Runaround LOU

When it came to Ronnie, Lou had her regrets and now he was back

- Tina Bradshaw

She hadn't clapped eyes on Ronnie since she was 16. Lou had often wondered what had happened to him, and there he was, on stage in the village hall. With his band.

He was still wowing the crowd, belting out the classics with a twinkle in his eye. Giving it his all. 'Bringing the party' - that's what her granddaughter Amelie called it.

Lou made a fuss about looking for her lipstick in her handbag. Just to give herself a moment. After all this time.

Up there, older and greyer, Ronnie, his lively face a map of smile lines, but still natty in his drainpipe jeans, with his guitar strapped around his neck. Just like she remembered.

'I've got you a lime and soda.' Amelie was a thoughtful girl.

'Nan? Is everything all right?' 'I'm fine, love.' Lou went on autopilot. She was a dab hand at putting on a brave face.

'They're great, aren't they?' Amelie gushed. 'Connor says they've been playing together, like, forever.' **** Lou worried that Amelie was too young to be serious about a boy. But Connor was a good lad. He had booked Ronnie and his band for this evening - his grandmother's special birthday party. And he'd invited Lou along too. 'We can't have your nan sitting at home on her own,' he'd said to Amelie.