Chasing Rainbows (2 page)

As he went down the steps into the bar he was surprised to see that it was quite empty. He walked over to the bar and ordered half a lager.

Doug always felt comfortable in this bar, it was in the middle of town and yet had a country feel to it.

A long bar of polished mahogany stretched endlessly before him. Brass pumps reflected in the sparkling glass that covered the walls holding bottles, glasses and accessories that cluttered swanky bars.

This type of bar would not be out of place on an old western. Lights reflected back into a room dimly lit, casting shadows into deep corners, making it easy for lovers to touch each other in intimate places without fear of being seen. Touching each other in public was abandoning oneself to heady pleasure, at times a recklessness brought on by too much alcohol.

Bars such as this were ideal for men such as Doug. He could hide in corners without fear of discovery, using his hands to make the most reluctant of partners moan. He could drink his drinks and feel his women, their moans blending in with the suave tones of the crooners locked in the juke box, singing about everlasting love. Love to Doug was like an orgasm. Amazing working up to it , then it was over and just another memory.

As Doug ordered another lager he began scanning the room for a familiar face. A young couple were having an intense conversation in the corner. She looked upset, he looked anxious and fed up. No doubt they might be discussing wedding plans, the magazine on the table gave it away.

Smiling at the bar man Doug remembered twenty one years ago.

Why on earth did he marry Mary? What did he do it for?

Mary smothered him, mothered him. He didn't doubt that she loved him, it was just that maybe she loved too much and it turned into something else.

A total dependency and a need for him 24/7. Mary made demands he could not meet, did not want to meet, when she spoke his name, 'Doug,' he would cringe.

No wonder he fell into the trap Gerry set for him.

She was very different to Mary. Gerry was younger, very cool and aloof, she was not clingy but rather intense when it came to their relationship.

Doug resented Mary , she reminded him of his mother and sisters.

He convinced himself that she was the reason for his cheating on her, he made it his life's work and gained much satisfaction from luring her friends into his arms. He found much amusement in listening to Mary tell his latest conquest what a good caring and faithful husband he was. How loving he was!

She was right, on that one.

At the far end of the bar was a woman chatting away happily to the waiter. She looked pleasant enough, perhaps a bit older than she looked.

As he watched he found himself caught up in the daily musings of his life. What was it all about?

Why could he not be as happy as the girl at the end of the bar?

The door banged behind him as Carol made a superb entrance. She always did. Gold bomber jacket topped a pair of skin tight mock leather jeans, designer of course!

Did she not realise how ridiculous she looked, as mutton dressed as lamb, crossed with a tart on legs?

Pity there was no audience for her this time as the bar still had not begun to fill up with the usual lunchtime diners.

“
HI Tony, mines a vodka on the rocks”, Carol screeched at the bar man, who obviously knew her.

She carried on walking past Doug to the girl at the end of the bar, the one he was watching.

They exchanged greetings and Carol pulled the girl towards him as she began the introductions.

Doug took a long hard look at the woman standing before him. She seemed a bit nervous and shy. She hadn't looked shy chattering away in the distance to the waiter.

She wore a pair of old denims with rips in them exposing the brown of her legs, an old pair of pumps peeped out from under frayed hems. A bright pink baggy jumper hid the rest of her body.

“
Did she have breasts?” He wondered.

What might they be like? He could imagine her sitting and knitting the sweater that was far too big for her. It gave her an air of innocent cuteness, added to by the blond hair that was scraped back into a ponytail.

He could tell that this was hair that did what it wanted, wild and untamed.

He wondered if she was like her hair. A long fringe played curtains to the most amazing pair of brown eyes he had ever seen.

They were like two great pools of love that someone could drown in, as they peered into the soul.

One of the things Doug prided himself on was being able to read a woman very quickly.

He had a system of categorising them and their eligibility for him to spend some of his precious time on them.

He would give marks out of ten and be able to calculate how long it would be before he had them hooked and they had fallen for him.

This one was very different, she confused his arrogance and he could not think straight, as he tried to pull himself out of those eyes peering up at him.

“
Doug, Olivia, Olivia, Doug”, Carol said dismissively.

Doug cocked his head to the side, nice name, he thought as she held out a small hand, nails of pink coordinating with her sweater.

He felt her energy as their fingers met, electricity ran through his veins.

As she turned to leave the bar Carol, chirped, “Right my loves, I'm off,” and she was gone.

Doug kept smiling and was pleased that he made an effort with his appearance that morning.

He always made an effort. For some reason today he was even more vigilant as to how he looked.

At six foot, he stood out in a crowd with his thick black hair combed back from his temples.

His brown eyes never left the face of the woman he was talking to at the time, listening to the rubbish that came from her lips, he found that being a good listener was on one way of captivating them.

Look them straight in the eye, bend a little towards them and tilt the head, it worked every time.

Standing before this girl, this woman, he knew he looked good. The camel coat covering his muscular body, giving him an air of authority and wealth.

He never looked any different. He was a man that looked good in casuals, overalls, just as he did in a mohair suit of the finest quality.

Doug smiled, so Carol did not see this little thing in front of him as a threat? If she had she would have stayed to the death.

Today she left very quickly without a backward glance.

Sometimes Carol made him feel like he was her handbag, exclusively hers.

He made a mental to do something about it, soon. Carol did not own him. He was nobodies handbag.

“Have you eaten?” a chirpy voice full of life, asked. They made their way to a table in the corner and each took a menu.

Doug studied Olivia as those amazing brown eyes skated backwards and forwards across the card.

They ordered. As they waited for their food, Olivia explained the event she was organizing and how Carol had intimated that she and Doug were very close and said taht Doug would do anything for her if she asked him.

Doug scowled, blast the woman!

Olivia said that Carol agreed the nominal fee and she hoped he did not expect more.

As this was for charity he could take it or leave it as it was in a good cause and she had little money.

During the meal Doug realised that he had never seen anyone who could talk as much and eat at the same time. This woman never stopped for breath.

As he watched her, Doug pondered whether to leave this job, as the money was low and not really worth it.

His time was money and he would rather do nothing than be insulted by the fee. He was good at choreography, no one could touch him and he was worth more than a hundred pounds for the amount of time and effort that would be needed with the models, who were not models at all, but Olivia's friends and volunteers.

It was sign posted amateur and disaster, already.

Olivia stopped talking and was watching Doug to see the reaction to her plans.

She touched his compassion with her innocence and he knew that little money would be made, but he was up for the experience and the fun.

The fun he felt he might have with this woman.

She was like a little child, a thoughtful lady and total out of control teenager.

A mixed bag of everything which made her a mystery to unravel.

She was safe, he could not see himself getting involved with her, she wasn't for him.

Not his type at all but still interesting.

As the meal progressed, something happened that shook him to the core.

It was a spontaneity that he became aware of far too late.

Doug opened up and told this stranger all about himself, his life, his loves, his family.

He laid himself bare and told the child in the woman's body what a mess his life was.

He was being honest, open and sincere, no chat up lines, no leading body language.

Olivia listened intently, her eyes never leaving his face.

She never asked a question nor carried the conversation on, she just listened to him.

As they were leaving Olivia looked up at him and their eyes met.

“
Life can be so sad, we do get ourselves into messes sometimes, don't we? We are always chasing rainbows. Life is a big school with many lessons to learn. I'll call you,” she said.

Then she was gone, leaving him to stand alone on the pavement wondering what had just happened. How could someone just disappear leaving such a profound statement behind?

Doug thought back over the lunchtime. Had he ever met anyone like that before? No! Surely he would have remembered.

He felt strange, Olivia never said a word about herself, as she was so engrossed in the charity she was working for. She spoke of the cause with passion.

Perhaps he should make a play for her, she would certainly be a challenge, a breath of springtime.

He heard the voice in his head as it said, “ Be careful with this one, she might be the one and then what will you do?”

Back in the office as soon as the phone rang Doug forgot lunchtime and returned to his high flying, executive job, adopting the persona of a true professional.

At break time he caught himself staring across the road at the newspaper office where Olivia worked.

He searched the windows for her hoping to catch a glimpse of a homemade pink sweater and blonde hair.

He had not forgotten those eyes, nor her name.

Two weeks later Doug answered his phone, he knew that voice, it was so distinct.

“
Hello is that Doug? Can we arrange a rehearsal then?” Olivia chirped.

Doug was not listening to her. He was busy, preoccupied with his latest challenge, Kath.

He'd been seeing Kath on and off for about six weeks. He now needed to get rid of her and was running through tonight's dialogue.

He was surprised that he kept her on for so long, usually it was about a month.

This woman was crass, screaming like a banshee when she had an orgasm. He liked his women to moan and speak his name, not scream as though they were giving birth.

There was no dignity in the way Kath threw herself round the bed. It made her look common and cheap, there was no unison, no love making just sex.

The way Kath made love was not to his liking and he was now becoming repulsed by her; finding it harder to become aroused.

Everything about her irritated him, the way she stuck her disgusting tongue in his mouth, the way she scratched his back and wrapped her legs around him.

He did not like returning home with marks on his skin, Mary might be daft but she was not stupid.

Coming out of his daydream, Doug spoke rather harshly,

“
Who is this?”

She sounded almost disappointed as she answered, “Olivia”.

Of course! It was the chatterbox from the charity, how could he have forgotten 'pink sweater'?

After spending a week looking for her across the road and never seeing her, she was dismissed from his mind that was already full.

“
OK, when?” he said.

She began to speak quickly, not stopping for breath, “Well it was the only time I could get, Warren says it will be filthy, but we will have it to ourselves as the cleaners do not come in till Monday morning, Sunday morning was the only time available”.

What an inconvenience! He liked his Sunday lie ins. However, the prospect of seeing her again might not be so bad and now he had the perfect excuse to end it with Kath.

“
Right, I will be there about eleven,” he replied, rudely putting the phone down before Olivia could reply.

Doug had forgotten all about the fashion show and now he had two days in which to work out six sets.

He rummaged through his briefcase looking for the brown envelope that appeared on his desk, the week after their meeting.