First Sight

I’d never believed in love at first sight. I mean, how can you say that you love someone if you know nothing about them.

But when I saw him sitting in the café I knew I was wrong.

My heart melted; the ultimate clique but that’s exactly what it felt like.

His dark curly hair shone in the beams from the street light that fell through the window by his seat and his laughter hung in the air, filling the drab coffee shop with colour and music, and filling my heart.

I stood transfixed in the doorway, following the graceful gestures of his hands as he spoke, so softly and gently, to his blonde companion. As the door swung shut behind me, she turned. It was Sue.

Susan had rung earlier. I hadn’t heard from her for ages, at least two years and her call stunned me for a bit. She sounded like we’d only talked yesterday.

“Hi, Jill. You’ve got to come and meet me down at the café. I’ve got a great surprise.”

“Sue, is that you? Where are you?”

“Of course it’s me. Who else would it be? I can’t talk now, everything sounds best over coffee”

When faced with logic like that, there’s not much to say.

“Well, okay, what time?”

“I’ll see you there in an hour.”

Then she’d hung up. I was left with the phone dangling from my hand.

“There goes my relaxing evening” I sighed, but I was really quite excited.

Sue and me had been best friends since we were kids, then she’d just left town. She hadn’t even really said goodbye, just a quick “I’ll phone you when I get there” and she was gone. Gone to the city to forge her career. I’d been very upset when she left so we lost touch quite quickly. I thought she was glad not to be ‘held back by her country pal’. How silly it seemed now.

How would we recognise each other after so long? The mirror caught my eye as I pulled on jeans and a shirt; my mocking reflection assured me I looked exactly the same as I always had. Long, straight, brown hair, styled by the wind and hazel eyes. It’s not that I was bad looking, just the same, that’s all.

Sue was waving frantically.

“Over here Jill!”

I slid into the seat next to her, opposite the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I hugged myself tight to keep my thoughts from overflowing.

“Jill, this is Benjamin. We’re going to be married next month.” “I told you I had a surprise. Isn’t he the best surprise ever?”

“Ben, this is my best friend Jill.”

I turned from her pretty face with its’ stylish but subtle make up and her casual designer hair-do, and was caught by the warmth of his smile. It seemed like the sun had just shone through the night’s shroud.

That was when the thought of killing Sue first crept into my mind.