F Is for Fiona

Now was Wednesday week. Ten very busy days, preparing and sorting. Kate had come round to my house the previous afternoon to see how I'd gone on. She'd probably have come earlier and helped out more but I hadn't wanted her to. This I had to do on my own.

I looked round. I should have guessed. Kate was there, at the store entrance, chatting to one of the security guys. He was probably glad to have someone to talk to. He'd been there about two hours, since just before seven. My deputy had opened up, I'd said I'd be later that morning, in at nine o'clock. I looked round again. The car park was full-ish, quite good for a Wednesday morning. Lots of shoppers, Mums with kids in trolleys, older customers, men and women trying to eke out their pensions. Some families too, not many, most of the kids would be at school.

But this wouldn't do. There really was no going back. Now or never, and never wasn't an option, not after my amazing announcement the previous week. So, it was now. I opened my car door and reached across for my handbag. I lowered one stiletto-heeled foot to the floor and, as daintily as I could, got out of the car. I blipped the alarm and set off towards the store.

Kate was obviously expecting me, but she didn't see me at first. She was giggling with the security guy, Phil, I remembered his name. Nice man, not married I think. I wondered if Kate ... maybe, they looked 'good' together, similar ages. And he was into progressive rock, I think. He'd mentioned something about that to me one day while we were inspecting the CD storage, trying to work out how to minimise pilfering. Kate and he definitely shared that taste.

As I got closer to the store front I glimpsed my reflection in the large, dark, almost mirror-like plate glass panel by the cash machine. That reflection, seen in that location for the very first time. I looked as I walked. Always the legs first, I'd always been a 'leg man'. Had been that is.

The black stilettos were standard business-wear or course, all my female senior staff wore them or something similar. Black stockings, not too outré. Dark grey business suit with a rather tight-ish skirt. Kate had said it looked too tight when she'd seen me in it, but when I had insisted she'd just shrugged her shoulders.