The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (049) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

 

The Forum theatre was an old cinema originally built in the twenties, and back then it was the only cinema on the island, and that was still the case a hundred years later.

Because of that in the seventies, when film had gone out of fashion across the rest of Downshire, and theatres closed, or suffered the indignity of becoming bingo halls, as many a fine picture house did, the Forum survived.

When the cinema revival happened, Islander David Lee, a local man made good, who like many had fond memories of the Forum, mainly associated with courting his wife, restored the theatre to its former glory, and he resisted approaches from the chains and remained independent.

The Forum was located on the town square, next to the Church and opposite Beth’s Coffee House, there were no shops around the square anymore, it was virtually all eateries, café and bars and the cinema and a small theatre, so it was a sort of leisure haven.

Hayley was early, which was typical of her, and not only by minutes, but she was ridiculously early, so she had time to kill.

As she walked past the war memorial for the umpteenth time, she spotted Jamie, who was also early, going into Beth’s.

“He’s keen” she thought to herself and put the memorial between her and Jamie.

She liked the fact that he was keen, that was sweet, but she didn’t want to give him the impression that she was too keen herself.

But after a minute or two she decided she didn’t care what kind of impression she gave him, she was going over now, early or not.

So, she walked around the memorial, and was on his blind side as she entered Beth’s and stopped in his peripheral vision and almost immediately, he turned around and seemed surprised to see her.

“Hi” she said smiling broadly. “You’re early.”

He stood up and said

“Hi” and gazed at her speechless as if transfixed, because she looked stunning in girl clothes, and then he suddenly realized he was staring.

“You look lovely”

“I scrubbed up well, didn’t I” she said.

“You can say that again” Jamie said and then blushed to his roots when he realized he’d said it out loud.

“Shall we go?” Hayley asked

“Good idea” he replied

He held the door open for her to go first and as soon as he joined her Hayley slipped her hand into his and they made their way slowly to the theatre.