The Roller Coaster Ride

It wasn't a sunny day but Sylvia didn't care, the grey skies couldn't dull the feeling of freedom and potential. Blackpool was beautiful. She had never been anywhere so exotic; the vibrant colours, the seaside smells and the variety of people, all fired up her senses. Two whole nights of freedom; it was her first ever holiday without her parents and she and her friend, Sheila were going to make the most of every minute. They had their best day dresses on with their rock and roll petticoats and bright red lipstick and they looked every inch the modern, confident 1950's young ladies. Exactly the look they were going for.

She looked in awe up at the Big Dipper; the biggest roller coaster in England and she was filled with excitement and terror in equal measures. She took Sheila's hand as they walked up the steps to get onto the roller coaster and she was already having the best day of her life.

The front seats were already taken with two teenage boys but they didn't mind, they climbed into the second car and strapped themselves in for the ride of their life. The car started to move and Sheila threw her arms up and squealed as their stomachs knotted and skipped around. Over the high point and plunging down the other side they both screamed as loudly as they could. Sylvia felt something wet spray on her neck, she looked down and saw splashes of something on her dress. She puzzled for less than a second before the roller coaster started climbing for the next drop and she started giggling again.

As they climbed out of the car, Sheila linked arms with Sylvia and hugged her with joy.

"Ooh you're wet" she exclaimed and pulled her arm away.

"Sorry, that was me," said a deep velvety voice, "my beer." One of the teenage boys who had sat in front of them was waving a beer bottle and looking a bit sheepish.

"I shouldn't have taken it on there but I thought I could stop it spilling out with my finger." He showed the girls what he meant by plugging his finger in the top of the bottle and waving it comically.

Sylvia looked down at her dress and brushed the light brown spots ineffectually. "Don't worry, it's nothing, it will soon wash out." She smiled shyly up at him. She unconsciously caught her breath; he was very handsome, his pale green eyes sparkled and his dark brown hair was carefully combed into a gentle trendy wave. He looked like a model.

"I'm Bill, can I buy you an ice cream to say sorry?"

Sylvia looked at Sheila to see if she thought it would be ok; Sheila raised her eyebrows and nodded slightly.

"That would be lovely, thank you. I'm Sylvia and this is my friend Sheila," she gently touched Sheila's arm then tucked a strand of her own hair behind her ear.

Bill smiled again, already enchanted by this tiny girl with her slightly wild curls.

"Great, this is Alfie, he can buy Sheila one." He nodded his head at his friend.

Alfie smiled widely at Sheila, she grinned back and they started walking towards the ice cream stand chatting easily.

Bill got to the stand first and turned to Sylvia. "Which flavour would you like?"

"Chocolate chip please, it's my favourite" Sylvia didn't know why she blushed slightly as she said this.

"Mine too" said Bill, who didn't like chocolate chip, "we'll have two chocolate chip ice creams please," he said to the vendor politely.

As he passed Sylvia her ice cream he said, "have you been to the Beer Garden yet? They have a dance and serve food"

Sylvia shyly took the cone and blushed again when their fingers touched. "Oh I love to dance, it's my favourite thing. No, we haven't been anywhere else. We only arrived for the weekend today and this is the first place we came. It feels like the most exciting place in the world"

Bill licked his ice cream and winked cheekily at Sylvia, gaining confidence. 

"It certainly looks that way now. We got here yesterday from Birmingham; where are you from?"

"We're from Birmingham too! What a coincidence." Sylvia sounded breathless.

"Coincidence or fate? It must be fate." He looked up at the sky just as the sun filtered dreamily through the grey clouds.

Sylvia was startled out of her meanderings by the happy cheering; oh they were going to cut the cake. She picked up the knife and placed it on the top of the cake, she waited a second before Bill put his hand on top of hers and gave it a little squeeze. It was a beautiful cake with an icing roller coaster car on the top with two boys sitting in the front seats with beer in their hands and two girls with their arms in the air in the seats behind them. In beautiful sparkly white icing it said 'Happy Diamond Wedding Anniversary'. 

Sylvia looked up and out at the crowd gathered in front of them. Right in the centre of the group stood their three wonderful children and six grandchildren, one of which had a bump that promised a great grandchild in a couple of months. Sylvia remembered their first date, a dance at the Beer Garden where Bill forgot his wallet and still tells everyone that he only had one drink and didn't get to drink it all because Sylvia made him dance all night. Then their second date where they exchanged cheap rings and promised to meet a week later outside Birmingham Town Hall under the clock. Who could have guessed that their story would have such a happy ending. She tilted her head up so that she could smile with pride at her still handsome husband. He was smiling sadly down at her, his pale green eyes slightly sparkling from the tears he was trying so hard to contain . They both knew that this would be the last anniversary they would celebrate together but Sylvia wasn't sad. She had promised Bill to wait for him in the stars above Blackpool Pleasure Beach, where at the grand old age of 16 years and 3 months, she had told him she loved him on their third date while they were eating chips from the packet and waiting for her coach to arrive. Where their wonderful journey had begun on a roller coaster ride where a boy spilled his beer on a girl.