The Coat

by Kay Murray 

hot chocolate

 It was the coat that I noticed. It looked expensive  as it weaved its way through the the crowded street. I'd only caught  a  glimpse of  the soft muted grey colour.. It was love at first site and I almost wanted to reach out and touch , was it velvet or fur,  I couldn't tell?

I had a similar experience in the Art Gallery years ago there was a George Stubbs oil painting of a boy wearing a turban holding onto a cheetah by its red collar.

I always wanted to touch that but then I never did.  How odd to have the same tantalising feeling after all those years.

A few weeks later I saw the coat again. He passed me  closer this time and Im almost sure that he  glanced at me?

Surely that the shoulders were bigger than I'd remembered and he seemed much taller but   I wasn't quick enough to catch up with him. There was urgency in his stride as he vanished once more.

He was my type I thought but I wasn't the sort of girl to accost strange men yet I felt a compulsion to reach out to him. Silly of me especially in these not pc times.  I'll probably never see him again and yet , I couldn't forget him.

From time to time I did think of him and wondered if he could perhaps be an actor or maybe a model? He had the mysterious looks that set him apart when I caught the odd glimpse. Then, I saw him again.

I'd just opened the passenger door to let out a friend to whom I'd given a lift. He was walking towards my car and he inclined his head and gave me a little smile . One minute he was passing by and the next he was suddenly sitting behind me on the passenger seat . He leant on my shoulder and touched  my cheek.

"Oh no please no. Go away you can't ---- no you mustn't. I don't know you. Please go. Go." And he shot away . " Get away. Go".

Has that really happened ? Did he really manage to get that close and touch my face?

I was relieved that he went  so quickly taking a fence like a steeplechaser into  the night.Things could have been awkward and It left me thinking

Had I invited this individual to be so forward ? People  would say I'd encouraged him if I tried to explain. I knew that I hadn't made the first move and yet he'd been drawn towards me somehow.

Things could have been awkward. Who was this individual?
Why was he drawn towards me? I knew that I hadn't encouraged him. People wouldn't believe me? Why would they?

This tale didn't end here.

Fast forward a few weeks and I saw him again and yes I was correct , he was a model. This time I saw him before he saw me he was sunbathing , no posing on a seat in a garden and as I passed by he lifted a paw and I'm sure he winked at me. The most beautiful cat I'd ever seen in my life.

About the author

Kay is a member of a Bury U3A Creative Writing Group. She wrote and edited this story as aprt of one of her monthly assignments.