friend who was doubled over in laughter by the record stall. “You bastard you knew all along.” Seeing the delight in Ian’s eyes Tomas didn’t wait for a conformation but turned and stormed out of the market in disgust at his friends sick sense of humour.

The next twenty four hours for Tomas were packed full of surprises, the first was discovering he couldn’t get the red headed oatcake girl out of his head and to his amazement the following morning found him standing there once more at her stall. And then when he asked if she wanted to go out with him to the pictures that evening, the second surprise was that just like the man form Del Monte she said yes.

Waiting outside the Cannon for Caroline, his oatcake girl, Tomas felt more nervous than he usually did on a first date but his nerves floated away like butterflies as Caroline turned the corner and he found himself face to face with his red headed oatcake girl. “Do you want to go and see . . .” he began before looking at her hearing aid. 

 “I can lip read you know,” Caroline told him as if she could read his thoughts. “Most of the time I can even make out what the actors are saying but cartoons are a bitch,” she added a smile playing on her lips.  

“Shit and I was going to suggest My Little Pony, I’ve been looking forward to seeing that.”

In the end they decided against the pictures and a few hours later found them in Chico’s where Tomas apologised for the relentless dirge of Acid House. 

 “You don’t have to apologise,” Caroline told him for what seemed to her the thousandth time. “My little sister always says the music in here is crap so you see sometimes being deaf does have it’s advantages.” 

In the background an unknown singer cried out “how low can you go?” and as they kissed Tomas’ mind went back to that first chat up line and he thought to himself the advantages were maybe more than Caroline knew.