Bill

Bill initially appears confident and playful

Bill is one of the main characters of the short story “The Arcade” by Alan Gillespie. He is an elderly man who is on a first date with a woman he met online. It is revealed that his wife died after being ill for a long time, and he has not dated anyone since (ll. 118-120).

At first, Bill appears to be self-confident. He winks at the security guard as he walks into the arcade (l. 17) and comes up with the plan to pretend to be looking for expensive jewelry without being afraid of getting caught:

Are you looking for anything specific?

The woman was about to say no, but Bill interrupted. We’re looking for an engagement ring, he said. For my beautiful fiancée. (ll. 32-34)

This also highlights Bill’s playfulness. He is not afraid of looking silly. Instead of going on a regular date, Bill finds a way to make his first date with Gaynor fun and memorable. Thus, the first impression of Bill is that he is a charmi...