June
Diminutive
blonde, Taryn Milner was a makeup artist, primarily at the Heartstone Theatre
in Pipershaven, but she also did private clients for special occasions, like
weddings.
As a former
pupil of Barnabus school she also made herself available, when possible, to
help with the make up for school productions.
Which was what
she had been doing one summer evening at the end of June when she had been
helping out at the dress rehearsals.
She left before
the end and began walking home a little after 8.30pm, and she was apprehensive
about walking along the quiet lanes at dusk, but she was late for another
appointment, so she didn’t feel she really had a choice.
Her brisk pace
was as a result, in equal measure, of her tardiness and her growing unease.
The appointment
she was rushing to the village for was a book club with friends.
Claudio
Cappelletti was heading in the opposite direction to Taryn on his way to the
school to pick up his niece and couldn’t help but notice the girl in the pink
shorts, he always noticed pretty girls, especially blondes.
As he passed
her in the lane she reached into her bag for her mobile phone and as she pulled
it out, she also pulled out a small manila envelope with it, which fell
silently to the floor.
As Taryn
strolled purposely on, totally oblivious of her loss, Claudio hurried to the
point where he had seen the envelope fall.
He picked it up
and saw it was addressed to Miss Taryn Milner, 15 Church Lane, Pepperstock
Green.
“That’s
interesting”, he thought, as she only lived one street away from him.
He didn’t look
at the contents of the envelope but thought quite understandingly that if she
was carrying it in her handbag, it must be of some importance, so he set off to
close the distance that had opened up between them.
She was a small
young woman, but she covered the ground quite quickly regardless, Claudio was a
foot taller with longer legs and yet he was still struggling to catch her.
Taryn had
noticed the man as they passed by, and she thought him quite handsome, and was
at the time disappointed they weren’t going the same way, but as soon as she
noticed that he was following her she didn’t think him so handsome anymore.
As pretty as
she was from the front, Claudio had to say she had a very nice rear aspect and
those busy little legs of hers were really very attractive.
As she walked
faster so did he, but she was walking as fast as her little legs could carry
her and she thought she would easily reach the end of the lane before he caught
up with her, but then her legs began to tire and it was like she was walking
through treacle, and he was gaining on her with every stride.
Claudio called
after her as he got closer but she had earpieces in so she couldn’t hear him
and when she glanced over her shoulder she was alarmed to see he was muttering
to himself as he got closer.
Taryn was in
sight of the lane, just as Claudio got close enough to put a hand on her
shoulder and she turned around and maced him.
“Get away you
pervert” she screamed.
“What the fuck
did you do that for?” he shouted as the spray began to burn his eyes.
“Because you’re
a pervert” she said.
Claudio was
rubbing his eyes while still clasping the envelope.
“I was trying
to give you this” he said waiving it in her direction “It fell out of your bag.”
“What?” she
exclaimed and snatched the envelope from his hand; she quickly read the address
and then the full realization dawned on her.
“Oh God” she
said “I’m so sorry I thought you were…”
“A pervert?” he
said, “yes you did mention it.”
“Don’t rub them
you’ll just make them worse” she advised and then produced a small bottle of
water from her bag.
“This will help”
she said and splashed water in his enflamed eyes “It also helps if you blink a
lot.”
“What helps
most of all is not getting sprayed in the first place” he corrected her.
“Yes, sorry
again” she said, “but I was scared, it looked like you were chasing me, and I’m
a defenseless female.”
“I had to chase
you; you were like a whippet” he said, “And defenseless you most certainly are
not.”
Taryn pulled a
face and then said defensively.
“And you were
muttering to yourself.”
“I wasn’t
muttering to myself” Claudio said “I was trying to speak to you, but you had
earphones in.”
“Oh dear” she
said, “I really did get it wrong, didn’t I?”
“That will
teach me to mind my own business in future” he said.
“Oh, don’t say
that” she implored “It was really sweet of you to try.”
And then she
gave him the most dazzling smile which made up to him in part for the
discomfiture.
“Let me make it
up to you” she said, “let me buy you a drink.”
“I can’t go to
the pub” he said, “Not looking like this.”
“Well, that’s
true” she said with a giggle.
“And I’ve got
to pick up my niece from the school.”
“We’d better
make it tomorrow instead then” she suggested.
“Ok I’ll meet
you outside the Squirrel tomorrow at 8” he said, “I’ll be the one with the pink
eyes.”
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