Finding BEN

Would their blossoming romance be thwarted before it had even begun?

Come on, spill! How did it go last night?’ I asked my friend Amy as I peeled off my jacket.

Amy had gone out on a first date the previous night and I was eager to hear the juicy details.

‘It was a fantastic evening, Kate,’ she said happily. ‘Ben and I really hit it off. He’s attractive, funny, considerate and generous. He said he’s looking forward to seeing me again.’

I breathed a sigh of relief for my oldest friend and gave her a hug. ‘He sounds lovely. And by the sound of it, he likes you, too. So, did you fix up a second date?’

Amy busied herself with filling the kettle and switching it on, keeping her back to me the entire time.

‘No. When we left the restaurant, my bus stop was right outside. Then the bus arrived. Ben said I ought to catch it because I’d be waiting for ages for another. So I jumped on and the bus sailed away.’

I stared at her, waiting for her to continue, but there was silence. ‘What? Surely you’d exchanged numbers?’

‘No,’ she wailed, as she spooned instant coffee into mugs. ‘We forgot.’

I could hardly believe my ears. I knew Amy was ditsy, but this was a new level! ‘You forgot to swap numbers?’

She sighed. ‘Yes. Stupid, isn’t it?’

I thought quickly. ‘Remind me – how did you initially contact each other?’