Part Five - Discovery House - “After 4....1, 2, 3, 4”
Continued...
“When my dad was eighteen,” Lisa continued, “he’d already met my mother. They were already talking of marriage and buying a flat so I guess he’s resenting the freedom you have that he was denied at our age.”
“But that’s not fair, that is persecution, he’s just being prejudice.”
“My dad isn’t much of a party animal, you’d be really pushed to get him to a party anyway. He doesn’t like crowded rooms.”
“He must have partied sometime.”
“I was the result of a boring weekend at Bournemouth apparently, so when I arrived on the scene they had other priorities and a lot of connections with friends were lost.”
“You seem to know a lot about your dad.”
“If you find out you were the result of a boring weekend at Bournemouth wouldn’t you ask a lot of questions?”
Sam felt himself feeling uncomfortable. He was sweating. A droplet of perspiration rolled down his back and into the top of his jeans. Blood shot eyes he may have but he wasn’t going to give in. Sam couldn’t sit without fidgeting and the sweat on his brow started to build up. He decided it was a mistake to have the chili pizza without a drink but he wanted to impress Lisa, the food wasn’t going to beat him, he was going to tough it out.
Sam left the toilet for the third time in five minutes swigging water from the taps with each visit. Declining a sweet, Sam paid for the meal and the young couple left for the box office. The restaurant was part of a large multiplex with supermarket, off-license and popular public house all included. It was a place you could go and happily spend three nights without doing anything twice. You could go ten pin bowling, play on the arcades or even go swimming. All night the area would buzz of young people, laughing and socialising and not causing any trouble, which was a surprise with many of the mature residents in the local area. Sam stood in the queue for the box office working out how far his money would take him and tried to forget that his mouth was still burning and he had an earthy taste from sucking at the toilet taps too hard.
“Front, middle or back?” said the voice from within the glass cubicle.
“Back” replied Sam, “Somewhere in the middle at the back of the auditorium please, not at the front, not at the side, not in the aisle but in the middle near the back.”
The man in the glass box office stared briefly at him, “Fourteen pounds please”
Sam paid the money and he and Lisa queued up at the refreshments counter but after glimpsing at the price board, Sam realised they would be better off taking their seats.
“Can I take your tickets please?” The usherette took the young couple’s tickets, ripped them in half and pointed to their seats. “This aisle, one row from the front three seats in, B3 and B4, enjoy the film.”
Bastard, thought Sam, what sort of seats are these? They didn’t even remotely look like the middle of the back. Looking around the auditorium Sam noticed everyone sitting in every place but the middle at the back, with the exception of two people kissing who clearly should have been seated on the back row at the side. The theatre was half full, all whispering, munching and trying to work out the on-screen puzzles that were meant to keep everyone entertained before the lights went down.
“That question is too difficult, I don’t know any of the seven dwarves,” complained Sam.
“I’m going to get a drink,” said Lisa, “do you want anything?”
Sam declined and told her to hurry as the film was about to start. Lisa left her seat and headed for the exit. Sam checked his money, only two pounds fifty left, the night was a disaster so far. He’d over spent, burnt his mouth on his pizza, made up several large lies to impress Lisa, and now he was getting a panic attack because he was unable to remember if he’d left the iron on. There was one thing to cheer him up, Lisa. She was pretty and she was out with him. It was time to make a move.
Part five of 'Discovery House' continues here
"Atmospheric and creepy the story is cleverly unfolded which kept my interest right until the very end.”
 |
 |
 |
 |