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Kate laughed. “Well whatever their motivation, it’s nice to see you’re appreciated. I appreciate you too you know. Not many people would’ve given up so much of their time to welcome a stranger to the town.”
“You’re forgetting I know what it’s like to start over. I was lucky enough to have a few familiar faces around to help me settle in. You had no one. It’s a bloody brave thing you did, moving here and starting over.”
“I’ve never been called brave before.”
“I think you’re one of the bravest people I know. All you’ve been through, and you just keep going. By the way, I’ve been meaning to apologise for the times I’ve been snappy. There’s stuff going on that I’ve tried to deal with alone, but I’m not doing a great job of it. To be honest…”
They were interrupted by a frazzled looking Trevor making his way unsteadily into the courtyard. Kate liked him, but his timing was crap, just when Bob was about to open up to her. She’d have to try and raise the subject later.
“I can’t take much more of that Archie chap,” said Trevor, perching himself on the edge of a table and running his hands through his thinning hair.
“He collared you too?”
“Yeah, made a beeline for me as soon as you left. I hoped the wife would help me out but she’s too busy getting pissed with her mates to notice. He doesn’t half go on.”
“You’re a trooper Trevor, so’s Kate, she had him bending his ear throughout the meal.”
Trevor gave Kate a sympathetic smile. “I reckon he’s lonely, poor chap. Anyway, I thought I’d let you know the dancing’s just getting going. They’ll be a riot if you don’t show up on the dance floor.”
Bob stretched his arms, linked his fingers together, cracking them as he did and announced “Got to give the ladies what they’re after. Come on Kate, you’re coming too.”
“What’s going on?” said Kate looking to Trevor for answers.
“Oh, your friend Bob is Bodmin’s answer to John Travolta. Come on, you’ve got to see this.”
*
On the peripheries of the dance floor, Kate stood open-mouthed as Bob took centre stage, surrounded by a drunk, clapping crowd as he attempted a few break dance moves. She clapped her hands over her eyes as he attempted a headstand, peeking through her fingers just in time to see him stopped from falling by a buxom older woman who grabbed his ankles and rubbed his feet against her chest. This sent the crowd into raptures, with several other red-faced men joining Bob. Oh no, was he? Were they? Yep, they were twerking alright. Kate felt she was watching a complete stranger. This was sensible, reliable, middle-aged Bob. The man in front of her was unrecognisable.
Kate gasped in horror as he threw an imaginary lasso her way and began jumping towards her, reeling her in.
“What the hell?” shouted Kate above the racket, but Bob grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the dance floor. A cheer went up from the crowd. “I can’t dance,” she screamed at Bob.
“Neither can I,” he screamed back.
“That’s not what it looks like.”
“You just have to lose your inhibitions, then it will be fine.”
A woman’s voice belted “What you want?” from the speakers and a sea of arms flew up in the air, everyone taking on dramatic freeze frames between beats. Kate attempted a side step, shuffling move, arms clasped firmly by her sides. Bob danced over to her and took her hands in his. For the next two minutes she was twirled, flung, wiggled and shoved so much she stopped caring what anyone thought and let herself relax into the music.
The lift caught her unawares. Kate screamed as Bob lifted her above his shoulders and straightened his arms. Perched on his palms, Kate lay rigid with terror as the room began to spin, slowly at first, but as Aretha demandedsock it to me sock it to meover and over the spinning grew faster and faster until her hair flew out around her and the ceiling lights became a blur.
Bob pulled his arms down and held Kate close to him before setting her feet gently back on the dance floor.
“Sorry,” he shouted, “I couldn’t resist. Are you OK?”
“Fine,” Kate shouted back, knocking into two women as dizziness took hold of her legs. “Your arms must be killing you,” she said, lurching back towards him.
Bob laughed, posing like a bodybuilder before taking out a hanky and wiping his brow.Ah, there’s the Bob I know,thought Kate, wondering if she knew anyone else that still used hankies these days.
“Do you want another drink?”
“Yes, I’ll come with you. I need a rest.”
Bob followed her over to the bar and leaned against it, getting his breath back. “That was fun,” he said, grinning at her.
“You’re full of surprises,” said Kate, shaking her head in disbelief.
