School ReYOUnion

Chapter Twenty Seven

Dinner is now being brought out to us all, by two hired waiting staff that look no older than eighteen. The male teen funnily looks like a stereotypical Italian waiter—dark, smoothed over hair, olive complexion and a slightly aquiline nose. While the female teen has swept-back long blonde hair and has skin so pale, I wonder whether she has ever sat out in the sunshine for a significant period of time. I'm watching them with silent interest, because once upon a teenage time, I was briefly a waitress. A spectacularly bad and brief one.

Put me in front of a computer, and I know exactly what to do. Put me anywhere near a lot of plates and cutlery, and I'm a total disaster.

I only lasted three Saturdays in the café that I had worked at when I was sixteen. The owner liked me a lot, but said that he didn't have enough plates to permanently keep me on. In the end, mum and dad decided to pay me a little something for helping them both out with their accountant businesses. So when I see waiting staff who make it all look so effortlessly easy, I can't help but admire them.

"Isn't this lovely?" The very genial Ellen declares with delighted clasped hands, while looking down at her triple cheese and tarragon-stuffed mushrooms starter.

I glance up, smiling. I think the very lovely Ellen is equally just as delighted to her being seated to the left side of Mitch. To his right, is the dry-humoured and very Scottish Psychology professor, Fraser.

Opposite to Mitch, I am sat in between his brother Marcus and a neckerchief wearing Fine Art lecturer called Asena, which she has already proudly informed me means She-Wolf. With her spiky shock of wine-red hair and her plum stained thin lips, I think I can believe that this woman is quite the femme fatale when she wants to be.

"Now that I have you parked next to me, Rebecca, tell me a little about yourself?" Marcus asks in a very friendly way, while cutting into one of his succulent mushrooms.

"I run my own computer company...well more of a franchise, actually." I smile, before putting a little of my starter into my mouth.

Swallowing down his own mouthful, Marcus appears really keen to know more. "Doing what exactly?"

Tilting my head slightly, I'm always happy to talk about my work. "We do all of the usual run-of-the-mill troubleshooting and maintenance of systems, but there's an exciting increase in cyber security now, which is really where I'd like to move more of the franchise into."

Arching both of his dark eye brows, Marcus nods, impressed with my answer. "Well, I may be able to give you some pointers with that, I work within the Digital Intelligence Unit for Gloucestershire Constabulary."

"Really? What's your role there?" Okay, I'll admit it, he's definitely caught my geeky interest now.

"I'm a Digital Forensics Expert." Like me, he appears to be proud of his profession.

Genuinely interested, I turn a little more towards him, resting my fork on my plate. "So you analyse digital data?"

Marcus himself has turned more in my direction, keen to fully engage in our conversation. "I do. I investigate CCTV footage, social media content, data from seized computers and mobile phones...I also support the staff with advice regarding internet crime." His eyes on me are now softly assessing. "Cyber crime is huge now, so if you need any help whatsoever...just let me know." His straight mouth breaks into a leisurely smile.

It is then that I look him right in the eye, flashing a smile of great thanks. "That would be great."

"My pleasure." Marcus says, successfully disarming me with his arresting smile. Maybe I have misjudged him? Maybe he's not as bad as I thought he was?