Danny was on his way into town one Tuesday morning to visit the bank and do a bit of shopping. Normally he would have gone in his car and parked in one of the multi-story car parks however it had gone into the garage for its annual service so he was forced to use the bus instead. There was only one other person waiting at the bus stop when he arrived, a lady in her early sixties. He didn't know her but had seen her around the local shopping area a few times. She had dark hair styled in a smart page boy cut which was turning naturally grey towards the ends and she was dressed in a white pencil skirt which rested just above the knee and a grey jacket fastened with a zip. The skirt had a slit of about six inches at the back and the two sides of material slightly overlapped. Her legs were clad in natural tan coloured nylons and she wore a pair of navy blue flat slip on shoes with an imitation brass buckle. She also had a navy blue handbag across her shoulder and held a leather wallet containing her bus pass. She said nothing and just smiled when Danny arrived and stood looking down the road in the direction that the bus would come from.
Although it was late June and officially Summer, it was very chilly for the time of year and a stiff breeze blew up the street. The bus stop did not have a shelter so there was no respite. Every so often, the breeze would catch one of the skirt flaps and lift it slightly revealing the tantalising glimpse of three inches of lace at the hem of a milky white slip resting just an inch or so above the skirt hem line. Danny couldn't help but keep having a glance and more often than not he was rewarded. They had been standing at the stop for nearly ten minutes by this time and she kept glancing at her watch.
"Have you been waiting long?" He asked.
"About five minutes before you came," she said, "I just missed one, but there was supposed to be another one at twenty past but it hasn't come yet. Since they changed the timetable a few months ago, they are not very reliable."
"I normally use the car," Danny said, "But it's in for a service today so I'm having to use the bus."
"I can't drive, I never learnt," said the lady. "My late husband used to, but since he died I have to use public transport."
Her words trailed off into deep thought and Danny didn't press her on the subject any further. Instead he tactfully changed the subject.
"I hope you don't think I'm being rude, but that's a nice slip you're wearing. It's so nice these days to see a lady who knows how to dress properly."
She smiled and Danny could see her cheeks blush slightly.
"Thank you," she said.
"Do you mind me asking if it's a full slip or a half-slip?"
She turned to him and shot a very stern look.
"That's none of your business," she said coldly. "I'll thank you for saying no more about it now. You're beginning to embarrass me."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Danny said wishing the ground would now swallow him up. There was still no bus and she continued to look in vain down the road for signs of one. A mother and her young daughter had now joined them and they all stood in silence. Danny had been there nearly fifteen minutes when the bus finally arrived and he had one last glimpse of slip as the lady stepped from the pavement to the platform of the bus. She took one of the few available seats downstairs but he opted to go to the upper deck as there was more room. The journey into town was event free and his last view of her was when she got off the bus at the stop before his and walked down an alleyway leading to the market.
Danny visited the bank, bumped into an old work colleague and had a coffee with her and had a mooch around the shops before catching the bus home. There was one at the stand but it pulled away just before he got to it. Luckily this time there was another one waiting and he sat midway down on the lower deck. A few other people also boarded and the driver was just about to close the doors and move off when the slip wearing lady stepped on board. She had her handbag over her shoulder and two plastic carrier bags full of groceries, one of which had a broken handle. Although there were plenty of spare double seats available she came to Danny's and asked if he minded if she sat there.
"No, it's fine," he said hunching up his seat.
She sat down with a large sigh and placed the two shopping bags and her handbag across her lap trying not to dislodge anything.
"Are you having problems?" he said, eyeing the bag with the broken handle.
"Do you know I'd only just got outside the shop when the handle broke, but there were too many people inside to go back and get it changed so I struggled down here with it. I just hope I can get it home without any more mishaps or else I'll lose half my shopping." She replied.
"Here, let me take it for you," said Danny. "It'll be one less thing for you to worry about."
"Oh thank you, you are so kind," she said, passing him the damaged bag. "Look, about this morning, I'm sorry if I was a bit offhand with you. I was annoyed at having missed the bus and having to wait so long for the next one. I know you were only paying me a compliment even if it was a somewhat unusual one."
"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have pressed you. You're right. It was none of my business. Let's forget about it now." Danny replied with a smile.
Actually, forgetting about it was almost impossible as the front of her skirt had lifted slightly when she handed him the bag and he could now see around an inch of lace peeking out from under the hem. She didn't seem to notice and they spent the rest of the journey chatting about things in general, with Danny sneaking the odd glimpse now and then. He had no shopping of his own so when they got to their stop, he carried the broken bag back to her house for her. It was only a few streets from where he lived so was not out of the way. She unlocked her front door and went in while he waited on the doorstep ready to hand over the broken bag when she returned. She was only inside for a few seconds and when she returned, she asked him if he would like to come in for a coffee.
Danny had nothing planned; he lived alone having been divorced for a few years, so he accepted. He stood in the kitchen chatting while she packed away her groceries then she put the kettle on before unzipping her jacket and hanging it on a peg near to the front door. She wore a red short sleeved blouse underneath which matched nicely with her skirt.
"What's your name?" she said, spooning some coffee into a mug. "I've seen you around, but I don't think I know you."
"Danny Beresford".
"Oh. Daniel's my son's name too. I'm Kath. My husband was Roy and I have an elder daughter Suzanne. Our family name is Crawford."
