Who - ooo?

Who was he? Every Wednesday Morning, same ritual. What was it about him? Why did I wait for him?

Here he is... walking towards my shop window, will he pass? No. As usual 1. He hesitates, then looks closely in the window. 2. Slowly, carefully, he checks his scarf. I watch, waiting for him to move toward the door, to come in...but no, every Wednesday for the past four weeks the routine has not altered! 3. He pushes his hands, into his pockets and walks on.

I cannot move, I blink, he has gone as quickly as he came, like a shadow. Why does he stop? What is he looking for? I can't believe I actually wait for him to turn up. What if he doesn't come back? Who is he? What is it about him? What in Gods name is wrong with me? I think I might be going mad.

I'm in the pub grabbing a sandwich at lunch time with my bestie, George, well its actually Georgina, she knows all about the shadow, that's what I call him because he just floats into my vision and then glides away and I'm left staring at the window of my antique shop wondering if I am imagining him. "He came, he was there today, again" I whisper to George as if it was some deep dark secret.

George huffed, she always does that when she's about to try to solve one of my problems. "Look" she says " it's the same every Wednesday, why don't you just go ask him what he's looking for, maybe its inside the shop and he's to shy to ask?" "Shy!" I say "OMG what could he be looking for if he's frightened to ask, it must be something awful or worse kinky?" George and I start to giggle and say silly things to each other as strange and weird thoughts passed through our minds! "I wish I knew who he was George and what he wanted, I hope he's as nice as he looks you know not a stalker or something worse! I wonder why he only comes on a Wednesday," and as I continued to babble on Georgina hisses at me "No way! You fancy him" "Don't be daft" I retaliate, "he's just, well he's ......well I don't know what he is. He's a mystery, my shadow man." I throw the words at her and toss my head and grimace as if I don't care. George has one of these faces that kind of screw up when she decides everyone else is wrong and her face was certainly looking decidedly scrunched up as she muttered under her breath " Just ask him,"

It was time to get back to work but not before I promised to meet up for a drink later that evening at the new club in town, I say new but its one of the oldest buildings in our town, on the outskirts where Munro's Farm used to be, near the river and the club is where the old barn used to stand in fact in the old barn, that definitely isn't old. I got some great antique pieces for my reclamation yard when the refurbishment started. I was looking forward to visiting the club as it has had some great reviews. It has a restaurant and bar where cocktail waiters juggle the drinks and pour boutique bespoke gins, while smiling and flexing their shapely muscles and if that's not enough entertainment for you the DJ puts on a fantastic digitally enhanced light show while blowing out your ear drums with some of the hottest music of the moment, needless to say not an environment for intimate conversation, but it might just take my mind of the shadow.

George and I don't eat at the restaurant but we do head for the bar thinking a couple of drinks will help us enjoy the music and go with the flow! The refurbishment certainly does not look anything like the old Barn, however at the bar we see a speciality cocktail called 'The Barn Owl' created to mark the new building, its main ingredient whiskey and orange sounded good, we both order one and grabbed a seat at the bar. The drink goes down easy and we see some friends who suggest we join up and go to the club, we agree but say we will meet them inside after we finish our drinks. When I turn round and look for the bartender I see a new face asking what would I like? I smile and say two more Barn owl cocktails, he puts the drinks in front of me and George, who by the way is definitely not a George tonight, she is in Georgina mode, she has accumulated two very fit 'bodyguards' around her, who seem to be hanging on her every word.

The bartender asks me if the drinks are ok and can he get me anything else, I shrug and smile saying "a bit of company!" nodding my head in Georgina's direction. "Your in luck, my shift has just ended so if you really want a bit of company? the name is Matt, Matt Munro." "Sure, that would be great I'm Becka Hardy."

You know sometimes when you meet someone for the first time you feel like you have known them forever, that's how I felt about Matt and I kind of hoped he felt the same. It was pretty noisy in the bar so Matt suggested I join him for dinner unless I had already eaten? I was surprised and said "Wow, you get to eat here after your shift, and have a guest? Sorry I mean yes, I would love to have dinner with you." I leant over and asked Georgina if all was well and told her I was off to the restaurant with Matt, honestly I really think she was quite glad 'cos she winked and whispered call me tomorrow.

Matt was charming and the food and wine was delicious, but I couldn't get away from the feeling I had met him before. It turned out Matt was not only a bartender he had been involved in the refurbishment of the old mill and new so much about the history of the place, I explained I had an antique shop and had quite a few pieces not only from the Barn but from the Farmhouse, he said he would love to see them sometime, so I told him he was welcome anytime in the shop, although I had not valued or categorized any items I could still show him the pieces in my storeroom. We arranged the following Wednesday for a visit. He was extremely nice and I hoped he would want to see me again but when he dropped me home he thanked me for a nice evening and left!

George it seems had a pretty wild weekend and promised to catch up when she felt more like herself. Whatever that meant!

Wednesday arrived. I was getting dressed thinking about Matt when I suddenly realised it was Wednesday!...would the shadow show up? I had made up my mind to have the door of the shop open ready to ask if there was something he was looking for. Ready to confront him. I opened up as usual, but he never came, by lunchtime still no shadow. I met George in the pub, she looked expectantly at me dying to know what I had found out and who or what this shadow had wanted. "He didn't come!" I wailed, I was genuinely sad. "Never mind, Matt visits this afternoon that will cheer you up" smiled Georgina. "Yes." but I couldn't help thinking will I ever know who or why I had this shadow?"

I hadn't heard from Matt since the night we met and had arranged to meet at my shop at 4pm, so I hoped he would turn up. 4pm was was usually a quiet time, so I should be able to show him the artifacts'. At 4pm on the dot Matt walked through the door of the shop. I nearly fell over and I started to stutter "The, the, your the, sh, sh, shadow, its you, its your scarf."

He looked at me blankly and said "Sorry, what?" I asked frantically "Who are you? What are you doing here?" He stared in amazement then said "I'm Matt Munro, you told me to meet you here on Wednesday at 4pm" he sounded rather confused, of course he was. I took a deep breath and said "You have been visiting my shop every Wednesday for weeks. Why did you not come in? More to the point why did you not tell me it was you who stood outside my window like a shadow, only for a moment and then disappeared. You could have told me when we met at the old Barn and I told you I owned the antique shop? " Matt smiled, I liked his smile, but not just now, I needed answers and he was smiling. "Becka" he said as he walked towards me, "I had no idea you had even seen me at your window, but its true, I was looking for the antiques or artifacts you bought from the Munro farm estate, I just couldn't see any of them or anything at all from Munros Farm sale, so I was unsure if you had them or not. You see I am Matt Munro of Munro farm estate, my father died when I was abroad working and when I got back everything had gone. The only thing left was the old barn, I didn't want it so I decided to renovate it and turn it into a business, that's what I do all over the world, its my job, but as the months went on I was curious about some of the family air looms and I wanted to track them down and buy them back if I could, especially the things that have special memories for me. I am truly sorry I had no idea you had seen me and I never wanted to scare you. I had a wonderful evening with you and I came here today hoping we could repeat it....many times." There was that smile again, this time I smiled too and he leaned over and kissed me.

When he let go of me I said "Guess you will want that tour now. Was there anything you were particularly looking for?" Matt looked thoughtful and said "Hmmm well as a boy there was a pair of Owls that came back to the barn each year, we knew them and even made a space for them in the eves to raise their owlets. then one year only the male turned up, he seemed so sad and alone. One morning I went into the barn and found him dead. My father gave him to a taxidermist and we kept him, high up in the barn, his home, so I think I would particularly like to find him and give him a special space in the new renovation, way up high out of sight, but where I thought he must be at his happiest." He looked at me and I smiled, I was so happy to be able to tell him I had saved his Barn owl, in fact I told him I used to talk to him in my store room because he had such a lovely face, a heart shape, and my heart had opened, he had brought us together, I definitely agreed he needed a special place where he could call home. I hoped I would find a special place in Matts heart and then we would find a home together.