TALES FROM THE PAST

JUST before Christmas 2010, Jess, a woman in her 30s, met three friends for dinner at Bella Italia.

- Tom Slemen

They drank wine, chatted, and enjoyed the festive atmosphere.At one point, Christine, one of Jess's friends, claimed a waiter had been staring at Jess all evening and was clearly attracted to her. No one else had noticed such a waiter, and Christine was quickly teased for having had too much prosecco.

Christine was known for joking, and it was often hard to tell when she was serious. This time, however, she insisted she was telling the truth. She described the waiter as a huge man with massive fists, saying he looked like a boxer or an ex-boxer. Still, the others dismissed her comments.