LOVE IN THE BAKING

SING ALONG

"So you own Bakersfield?"

Callum only had the time to say, "Yes," as Pete posed the coasters and the drinks.

"Enjoy." Pete walked away, leaving Callum's gaze moving from his 425ml pint to Adele's 570ml Imperial Pint.

"Cheers," Adele said as she lifted her glass. Callum lifted his pint to toast, and they drank.

Adele was relieved she didn't see a glint of disgust in Callum's eyes. She hated men who judged women who drank. She couldn't guess Callum's lack of reaction came from the shock. Like every British person he knew, women drank, but most pretended to drink less, at least on a first date.

"You were saying?" Adele said once she posed her glass.

"Ah, yeah, I own Bakersfield."

"You work with Irene. I went to secondary school with her."

Callum did a quick count. No, Adele didn't lie about her age.

"Really, I can't imagine what going to school with her was like," Callum said.

"Don't try. Irene was a real pain in the arse."

Callum's eyes grew wide, "what, Irene? Impossible."

"I swear."

Callum laughed; the man could not see Irene as Adele described her. Adele beamed, Callum had a charming smile, but she noted he didn't drink much of his beer after the first gulp they took. He seemed to want to keep in control while Adele remained her jolly self. She was over the time when she attempted to accommodate people, especially men. She sought someone who would be down with her program.

"So what are you looking for on Oppo, Callum?" She asked out of the blue. Adele never asked these questions online. She preferred to see the person's facial expressions. One could sometimes recognize a lie by observing.

"Company, honestly, I haven't given it much thought. My sister pushed me to try. Now I've got to meet someone who enjoys being with an ordinary bloke, Callum answered.

"So you want more than a one-nighter?" Adele asked, leaning forwards once again. Her crossed arms squashed her chest and made her necklace's pendant disappear in the canyon of her bosom.

Callum gulped as Johnny began to seek Bonny in the darkness of his undies. "More would be better, but I'm not the only one to decide."

"Yeah, finding someone who wants the same thing isn't easy. You try your best to find someone, and before you know it, you're over forty and classified as a MILF. All blokes want younger women that look like reality tv stars."

Callum could tell aging was a sensitive subject for Adele. He understood her style and easygoing nature as a way to compete and preserve youth.

"I'm not the type to run after younger men, but they seem more open-minded. Most don't desire anything serious. I'm their Ms. Robinson."

Callum knew he should say something but what?

Luckily for him, Pete returned with a mic he handed to Adele," We need you for the warm-up."

"I'll be back," Adele said and blew a kiss before taking the spot with the mic. Callum expected the worst, but Adele's song choice and voice surprised him.

Flowers by Miley Cyrus.

"We were good; we were gold

Kinda dream that can't be sold

We were right 'til we weren't

I built a home and watched it burn; I didn't wanna leave you