Time again for the latest episode from the Loose Blogging Consortium.   The topic this week was chosen by Magpie 11

Wacky Ideas: People

The brightly lit building and the buzz of cheerful voices were welcoming as I approached.  It had just turned 8 p.m. and I had recognised some of the parked cars from those in the assembled rows.  I was thankful not to be the first to arrive.

Pushing open the door, the voices went suddenly silent.  Heads turned from me to the opened door directly across for me.  In fact the heads moved from one door to the other in the way spectators do at a Wimbledon tennis final.  The difference being the look on their faces.  At Wimbledon the faces are full of anticipation and excitement, while tonight they were full of disbelief.

Emerging from the door opposite to me were two nuns in full old style habit from their heads to the black laced shoes.  Both tall, with rather masculine gait and six o’clock shadows, they moved to the bar where they perched in comfortable fashion on two high stools.  There were two full pints of Guinness sitting on the bar and they lifted them in unison to take the first swig.  That first swig cleared the first third of their glasses – in fact they drank the liquor with such ease that it looked like it was a nightly ritual!  The problem was that the doorway they walked through had a nameplate.

Suddenly realising my outfit was now the focus of attention I moved slowly to join my friends.  I had felt satisfied with the overall effect when leaving home.  The low U shape of the neckline was trimmed with a short lace ruffle.  This lace appeared at the high waist of the empire line and again on the short puff sleeves and peeped from under the hemline just touching my footwear.  The pink gingham fabric was a perfect match for my soft mules with the swans down bobbles.   On my head I sported a gingham mobcap.

Moving carefully, the flame from the candle and sconce that I carried, flickered in the draught.  I dared not brush up against any of the customers for fear of causing an accident.

As I reached my friends the laughter was all about the nuns emerging from the door marked

FIR which means Gents.

My friend and work colleague Miriam had recently married and was having a house warming party.  She had moved to a new housing estate and felt that the easiest meeting point for all of us was the local lounge/bar.

You guessed it, it was a fancy dress house warming party.

Within the hour everyone had arrived and we prepared to make our way in convoy to the new house.  I had asked if anyone needed transport.  A friend of Miriam’s husband accepted, and we made our way to my car.  As we had not met before the short journey was passed with introductions and how we knew our hosts.  I discovered my passenger was called Mildred, but known as Millie.  Millie’s costume for the evening was sure to win a prize for originality.  In fact it was difficult to decide which part of it belonged to the real Millie.

When we arrived at the house our Hosts were there to greet us and soon we moved to mix and mingle with the other guests.  Several times I found Millie by my side, in fact I seemed to sense her even before I saw her.  Handing me a fresh drink at one stage we sat to continue her earlier chat.  She seemed anxious to share with me the details of her background.  Like me she was adopted within a couple of weeks of birth.  The more I listened the more intrigued I became.  The year, the town, the reasons for adoption – even our colouring was similar.  I knew the when, where and why of my story but no more.

We had similar likes and dislikes.  Millie knew she had a twin sister but never tried to make contact.  By the end of the evening there was no need, we knew that we were long lost siblings.

Millie my sister.