Chapter 10

Monday 20th July

Lauren had been waiting about ten minutes for Nikki when the bus appeared from around the corner just as her friend arrived. They boarded it and secured their usual back seats checking the occupants for any boys. Lauren needed to get the pattern for her bridesmaids dress and Nikki wanted to come and help select it. The only place to get the pattern was Interlaken, and so they settled back for the twenty minute journey.

The bus took them along the banks of the lake Thuner See, the brilliant blue water dotted with pleasure craft. The ferries that plied up and down during the summer months jostled for position at the small quays, anxious to collect passengers along their routes. The houses either side of the road huddled together, their roofs overhanging several meters in places. Gift shops displayed their usual trinkets, cow bells, Toblerone, postcards and cuckoo clocks. The advertising was unobtrusive, elegant to the point of being refined, and the natural wood and stone of the area had been used thoughtfully in the design of the properties. The streets were spotlessly clean; graffiti had yet to invade the country. Many of the villages had working wells as a center point, offering a natural place for meeting, discussion and the general contemplation of life.

Lauren and Nikki chatted about the wedding and where they would go for their honeymoon if they found someone to marry. Lauren confided that she couldn’t work out how people get boyfriends.

“I mean, how do you know when you going out with them rather than just seeing them and being friends?”

“I guess you kiss a lot and that does it. It’s more than just going to the cinema or something” advised Nikki with authority.

Lauren looked at her, noting the wisdom of her advice. “What if someone just asks you to go out with them, though?”

“Oh, I don’t think that counts!”

“Are you my brother’s girlfriend?”

“I don’t know. I suppose I could be. But we don’t keep planning when we’re going to see each other.”

“I just don’t get it. And I really don’t see how you can ever be sure enough about someone to want to marry them. That means that you spend all your life with them!” said Lauren.

“Yeah, I know, it must be really difficult. I could never do that.”

Lauren was deep in thought as they passed Spiez Castle, its majestic square tower standing out proudly against the deep blue of the lake. The girls left the station and made their way up the High Street through the middle of the town. They found a haberdashers on the corner of the first cross street, where the door rang a little bell as they entered. Lauren thought she had been in here before but couldn’t remember why, although she knew where the patterns were kept, and made her way over by the window in the far corner. After very lengthy discussions, they selected one and paid the owner fifteen francs before leaving. Walking west, they bought a couple of magazines before entering a coffee house and sitting down. Nikki’s mother had given her some money to buy lunch and they indulged themselves in milk shakes and pastries while reading the articles in the magazines and generally over-staying their welcome as the proprietor paced up and down, fingering the bill and shaking his head as they talked and giggled at the articles.

As they left the coffee shop they parted, Nikki taking the return bus while Lauren made her way to the north of town to get a bus to the woman who was to make the dress, Kristal. She had already phoned her to say that as she didn’t know the times of the buses she could only say that she would be there sometime in the afternoon. As she walked, she heard music from what looked like a clothes shop across the street. For Interlaken it was a large shop with a couple of steps up from the pavement into the main door. Lauren crossed the road and leaned on the black wrought-iron railings to look through the window. It appeared that a fashion show was in progress, and she could just see a makeshift catwalk and models showing off brightly coloured clothes. Looking around, she saw an advertisement on the window, announcing a free fashion show in aid of a local children’s charity.

Lauren entered the shop, and made her way to a space halfway along the small catwalk which joined up to what look like the regular changing rooms. She watched as children her own age skipped out of the changing rooms in jeans and warm clothing in autumn colours. The looked genuinely happy, probably she thought because they were amateurs and doing it for charity. The music was upbeat and added to the excitement. As she looked around, she noticed a boy on his own on the opposite side of the catwalk, closer to the changing rooms, also watching the parade. She was impressed. He looked about Mike’s age but that made him all the more interesting - she couldn’t imagine her brother being interested in such things. As he turned to look at the far end of the catwalk his gaze passed over her and returned in a perfect double-take.

Lauren looked down at her shoes as her heart beat wildly. After a pause, her eyes followed the legs of one of the models from her shoes up to her skirt. Glancing cautiously off to the right of the model, she was relieved to see that his attention had returned to the show. Relaxing, she looked around and found a spare program and noted that there was the usual wedding dress at the climax and decided that she would stay. Lauren felt very pleased with herself, even a little grown up, and applauded in most of the right places. So involved with the show was she that she didn’t notice the boy again looking directly at her, smiling, nodding as if to say that he thought it was a great show. Lauren nervously smiled back and looked at her program, glad to have the catwalk between her and the grinning boy. The audience applauded as the models wearing the spring collection appeared at the beginning of the catwalk but as she looked up she was disappointed to discover that he had gone. She looked quickly towards the door, but there was no sign of him.

“This is supposed to be the latest in children’s clothes if you can afford it!” said the young boy, standing next to her.

Her heart leapt as she glanced at his face and then back to her program

“Oh, I, er I was just in here on my way to the bus stop” replied Lauren, thinking that she didn’t have to sound so apologetic, she could watch if she wanted to.

“I should stay, they might give away free samples!” joked the boy. “My name’s Jim”

“Hi. Lauren.” She paused, wondering what he wanted with her. As they looked at the clothes, a very young boy tripped and fell, jumping back up within seconds to the applause of the crowd. Both Lauren and Jim clapped, exchanging smiles. Lauren’s fear and trepidation gave way to excitement as she relaxed in the knowledge that the boy wasn’t a mad axe man that her mother often warned her about.

“That’s lovely. Look at that” shouted Lauren over the music as a girl her own age walked in a carefree manner past her wearing a pale blue summer dress. She was surprised that she was able to make conversation with him as that had always been her greatest fear as she imagined herself meeting boys in her daydreams.

“Can you spare a thousand francs?”

“You’re joking. Nobody would pay that ... would they?” she asked with a look of astonishment.

“Sure.

And so when Lauren mentioned that she was interested in the wedding dress and showed him the pattern the conversation (which Lauren could remember nothing about when she told Nikki later) turned to modeling and the skills required. Jim flatteringly said that he thought that Lauren would do a better job than many of the models, a comment she dismissed until he repeated it and confirmed he was serious. Lauren watched the models and concluded that there was much skill in professional modeling that she had seen on the TV but not unexpectedly it was absent from there today. She warmed to Jim and his easy manner, and after the final wedding dress she didn’t hesitate when he suggested going for a walk along the main street.

The crowds were thinning now as the shops began to close, their shutters half way down to discourage further customers. As they turned the corner by the river, the distinctive aroma of roasting coffee filled the air, it’s source easily identified from the smoke billowing through an extractor fan twenty meters from them. Jim tugged her by the hand, past the cafe window displaying pastries and bread, and into the dimly lit shop as the bell tinkled above the door.