(Part 01)
There are four Windmill Cottages in the village of Mornington-By-Mere and they are as quaintly picturesque as the rest of the village.
They stand detached in a neat row alongside the southern bank of the River Brooke situated between the East Bridge and Church Hall.
The Chapman family live in number 1 and Jo Williamson and her daughter Cassandra live next door at number 2.
Alan Chapman was a 50 year old widowed Farm Labourer and was very highly regarded and as such he was never out of work as a result and because of that he could easily pick and choose where he worked.
As a consequence of his outdoor life he was a lean fit man with a full head of sandy hair and a weathered complexion.
As a result of his children’s independent existences Alan spent a lot of his leisure time on his own.
He wasn’t altogether happy with that but he had been a widower for ten years so he was getting used to it.
He was not an unsociable man however and was well liked by those who knew him and he got on well with his neighbour’s.
One of his neighbour’s was Josephine Williamson who he knew very well and had wanted very much to have known her better for some time.
But what held him back was that she was 8 years younger than him.
So he admired her from a distance, and there was much to admire, she was five foot eight with luscious thick ginger curls tumbling down onto her shoulders and mesmerizing green eyes, with a lovely figure, curvaceous and perfectly proportioned.
Jo was a divorcee but had raised her daughter single handed and had to stand on her own two feet, she had managed to get a full time job with one of the new firms up at Mornington Field, Paige Turners and things were going well for her so she was happy-ish.
However everything changed on a Friday afternoon two weeks before Christmas when he opened the front door and found a rather tipsy Jo Williamson leaning against the doorframe.
“Alan darling” she slurred, “I am a damsel in distress”
Once inside she told him that she had been to the Paige Turners Christmas lunch at the Old Mill Inn and she had enjoyed it very much but she was locked out of her house and her daughter Caz had gone Christmas shopping in Abbottsford for the day.
After having to pay a visit to the loo she tottered into the lounge, make up repaired, outfit perfect, and in one hand she held a sprig of mistletoe.
“Look what I have found,” she said and as she reached him she raised it above her head.
So he stood up to face her, puckered up and gave her a Christmas kiss and as his lips touched hers her it was evident that it was a more intrusive kind of Christmas kiss she was interested in, which took him by surprise, but it was a nice surprise, so in the spirit of the season and just to be neighbourly he responded in kind.
But the greater surprise came when they ended up making love in his bed.
(Part 02)
Jo and Alan lay silently in the afterglow in his bed and after a few minutes Jo turned her head to look at him.
“My goodness that was really powerful mistletoe” Jo said from beneath the duvet.
“It was that” he agreed
“This isn’t quiet how I envisaged the day going” she said
“Well we Chapmans take hospitality very seriously” he said
“I don’t make a habit of this” she said
“Nor do I” Alan said “And this isn’t something I envisaged happening either, but it’s something I pictured in my dreams, often”
He reached out and put his arm around her and she lay her head on his chest.
Holding the bubbly redhead in his arms was something he had often imagined doing but he never expected for a moment that it would actually happen.
But as if it wasn’t enough of a surprise to have enjoyed some afternoon delight with the woman he had admired from afar for so long, it transpired that she felt the same way about him.
17th December
Almost a week had passed since they made love in his house and they had barely spoken a word.
Though not out of guilt or regret it was merely the time of year and they just couldn’t get a moment alone.
They did text, in fact the very next day he received one which read
“Merry Christmas Alan, with love from a grateful Damsel in Distress” It should have been simple enough to communicate as they were next door neighbours but it was complicated by the fact they had family.
They both wanted to take it to the next level but they wanted to speak to their children first and pre warn them.
He walked into the village to do some shopping, and first he went to Normans General Store.
It was full of all the usual trappings of the season, selection boxes, tinsel, wrapping paper and cards but his eyes were immediately drawn to a large stack of magazines.
The Radio Times to be precise, the bumper Christmas edition of the Radio Times.
He got a lot of stick from his kids over it, because they thought it was a bit sad but he really looked forward to getting the Bumper Christmas Edition of the Radio Times, (other TV Guides were available).
It is one of the highlights of the season for him, and to make it even sadder, he bought two copies.
After leaving Norman’s he crossed to road and went to Legg’s Farm shop, then he crossed the road again and went to Addison’s Bakers and finally Boddingtons to get some mince.
It was as he was leaving the latter that he bumped into Jo coming the other way.
“Hello Alan” she said
“Hi Jo, you surprised me” he said then she surprised him again by giving him a bear hug almost crushing his Radio Times and kissed his cheek several times.
“I’ve missed you” she whispered
“Likewise” he whispered back
“Are you going to The Carol Concert on Saturday night?” She asked
“Yes I am” he replied
“If you’re going as well then perhaps we could go together”
“That would be nice” Jo said “I’ll see you on Saturday”
On Saturday Night the Chapmans and the Williamson walked together the short distance to St Winifred’s and even sat together and as it was a candlelit service Jo took the opportunity to hold Alan’s hand in the semi darkness.
(Part 03)
On Christmas Eve Alan rose early and took advantage of the fact the house was empty to get the chores done.
His daughter Lorraine didn’t live with him full time as she was a Nurse at the Winston Churchill Hospital in Abbottsford and rather than commute back and forth she shared a flat with two other Nurses, Jane Hall, and Rosie Parsons who also lived in Mornington and worked at the Churchill, she herself was working the night shift and wouldn’t be home until Christmas Day.
His son James was a Farm Labourer and worked at Windmill Farm and they were working in the morning and then having Christmas Dinner followed by drinks.
And Subhan was babysitting Hannah Hills kids all day.
He loaded the washing machine and set the program to wash and then went upstairs and remade the beds with fresh linen in preparation for Christmas, then he hoovered, dusted and polished throughout the house.
His exceptionally early start to the day enabled him to complete all his chores with ease by lunchtime and after a long leisurely shower he made himself a sandwich.
Alan was just drying his hands after washing up his lunch plate when there was a knock at the door.
When he opened it, he found Jo Williamson on the other side of it, wearing a Christmas jumper and wearing tinsel in her hair, holding a Christmas parcel.
“Happy Christmas” she said beaming.
“Hey! Happy Christmas hon” he responded, “come in”
“Ok” she said still smiling broadly “but no funny business”
“No funny business” he agreed and Jo stepped inside.
“You didn’t have to get me a gift,” he said to her as he took her coat.
“But it was a nice thing to do, thank you”
As Jo sat down on the sofa he reached under the Christmas Tree and picked up a little gift bag and handed it to her.
“Merry Christmas” he said and sat down beside her.
But she seemed not to notice the gift and took a deep breath and blurted out.
“I’ve told Caz about us”
“Really?” he said
“She saw us holding hands at the Carol Service” She explained “So I had to”
“Good” he said
“Then you’re not angry?”
“No of course not” he said “What did she say?”
“She said that she was thrilled for me” and tears were beginning to form in her eyes.
Alan put his arms around her and said
“I told Jimmy last night and he said it was about time”
“What about the others?” she asked
“I spoke to Siobhan before she went out this morning” Alan said
“And what did she say?” Jo said urgently, knowing that she would be the most likely to be upset by the news as she was only 7 when her mum died.
“Cool” he replied and she sighed
“So only Lorraine to tell then”
“Yes I’ll tell her tomorrow” he said “But she’s been telling me for years I needed to find someone, so she won’t be a problem”
“So what do we do now?” she asked
“Well I don’t know” he replied “but once I’ve spoken to Lorraine it means you can kiss me anytime you want without the aid of mistletoe”
“Oh I like the sound of that” She said and gave him a big hug and an hour later they were snuggled beneath the freshly laundered duvet.
“So much for no funny business” he thought as she lay her head on his chest and sighed.
Wednesday 15 February 2017
Monday 13 February 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (27) Christmas in Highfinch
(Part 01)
Christmas was just around the corner for the inhabitants of Highfinch which nestled on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills where the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separated the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, which made up the parish of St Martins Church.
It was the first time for quite a few years that Jenna Lawton had approached the season with a boyfriend, although calling him a boyfriend was pushing it a bit as he was almost forty, but then she wasn’t exactly a girl at 37.
It was also the first time she had approached it as a Vicar.
Another significant difference was something that also hadn’t happened for quite a few years and that was she would be spending it with her baby brother.
Brian Lawton was 33 years old and had been medically discharged from the Downshire Light Infantry due to injuries sustained in Afghanistan when he lost most of his left foot.
Brian had led a rather rudderless existence since leaving the Army in the previous January, until mid-October when he made one of his infrequent phone calls to touch base with his sister who was at the time the de facto Vicar of St Martins in Highfinch while the Reverend Mortimer was recovering from a heart attack.
Everything that subsequently followed began with a simple question on the innocent phone call.
“So how are you sis?” he asked jovially and she burst into tears.
Unable to get any sense out of her over the phone he said
“Ok I’m on my way”
Fortunately he wasn’t a million miles away as he and another ex-soldier were doing some security work in Sharpington and it was his day off.
However once Brian arrived to comfort his older sister he never left as she suggested he stay with her permanently at the Vicarage and he agreed and also suggested he might find work at the Golf Course.
In truth Jenna had no doubts whatsoever that they would welcome him with open arms at the Golf Club because the manager of Lily Green Hollows, David Pike, was on the parish council and she had already broached the subject with him and used her influence.
But Brian was not the only newcomer to Highfinch and the Vicarage that year because two weeks after he took up residence he and Jenna were joined by the 30 year old replacement Curate, Rosie Coulter and Jenna and Rosie took to each other from the first moment they met.
But even with, Nick Faulkner, the man she loved, at her side, and her brother Brian on hand for support and an eager young Curate to help with her with the burden she was not looking forward to Christmas with as much enthusiasm as she had in past years.
Because that particular year she saw the normally joyous event of the Christmas church calendar as nothing more than tiresome obstacles that had to be overcome.
(Part 02)
The month of November began in a much happier vain when Jenna and Nick began dating, firstly to bonfire night display at Sharpinghead and then on Saturday Night he took her over to Purplemere and they had a lovely meal at the Runcible Spoon.
The next day Jenna was in a wonderful mood and it didn’t take an expert to know why and Brian was very pleased to see she was looking much more like her old self and seemed to have fully recovered from the malady of despondency that had afflicted her when he first arrived and she thought the Bishop was going to transfer her.
Jenna was also on very good form in the pulpit and she delivered a very inspiring and enlightening sermon.
However it wasn’t long before a gloom descended over her when she remembered that even before she reached the first hurdle of her Christmas marathon she had another problem to solve first.
A local man called Henry Gold normally played Santa at the St Martins Christmas Bazaar and had done for many years but since his sad demise earlier that year it had proved difficult to replace him.
However Rosie thought she had the perfect solution.
“What about Brian?”
“Brian?”
“Yes, he’ll need a bit of padding but I think he’ll be a natural” Rosie said “He’s got lovely broad shoulders”
“I think that’s a great idea” she said and kissed her check “Well done”
Jenna walked into the lounge at the Vicarage and she said
“Brother Dearest”
“What?” he responded suspiciously?
“I have a task for you”
“And what’s that?” Brian asked
“I need you to help out at the Christmas Bazaar” she said
“Oh ok yes I can do that” Brian said a little relieved to get off so lightly
“Excellent” she said “We just need to get the ladies to alter the costume”
“Hold on what costume?” Brian said “I don’t remember agreeing to a costume”
“The Santa costume obviously” Jenna said
“I am not going to dress up and Santa” he said adamantly
“But you have to, you can’t sit in Santa’s grotto in your ordinary clothes” Jenna insisted
“What grotto?” he asked
“You’ll make a wonderful Santa” Rosie added
“That’s not fair, you’re ganging up” he said indignantly “ganging up isn’t fair”
“I’ll let you know when you’re needed for the first fitting” Jenna said as she left the room
“But Jenna?” he called
“Can’t talk, I’m going to lunch with my boyfriend”
A moment later her head appeared around the door and she added
“I rather like the way that sounds”
Brian spent the next five minutes trying to fathom how she had managed to rope him into playing Santa at the St Martin’s School Christmas Bazaar without him even realising what he had agreed to and in fact he was left with the impression that he actually volunteered.
(Part 03)
However she became more troubled the closer she got to the first obstacle to be conquered in the marathon which came on
November 29th, and that was the First Sunday of Advent.
But despite it being a test of endurance she got through it without a hitch and with it successfully under her belt she should have been able to approach the next leg with renewed vigour.
However it soon began to look as if she wouldn’t get there with her sanity intact.
The day after her success Jenna was in the church Hall with a small team of ladies who were on hand to affect alterations to Brian’s Santa suit.
It was obviously the team of ladies who did all the work while she looked on, but the lack of activity gave her time to think and time to think meant time to worry and it didn’t go unnoticed.
And at the Vicarage that evening Brian broached the subject with her.
“What’s the matter sis?”
“Christmas is the matter” she replied
“But you love Christmas” he reminded her
“Yes but It’s such a busy time, there is so much going on, Advent, Christingle, Carol Concert and the Bazaar and everyone is watching me to see if I screw up”
“But you’ve been here for ten years” he said “this is hardly your first Christmas”
“Yes but it’s my first Christmas as the Vicar” she said worriedly
“Look you’ve already ticked off the first Sunday of advent and the Bazaar is totally covered, so stop worrying” he reassured her.
Despite her brothers words of comfort she still approached the Second weekend of Advent with little confidence and when she got to Friday lunchtime it suddenly got a whole lot worse.
She was in the Church Hall where she was waiting for Brian to arrive for the final fitting for his costume when her phone rang.
Jenna hung up the phone and muttered something under and almost knocked her brother over who just happened to be coming the other way.
“It’s a total disaster” Jenna blurted out “Trevor Gurney has appendicitis”
“Oh no” Brian said “is he ok?”
“What?” she said as if confused by the question
“Trevor” he clarified “is he ok?”
“Oh shit,” the Vicar exclaimed, “I never thought to ask”
“So what’s the disaster then?” He enquired
“Trevor is the chief Elf to your Santa,” she explained
“So what’s the problem?” he said “can’t we just find someone to fill his shoes?”
“It’s not his shoes that are the problem” Jenna explained
“He’s a six foot stick insect with a bum like a twelve year old boy”
“Oh” Brian said unhelpfully
“We can’t get anyone else with their own costume at this late stage” she went on
Brian went to speak but she was in full flow and cut him off
“No! We can’t hire a costume they’re all gone, and if we put one of the volunteers in Trevor’s costume they will just look ridiculous”
“Don’t you think a six foot Elf is ridiculous anyway?” Brian remarked
“He’s a very good Elf” Jenna said indignantly “and he supplied his own costume”
“So let me get this straight we need someone six feet tall, stick thin with an arse like a 12 year old boy” he asked
“Yes” Jenna replied crossly, “That’s why it’s a disaster”
“I know just the person,” he said
(Part 04)
“So let me get this straight we need someone six feet tall, stick thin with an arse like a 12 year old boy” he asked
“Yes” Jenna replied crossly, “That’s why it’s a disaster”
“I know just the person,” he said
“Really?” she asked doubtfully
“Really” he said and taking out his mobile phone he got up his contacts list, scrolled down and hit call.
“Rosie? Where are you?”
“I’m here” she said suddenly emerging from the Church Hall
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked and put his phone away.
The Vicar paced up and down like an expectant father while looking her Curate up and down.
“I don’t believe it, the solution was right under my nose all the time” she said
“Will you do it?” She asked eventually
“Do what?” Rosie asked
“Be the chief Elf to my Santa” he said “You are uniquely qualified”
“Ok” Rosie agreed
“Sorted” Brian replied
“Thank you God” Jenna said looking to the heavens and crossing herself “and thank you Brian”
“You’re perfect Rosie, I can’t believe I didn’t see it” she said
“You obviously don’t spend as much time looking at her as I do” Brian said and then blushed at the realization that he’d said it out loud.
Jenna pretended that she didn’t notice but Rosie did and she was smiling as she went back inside.
Jenna just kissed his cheek before going off to belatedly enquire about Trevor’s state of health.
On Saturday morning Jenna and Rosie left the Vicarage very early as there was a lot still to do in readiness for the Bazaar.
By the time Brian arrived at St Martin’s school at 11.00am she was fussing around like a mother hen, uncharacteristically wanting things just so.
“Hey sis” he said
“You’re cutting it fine” Jenna said crossly
“There’s plenty of time” he said
“There’s still so much to do” she retorted
“Ok just calm down” Brian said “it’s all in hand”
“Look it’s not just a Christmas Bazaar you know we’re making Christmas memories” Jenna said “it’s important for the children so it’s got to be done right”
Just then Rosie came through the door behind him
“Hello Santa” she said brightly
“Hi Rosie” he said “Hey why aren’t you in costume?”
“Some of us have had a very busy morning Grouchy Clause” Rosie said
“Come on Rosie your costume is through there” said Jenna and lead her away to one of the offices, but she paused by the doorway and let Rosie go ahead of her gave her an appraising look and declared to her brother.
“You were right bro she does have a bum like a twelve year old boy”
“Yes she’s perfect” she heard Brian say and smiled and left him with the drama teacher Cherry Overton-Brown who showed him in to the grotto where he was to be fully regaled in the red velvet suit and sat on his throne where Cherry would apply the finishing touches to his beard, wig and hat.
(Part 05)
Jenna was much relieved by the end of the afternoon when everything was over and done.
All the feedback she had heard was that the new Santa had done a very good job so she went to find him and thank him, she had been sharp with him earlier in the day and he hadn’t deserved it.
To get to the grotto you had to enter via an adjoining classroom, like an anteroom, where the walls were hidden behind red velvet drapes, decorated with tinsel and coloured lights.
The adjoining door was slightly ajar so she looked through the gap into the magical grotto.
Leading to the throne was a snow covered path and on one side of it was a festive tableau of snowmen and reindeer and on the other side Santa’s sleigh was parked.
The huge throne was in the furthest corner surrounded by Christmas parcels where Brian, fully regaled in the red velvet suit was sat on his throne, and sitting on his lap was a tall and flat chested Elf and they were kissing.
As the resident celebrity of Highfinch, and the Vicars boyfriend, Nick Faulkner, was both the guest of honour and the raffle prize draw master.
But with the draw complete he went in search of his own prize draw, namely the Reverend Lawton and he caught up with her in the ante room to Santa’s grotto and she was peering through a gap in the door to the grotto.
“What are you looking at nosy?” Nick said
“Shush” she said and put her finger to her lips “Come and have a look”
He tiptoed across the room and also peaked through the crack in the door and could see Rosie the Elf snogging Santa Claus.
“Well, well” he said “Just wait until Mrs Claus finds out about this”
“Oh I think she already knows” Jenna said
With the resounding success of the St Martins School Bazaar and the added bonus of discovering her brother and her Curate were in love she breezed through the Second and third Sundays of Advent which meant she was on the home straight.
The Trifecta of Christingle, Carol Service and the fourth Advent Sunday which were on consecutive days.
But she was in a great frame of mind and was brimming with confidence.
However a phone call from on Wednesday morning threw a spanner in the works, it was from Lee Shuttlewood, the church warden.
“Oh God, It’s just one thing after another” Jenna said “It’s Christingle on Friday and then the Carol concert”
Jenna hung up and let out a muffled yell.
“What’s the matter? Is life testing you’re patience sis?”
Brian asked cheerfully
“No it’s testing my faith,” she retorted without humour and left the room.
“Now look what you’ve done” Rosie said and followed quickly in the Vicar’s footsteps.
“What was Lee saying anyway?” Rosie asked hoping she would be able to give her some words of comfort
“The sound system and the visual displays have packed up” Jenna replied “Christingle is in three days”
“Oh no” Rosie exclaimed and started crying and then Jenna had to comfort her.
(Part 06)
The Christingle Service has become ingrained in Anglican worship though it had its origins in Eastern Europe.
The Christingle Service is a Service of candle lights where long ago people gathered in the street, sang carols and collected gifts to help the less fortunate in the community.
It is a beautiful candle lit service of hymns, carols, recitations and bible readings, but Christingle goes beyond a candle light service and it tells a story.
A story is told with the symbolic use of specific items, an orange representing the world.
A red ribbon tied around the orange to symbolize the blood of Jesus shed for his people.
Toothpicks decorated with dried fruits and sweets placed at the four corners of the orange representing all the people of the world and a lighted candle in the centre of the orange representing the gift of the light of Christ to the world.
After about 10 minutes Jenna and Rosie were sitting in the kitchen feeling sorry for themselves when they had a visitor.
“Hello!” a voice said
“Who’s that?” Jenna asked
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me already” Nick said as he appeared in the door way.
“Oh Nick” she said and threw herself into his arms.
Brian had been feeling rather guilty about his earlier flippancy with Jenna so he phoned Nick.
“So what can I do to help?” he asked
“Nothing much” she said “unless you know anything about the sound system”
“Well no” he confessed
“That’s not my area of expertise, but I know people who know people”
“Really?” she said suddenly encouraged.
“I’ll makes some calls” he said
Two hours later, Greg Scott, a friend of Nicks pulled up outside St Martin’s.
Nick introduced him to Jenna, Rosie and Lee Shuttlewood and then they all went inside.
After giving him a brief tour they left him to it and waited in the vestry until he was done.
The waiting was awful, no one spoke and they all feared the worst and Jenna was convinced that Christingle and the Carol Concert would have to be cancelled or simplified significantly.
“So what conclusion have you reached?” Nick asked
“Well it’s not a complicated system,” Gregg replied “I can easily patch it up in the short term, and after Christmas we could look at a more permanent solution maybe even replace the whole thing”
“We don’t have much money” Jenna added
“That’s not an issue” Greg said “I wouldn’t have a business at all if it wasn’t for Nick so I’m just repaying a long overdue favour”
After Scott had gone Jenna said
“It’s divine providence”
And burst into tears.
Gregg Scott was good to his word and had the audio visual systems working like clockwork.
He did have to swap out the visual displays as the circuitry was fried on the old ones but he had the work completed in plenty of time for Christingle which was On Friday December 18th.
(Part 07)
Gregg Scott had the work completed in plenty of time for Christingle which was On Friday December 18th.
First of all the children assembled at the church hall in their Sunday School groups and made their Christingle lights and when all the congregants were seated in the church the children carried them proudly in procession into the church where they were lit for the service.
It was always a big hit with the children which was why Jenna wanted it to go smoothly, which it did.
The Carol Concert was on the following night and was an all ticket occasion and as always it was performed to a packed house.
The sound system was excellent and the new visual displays came into their own.
But as successful as the concert was there was no time for Jenna to rest on her laurels because the next morning brought the Sunday Service and the lighting of the fourth candle of advent, the final leg of the trifecta.
From the moment the service ended she relaxed and as she stood in the doorway with the breeze stirring her brunette hair,
The difference in her demeanour was palpable, her intelligent green eyes were laughing again and broad toothy smile was on full display.
She still had Christmas Morning to contend with but that pretty much took care of itself, she had written the sermon, the readings had been selected as were their readers, the hymns and carols had been chosen and the slideshow for the visual displays was done.
So she was looking forward to a few stress free days off.
The day following the last Sunday of Advent was Nick’s Fortieth birthday so as soon as she was up and dressed she walked round to his house carrying a little gift bag.
She stood on the door step and knocked on the door and when it opened she said
“Happy Birthday old man, I come bearing gifts”
“Well thank you” he responded and kissed her “Come in”
For his big day she had booked a table at the same restaurant where they had their first serious date, the Runcible Spoon in Purplemere.
It was an expensive restaurant especially for her but she felt it was important.
As a result her present was a bit less than she would have liked to have spent on him, but she made what little she had count by buying something he would appreciate.
Nick wasn’t just a TV Sports Presenter he was a sports aficionado.
In fact he was writing a book on the subject, so while she was browsing at the Christmas Bazaar there was a stall selling second hand Bric-à-brac including a small selection of books and amongst them was an old book from the 1970’s entitled ABC of Soccer Sense by Tommy Docherty.
She was sure he would like it until he started unwrapping it and then she thought it was a bit naff.
“Wow” he said “this is one of Norman Giller’s”
“Is that good?” she asked
“Yes it is” he replied “Where on earth did you find it?”
“Do you like it then?” she asked
“I love it” he replied and kissed her
(Part 08)
On Christmas Eve Nick suggested they take a walk over to The Kingfisher over in Kingfisherbridge.
They had taken a walk over there on a rainy lunchtime back in September before he had to leave to work on the Rugby World Cup.
They hadn’t been back since, she thought it was sweet of him to think about going back.
It was about a mile and a half walk from Highfinch but it was a much brighter day as they walked towards Hawks Wood on Christmas Eve than the previous occasion.
They had a couple of drinks and some sandwiches and then they headed slowly back.
As they were walking back through Hawk Wood he said
“Look this is where we almost got run over”
Back in September they were so busy concentrating on hearing what the other was saying above the beating of the rain that they didn’t notice the mad cyclist approaching them from behind.
In fact they only knew he was there when he shouted
“GET OUT OF THE WAY, I’M NOT STOPPING”
They jumped sideway just in the nick of time.
“You Godless heathen” she yelled at the errant cyclist
As Nick was falling backwards and instinctively reached out to grab something while he was falling but the only thing in reach was Jenna so he landed on his back in the wet bracken and she landed on top of him.
“Yes and that’s where you almost kissed me” she said
After jumping clear of their assailant they lay there nose to nose on the wet ground for a full minute before she said
“This is awkward, and not a little compromising for a woman of the cloth”
“Indeed” he agreed desperate to reach up the infinitesimal distance to her lovely lips and plant a kiss on them
“A less gentlemanly man than I would probably take advantage of the situation”
Then he rolled her over onto her back and pushed himself up and helped Jenna to do the same, “But alas I am”
“Trust my luck to find myself lying in the undergrowth with the only gentleman in Highfinch”
And a smile began around her green eyes and a broad toothy smile spread across her pleasant demeanour.
“I seem to remember that was where you almost kissed me” he retorted.
“Well we could just kiss now instead” she suggested so they did.
“You know the old saying” he said “life begins at 40”
“Yes” she replied “Are you going to go all philosophical on me?”
“What I’m trying to say is that my life began before I was 40, because it began when I met you” he said
“Mine too” she agreed
“And there is only one thing that that could possibly improve on that beginning” Nick said taking his hand from his pocket
“So will you marry me?”
“You want to marry me?” she asked staring at the ring
“Of course I want to marry you” he said “But if you say no I’m happy to try your Curate, I do like a brunette”
“Don’t you dare” She said and snatched the ring
“You’re mine”
Christmas was just around the corner for the inhabitants of Highfinch which nestled on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills where the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separated the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, which made up the parish of St Martins Church.
It was the first time for quite a few years that Jenna Lawton had approached the season with a boyfriend, although calling him a boyfriend was pushing it a bit as he was almost forty, but then she wasn’t exactly a girl at 37.
It was also the first time she had approached it as a Vicar.
Another significant difference was something that also hadn’t happened for quite a few years and that was she would be spending it with her baby brother.
Brian Lawton was 33 years old and had been medically discharged from the Downshire Light Infantry due to injuries sustained in Afghanistan when he lost most of his left foot.
Brian had led a rather rudderless existence since leaving the Army in the previous January, until mid-October when he made one of his infrequent phone calls to touch base with his sister who was at the time the de facto Vicar of St Martins in Highfinch while the Reverend Mortimer was recovering from a heart attack.
Everything that subsequently followed began with a simple question on the innocent phone call.
“So how are you sis?” he asked jovially and she burst into tears.
Unable to get any sense out of her over the phone he said
“Ok I’m on my way”
Fortunately he wasn’t a million miles away as he and another ex-soldier were doing some security work in Sharpington and it was his day off.
However once Brian arrived to comfort his older sister he never left as she suggested he stay with her permanently at the Vicarage and he agreed and also suggested he might find work at the Golf Course.
In truth Jenna had no doubts whatsoever that they would welcome him with open arms at the Golf Club because the manager of Lily Green Hollows, David Pike, was on the parish council and she had already broached the subject with him and used her influence.
But Brian was not the only newcomer to Highfinch and the Vicarage that year because two weeks after he took up residence he and Jenna were joined by the 30 year old replacement Curate, Rosie Coulter and Jenna and Rosie took to each other from the first moment they met.
But even with, Nick Faulkner, the man she loved, at her side, and her brother Brian on hand for support and an eager young Curate to help with her with the burden she was not looking forward to Christmas with as much enthusiasm as she had in past years.
Because that particular year she saw the normally joyous event of the Christmas church calendar as nothing more than tiresome obstacles that had to be overcome.
(Part 02)
The month of November began in a much happier vain when Jenna and Nick began dating, firstly to bonfire night display at Sharpinghead and then on Saturday Night he took her over to Purplemere and they had a lovely meal at the Runcible Spoon.
The next day Jenna was in a wonderful mood and it didn’t take an expert to know why and Brian was very pleased to see she was looking much more like her old self and seemed to have fully recovered from the malady of despondency that had afflicted her when he first arrived and she thought the Bishop was going to transfer her.
Jenna was also on very good form in the pulpit and she delivered a very inspiring and enlightening sermon.
However it wasn’t long before a gloom descended over her when she remembered that even before she reached the first hurdle of her Christmas marathon she had another problem to solve first.
A local man called Henry Gold normally played Santa at the St Martins Christmas Bazaar and had done for many years but since his sad demise earlier that year it had proved difficult to replace him.
However Rosie thought she had the perfect solution.
“What about Brian?”
“Brian?”
“Yes, he’ll need a bit of padding but I think he’ll be a natural” Rosie said “He’s got lovely broad shoulders”
“I think that’s a great idea” she said and kissed her check “Well done”
Jenna walked into the lounge at the Vicarage and she said
“Brother Dearest”
“What?” he responded suspiciously?
“I have a task for you”
“And what’s that?” Brian asked
“I need you to help out at the Christmas Bazaar” she said
“Oh ok yes I can do that” Brian said a little relieved to get off so lightly
“Excellent” she said “We just need to get the ladies to alter the costume”
“Hold on what costume?” Brian said “I don’t remember agreeing to a costume”
“The Santa costume obviously” Jenna said
“I am not going to dress up and Santa” he said adamantly
“But you have to, you can’t sit in Santa’s grotto in your ordinary clothes” Jenna insisted
“What grotto?” he asked
“You’ll make a wonderful Santa” Rosie added
“That’s not fair, you’re ganging up” he said indignantly “ganging up isn’t fair”
“I’ll let you know when you’re needed for the first fitting” Jenna said as she left the room
“But Jenna?” he called
“Can’t talk, I’m going to lunch with my boyfriend”
A moment later her head appeared around the door and she added
“I rather like the way that sounds”
Brian spent the next five minutes trying to fathom how she had managed to rope him into playing Santa at the St Martin’s School Christmas Bazaar without him even realising what he had agreed to and in fact he was left with the impression that he actually volunteered.
(Part 03)
However she became more troubled the closer she got to the first obstacle to be conquered in the marathon which came on
November 29th, and that was the First Sunday of Advent.
But despite it being a test of endurance she got through it without a hitch and with it successfully under her belt she should have been able to approach the next leg with renewed vigour.
However it soon began to look as if she wouldn’t get there with her sanity intact.
The day after her success Jenna was in the church Hall with a small team of ladies who were on hand to affect alterations to Brian’s Santa suit.
It was obviously the team of ladies who did all the work while she looked on, but the lack of activity gave her time to think and time to think meant time to worry and it didn’t go unnoticed.
And at the Vicarage that evening Brian broached the subject with her.
“What’s the matter sis?”
“Christmas is the matter” she replied
“But you love Christmas” he reminded her
“Yes but It’s such a busy time, there is so much going on, Advent, Christingle, Carol Concert and the Bazaar and everyone is watching me to see if I screw up”
“But you’ve been here for ten years” he said “this is hardly your first Christmas”
“Yes but it’s my first Christmas as the Vicar” she said worriedly
“Look you’ve already ticked off the first Sunday of advent and the Bazaar is totally covered, so stop worrying” he reassured her.
Despite her brothers words of comfort she still approached the Second weekend of Advent with little confidence and when she got to Friday lunchtime it suddenly got a whole lot worse.
She was in the Church Hall where she was waiting for Brian to arrive for the final fitting for his costume when her phone rang.
Jenna hung up the phone and muttered something under and almost knocked her brother over who just happened to be coming the other way.
“It’s a total disaster” Jenna blurted out “Trevor Gurney has appendicitis”
“Oh no” Brian said “is he ok?”
“What?” she said as if confused by the question
“Trevor” he clarified “is he ok?”
“Oh shit,” the Vicar exclaimed, “I never thought to ask”
“So what’s the disaster then?” He enquired
“Trevor is the chief Elf to your Santa,” she explained
“So what’s the problem?” he said “can’t we just find someone to fill his shoes?”
“It’s not his shoes that are the problem” Jenna explained
“He’s a six foot stick insect with a bum like a twelve year old boy”
“Oh” Brian said unhelpfully
“We can’t get anyone else with their own costume at this late stage” she went on
Brian went to speak but she was in full flow and cut him off
“No! We can’t hire a costume they’re all gone, and if we put one of the volunteers in Trevor’s costume they will just look ridiculous”
“Don’t you think a six foot Elf is ridiculous anyway?” Brian remarked
“He’s a very good Elf” Jenna said indignantly “and he supplied his own costume”
“So let me get this straight we need someone six feet tall, stick thin with an arse like a 12 year old boy” he asked
“Yes” Jenna replied crossly, “That’s why it’s a disaster”
“I know just the person,” he said
(Part 04)
“So let me get this straight we need someone six feet tall, stick thin with an arse like a 12 year old boy” he asked
“Yes” Jenna replied crossly, “That’s why it’s a disaster”
“I know just the person,” he said
“Really?” she asked doubtfully
“Really” he said and taking out his mobile phone he got up his contacts list, scrolled down and hit call.
“Rosie? Where are you?”
“I’m here” she said suddenly emerging from the Church Hall
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked and put his phone away.
The Vicar paced up and down like an expectant father while looking her Curate up and down.
“I don’t believe it, the solution was right under my nose all the time” she said
“Will you do it?” She asked eventually
“Do what?” Rosie asked
“Be the chief Elf to my Santa” he said “You are uniquely qualified”
“Ok” Rosie agreed
“Sorted” Brian replied
“Thank you God” Jenna said looking to the heavens and crossing herself “and thank you Brian”
“You’re perfect Rosie, I can’t believe I didn’t see it” she said
“You obviously don’t spend as much time looking at her as I do” Brian said and then blushed at the realization that he’d said it out loud.
Jenna pretended that she didn’t notice but Rosie did and she was smiling as she went back inside.
Jenna just kissed his cheek before going off to belatedly enquire about Trevor’s state of health.
On Saturday morning Jenna and Rosie left the Vicarage very early as there was a lot still to do in readiness for the Bazaar.
By the time Brian arrived at St Martin’s school at 11.00am she was fussing around like a mother hen, uncharacteristically wanting things just so.
“Hey sis” he said
“You’re cutting it fine” Jenna said crossly
“There’s plenty of time” he said
“There’s still so much to do” she retorted
“Ok just calm down” Brian said “it’s all in hand”
“Look it’s not just a Christmas Bazaar you know we’re making Christmas memories” Jenna said “it’s important for the children so it’s got to be done right”
Just then Rosie came through the door behind him
“Hello Santa” she said brightly
“Hi Rosie” he said “Hey why aren’t you in costume?”
“Some of us have had a very busy morning Grouchy Clause” Rosie said
“Come on Rosie your costume is through there” said Jenna and lead her away to one of the offices, but she paused by the doorway and let Rosie go ahead of her gave her an appraising look and declared to her brother.
“You were right bro she does have a bum like a twelve year old boy”
“Yes she’s perfect” she heard Brian say and smiled and left him with the drama teacher Cherry Overton-Brown who showed him in to the grotto where he was to be fully regaled in the red velvet suit and sat on his throne where Cherry would apply the finishing touches to his beard, wig and hat.
(Part 05)
Jenna was much relieved by the end of the afternoon when everything was over and done.
All the feedback she had heard was that the new Santa had done a very good job so she went to find him and thank him, she had been sharp with him earlier in the day and he hadn’t deserved it.
To get to the grotto you had to enter via an adjoining classroom, like an anteroom, where the walls were hidden behind red velvet drapes, decorated with tinsel and coloured lights.
The adjoining door was slightly ajar so she looked through the gap into the magical grotto.
Leading to the throne was a snow covered path and on one side of it was a festive tableau of snowmen and reindeer and on the other side Santa’s sleigh was parked.
The huge throne was in the furthest corner surrounded by Christmas parcels where Brian, fully regaled in the red velvet suit was sat on his throne, and sitting on his lap was a tall and flat chested Elf and they were kissing.
As the resident celebrity of Highfinch, and the Vicars boyfriend, Nick Faulkner, was both the guest of honour and the raffle prize draw master.
But with the draw complete he went in search of his own prize draw, namely the Reverend Lawton and he caught up with her in the ante room to Santa’s grotto and she was peering through a gap in the door to the grotto.
“What are you looking at nosy?” Nick said
“Shush” she said and put her finger to her lips “Come and have a look”
He tiptoed across the room and also peaked through the crack in the door and could see Rosie the Elf snogging Santa Claus.
“Well, well” he said “Just wait until Mrs Claus finds out about this”
“Oh I think she already knows” Jenna said
With the resounding success of the St Martins School Bazaar and the added bonus of discovering her brother and her Curate were in love she breezed through the Second and third Sundays of Advent which meant she was on the home straight.
The Trifecta of Christingle, Carol Service and the fourth Advent Sunday which were on consecutive days.
But she was in a great frame of mind and was brimming with confidence.
However a phone call from on Wednesday morning threw a spanner in the works, it was from Lee Shuttlewood, the church warden.
“Oh God, It’s just one thing after another” Jenna said “It’s Christingle on Friday and then the Carol concert”
Jenna hung up and let out a muffled yell.
“What’s the matter? Is life testing you’re patience sis?”
Brian asked cheerfully
“No it’s testing my faith,” she retorted without humour and left the room.
“Now look what you’ve done” Rosie said and followed quickly in the Vicar’s footsteps.
“What was Lee saying anyway?” Rosie asked hoping she would be able to give her some words of comfort
“The sound system and the visual displays have packed up” Jenna replied “Christingle is in three days”
“Oh no” Rosie exclaimed and started crying and then Jenna had to comfort her.
(Part 06)
The Christingle Service has become ingrained in Anglican worship though it had its origins in Eastern Europe.
The Christingle Service is a Service of candle lights where long ago people gathered in the street, sang carols and collected gifts to help the less fortunate in the community.
It is a beautiful candle lit service of hymns, carols, recitations and bible readings, but Christingle goes beyond a candle light service and it tells a story.
A story is told with the symbolic use of specific items, an orange representing the world.
A red ribbon tied around the orange to symbolize the blood of Jesus shed for his people.
Toothpicks decorated with dried fruits and sweets placed at the four corners of the orange representing all the people of the world and a lighted candle in the centre of the orange representing the gift of the light of Christ to the world.
After about 10 minutes Jenna and Rosie were sitting in the kitchen feeling sorry for themselves when they had a visitor.
“Hello!” a voice said
“Who’s that?” Jenna asked
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me already” Nick said as he appeared in the door way.
“Oh Nick” she said and threw herself into his arms.
Brian had been feeling rather guilty about his earlier flippancy with Jenna so he phoned Nick.
“So what can I do to help?” he asked
“Nothing much” she said “unless you know anything about the sound system”
“Well no” he confessed
“That’s not my area of expertise, but I know people who know people”
“Really?” she said suddenly encouraged.
“I’ll makes some calls” he said
Two hours later, Greg Scott, a friend of Nicks pulled up outside St Martin’s.
Nick introduced him to Jenna, Rosie and Lee Shuttlewood and then they all went inside.
After giving him a brief tour they left him to it and waited in the vestry until he was done.
The waiting was awful, no one spoke and they all feared the worst and Jenna was convinced that Christingle and the Carol Concert would have to be cancelled or simplified significantly.
“So what conclusion have you reached?” Nick asked
“Well it’s not a complicated system,” Gregg replied “I can easily patch it up in the short term, and after Christmas we could look at a more permanent solution maybe even replace the whole thing”
“We don’t have much money” Jenna added
“That’s not an issue” Greg said “I wouldn’t have a business at all if it wasn’t for Nick so I’m just repaying a long overdue favour”
After Scott had gone Jenna said
“It’s divine providence”
And burst into tears.
Gregg Scott was good to his word and had the audio visual systems working like clockwork.
He did have to swap out the visual displays as the circuitry was fried on the old ones but he had the work completed in plenty of time for Christingle which was On Friday December 18th.
(Part 07)
Gregg Scott had the work completed in plenty of time for Christingle which was On Friday December 18th.
First of all the children assembled at the church hall in their Sunday School groups and made their Christingle lights and when all the congregants were seated in the church the children carried them proudly in procession into the church where they were lit for the service.
It was always a big hit with the children which was why Jenna wanted it to go smoothly, which it did.
The Carol Concert was on the following night and was an all ticket occasion and as always it was performed to a packed house.
The sound system was excellent and the new visual displays came into their own.
But as successful as the concert was there was no time for Jenna to rest on her laurels because the next morning brought the Sunday Service and the lighting of the fourth candle of advent, the final leg of the trifecta.
From the moment the service ended she relaxed and as she stood in the doorway with the breeze stirring her brunette hair,
The difference in her demeanour was palpable, her intelligent green eyes were laughing again and broad toothy smile was on full display.
She still had Christmas Morning to contend with but that pretty much took care of itself, she had written the sermon, the readings had been selected as were their readers, the hymns and carols had been chosen and the slideshow for the visual displays was done.
So she was looking forward to a few stress free days off.
The day following the last Sunday of Advent was Nick’s Fortieth birthday so as soon as she was up and dressed she walked round to his house carrying a little gift bag.
She stood on the door step and knocked on the door and when it opened she said
“Happy Birthday old man, I come bearing gifts”
“Well thank you” he responded and kissed her “Come in”
For his big day she had booked a table at the same restaurant where they had their first serious date, the Runcible Spoon in Purplemere.
It was an expensive restaurant especially for her but she felt it was important.
As a result her present was a bit less than she would have liked to have spent on him, but she made what little she had count by buying something he would appreciate.
Nick wasn’t just a TV Sports Presenter he was a sports aficionado.
In fact he was writing a book on the subject, so while she was browsing at the Christmas Bazaar there was a stall selling second hand Bric-à-brac including a small selection of books and amongst them was an old book from the 1970’s entitled ABC of Soccer Sense by Tommy Docherty.
She was sure he would like it until he started unwrapping it and then she thought it was a bit naff.
“Wow” he said “this is one of Norman Giller’s”
“Is that good?” she asked
“Yes it is” he replied “Where on earth did you find it?”
“Do you like it then?” she asked
“I love it” he replied and kissed her
(Part 08)
On Christmas Eve Nick suggested they take a walk over to The Kingfisher over in Kingfisherbridge.
They had taken a walk over there on a rainy lunchtime back in September before he had to leave to work on the Rugby World Cup.
They hadn’t been back since, she thought it was sweet of him to think about going back.
It was about a mile and a half walk from Highfinch but it was a much brighter day as they walked towards Hawks Wood on Christmas Eve than the previous occasion.
They had a couple of drinks and some sandwiches and then they headed slowly back.
As they were walking back through Hawk Wood he said
“Look this is where we almost got run over”
Back in September they were so busy concentrating on hearing what the other was saying above the beating of the rain that they didn’t notice the mad cyclist approaching them from behind.
In fact they only knew he was there when he shouted
“GET OUT OF THE WAY, I’M NOT STOPPING”
They jumped sideway just in the nick of time.
“You Godless heathen” she yelled at the errant cyclist
As Nick was falling backwards and instinctively reached out to grab something while he was falling but the only thing in reach was Jenna so he landed on his back in the wet bracken and she landed on top of him.
“Yes and that’s where you almost kissed me” she said
After jumping clear of their assailant they lay there nose to nose on the wet ground for a full minute before she said
“This is awkward, and not a little compromising for a woman of the cloth”
“Indeed” he agreed desperate to reach up the infinitesimal distance to her lovely lips and plant a kiss on them
“A less gentlemanly man than I would probably take advantage of the situation”
Then he rolled her over onto her back and pushed himself up and helped Jenna to do the same, “But alas I am”
“Trust my luck to find myself lying in the undergrowth with the only gentleman in Highfinch”
And a smile began around her green eyes and a broad toothy smile spread across her pleasant demeanour.
“I seem to remember that was where you almost kissed me” he retorted.
“Well we could just kiss now instead” she suggested so they did.
“You know the old saying” he said “life begins at 40”
“Yes” she replied “Are you going to go all philosophical on me?”
“What I’m trying to say is that my life began before I was 40, because it began when I met you” he said
“Mine too” she agreed
“And there is only one thing that that could possibly improve on that beginning” Nick said taking his hand from his pocket
“So will you marry me?”
“You want to marry me?” she asked staring at the ring
“Of course I want to marry you” he said “But if you say no I’m happy to try your Curate, I do like a brunette”
“Don’t you dare” She said and snatched the ring
“You’re mine”
Sunday 12 February 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (25) A Very Christmas Romance
(Part 01)
Tommy Weir’s cab arrived back at the Tipton Country Park Hotel in the North Downshire village of Tipton just as the snow began to fall again.
He paid the driver and then he and Danny walked into the plush panelled lobby of the hotel.
It had been a really nice evening out, a phenomenal meal and good company.
There were forty of them at the restaurant, colleagues from all over Europe some of them were strangers, some were close friends and some of them more so.
“Night cap?” Tommy asked
“No thanks’ mate I’m on the red eye in the morning” Danny replied.
Tommy looked at his watch and saw it was already morning.
“I’ll say goodnight then” he said and they shook hands and Danny headed for the desk.
Tom was definitely up for one, so he headed for the bar.
There were only a handful of people in there at that hour and as he caught the night porter’s eye he said “Southern Comfort please, a large one”
“Make that two” a voice said from behind him.
He recognised the voice immediately, those wonderful plummy tones were acutely familiar to him, perfect English, each vowel dripping with sexuality, so he said to the barman “Two”
Then he turned around and looked at the woman who had been the object of his lust for nine months and an unrequited love for three of those and very much requited for another three of them.
Justine Khan was his older woman, his cougar to use the modern parlance.
She was a few months on the wrong side of fifty but still beautiful in his eyes even though he was fifteen years younger.
Justine and Tommy had shared an office at Brocklington Broadcast International for over a year, and at first he loathed her, he thought she was vain, overbearing and manipulative and her opinion of him was much the same.
They even lived in the same village, Dulcet St Mary and attended the same church, St Mary of Bethany.
They sang in the same choir and sat on the same committees so there was no escape for him from the bloody woman.
But as the weeks changed into months his feelings for her changed with them.
Justine had an Egyptian father and an English mother which left her with a dark complexion and western features.
She was an exotic looking woman with jet black hair and large brown eyes.
Justine was a tall woman, slender and very well endowed with legs to die for.
He would surreptitiously watch her move around the office on her shapely legs, admiring the tightness of her skirt around her hips and buttocks as she bent.
And when she was sat at her desk his eyes would stray to her gaping blouse and the treasures contained within.
But it wasn’t until a grey overcast day in June, on an office beano to Epsom Downs that they showed each other in no uncertain terms how they felt, when as the Derby favourites thundered towards the finish line Justine and Tommy, away from prying eyes, kissed for the first time.
And as they kissed he unzipped her leather jacket and slipped his hands inside her shirt to caress her naked skin.
(Part 02)
Over the weeks that followed that first kiss on the racecourse, so did more sensual moments of intimacy, but they were really only tasters of what the two of them truly desired.
They had tried on several occasions to engineer an opportunity to take their burgeoning relationship to the next level.
One such opportunity was a three day trip to visit suppliers, which they got rubber stamped by management and booked appointments and hotels and they were feeling very pleased with themselves for their lustful scheming.
However an unseen hand dealt them a bitter blow when Justine went down with laryngitis.
Afterwards they tried to just arrange a simple dirty weekend away, Abbotsford, Abbeyvale, Applesford and even other places that didn’t begin with the letter A.
They even devised an intricate scenario for the benefit of Justine’s husband, Sammi, which he swallowed hook, line and sinker but then that failed at the eleventh hour when Tommy broke his wrist.
However even though it seemed like the fates were against them they decided they should have one last role of the dice.
So it was at the Brocklington Broadcast International Christmas Party weekend in Tipton that they planned to finally consummate their lust.
They had been out to a restaurant in Roespring called The Old School House and they had spent the evening sitting at the same table during the dinner, discreetly holding hands under the table, but as they left at the end of the evening they got separated and ended up in different cabs.
Tommy obviously thought that fate had interceded once again and their last chance had gone.
He supposed that it would be more devastating to him than to her because although he was single man, Justine was a married woman, which meant that for her there was some guilt involved, even if her husband Sammi was a complete waste of space.
But despite any perceived guilt Tommy was delighted to find Justine was waiting for him in the bar when he got back to the hotel.
He hadn’t taken into account that she would want it as bad as he did.
They sat in the corner of the bar and finished their drink.
“Another?” he asked
“I don’t think so” Justine said sharply and stood up, took his hand and dragged him to his feet.
“Let’s have the next one in my room” she said and led him by the hand through the plush reception area, with its brass fittings and oak wood paneling and green leather upholstery, up to the reception desk and collected their room keys.
With the key cards in hand Justine hurried him along the corridor and her wonderful plummy tones accompanied him all the way down the corridor until they finally arrived at their destination which was Justine’s room where they stood in the corridor and kissed.
At first it was the usual semi controlled kissing they had done so many times before but it quickly became hot and passionate as his hand sought out her breast, which was when she broke away and opened the door.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked
“God yes” Justine replied and pulled him into the room.
(Part 03)
Once inside the room he was eager to get started again and immediately tried to get inside her clothes.
Justine however put a stop to things and said
“Not so fast, I want everything to be just so”
“Sorry” he responded not quite sure what “just so” was.
But he needn’t have worried as it seemed that she wanted to amongst other things get the lighting right.
She was conscious of the age difference between them and didn’t want him to be disappointed with what she had to offer, because as a much younger man she thought he would have been more used to firmer flesh.
He wasn’t concerned with that what he felt for her had gone way beyond simple physical attraction so she really didn’t have to worry.
While she set the scene he was sent into the bathroom and while he was in there he thought it prudent to relieve himself while he had the opportunity.
However such a natural function normally simply rendered, is much more complicated when you are seriously aroused.
It necessitates adopting the posture of a ski jumper and even then it’s not always successful.
When he left the bathroom he found the room lighting very subdued and Justine wearing only a smile and a pair of white lace knickers showing in stark contrast against the gorgeous dark flesh.
“Are you disappointed?” She asked
“You’re even more gorgeous than I had hoped” he replied.
Justine had one arm draped across her breasts
“Good answer” she said as she walked towards him and lowered her arm at the last second and he got his first long lingering look at her large round breast that he had only previously dreamed of and then she was in his arms and began undressing him.
As they lay entwined in the afterglow, still breathing hard from their exertions.
Justine rested her head on his chest and sighed as he reflected that making love with her was everything he had hoped it would be and more and then they drifted off into a sweet post coital sleep.
After a short sleep he was awoken by Justine tenderly kissing his neck as her hand strove to awaken the rest of him and when all of him was fully awake they made love again.
The next day when the rest of their colleagues returned to their homes or in some cases their home countries Justine and Tommy put into effect their plan to stay on for another night and repeated the joyful pleasure of each other again and again.
Tommy would have gladly continued their unions well into the New Year but alas before the protracted Christmas break Justine dropped a bombshell on him when she took him to one side and to his great surprise ended the affair.
“But I love you” he said
“And I love you” Justine concurred
“Then why?” Tommy asked
“It has to end, not because I don’t love you” she said “But because despite everything I still love my husband, and I can’t cheat on him anymore”
(Part 04)
He didn’t take the news well and for the week between Justine dropping her bombshell and the office closing for Christmas he barely spoke a word to her and when the office closed for the Christmas break he left without saying goodbye, it was just too painful for him.
On Christmas Eve he spent the day laying on the sofa watching sentimental movies and eating comfort food.
However come the evening he snapped out of his torpor and walked through the snow to church.
As usual St Mary of Bethany was well attended for Midnight Mass, despite the bitter cold and everyone in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the service.
After the mass was over everyone gathered at the rear of the church and shared the peace which was when he saw her.
Tommy tried to get to the door but Justine anticipated his move and intercepted him.
“Happy Christmas Tommy” she said and then hugged him.
“I miss you” she whispered
“Me too” he replied as he hugged her.
After the hug Justine turned to leave and Tommy said
“Happy Christmas Justine”
She smiled and went home, to her husband and he went home alone.
Christmas morning began with a frosty glaze decorating the rooftops and lightly dusting the evergreens and then as the bells rang out to celebrate the birth of the Lord the joyous faithful arrived under a clear blue sky and the winter sun glistened on the layer of frost coating the previous day’s snow.
It was a most glorious Christmas morning and Tommy’s spirits were high.
Much higher than they had been for over a week.
He met Justine outside St Mary’s which raised his spirits even higher and he kissed her on each cheek in the sunshine before they went inside to join the rest of the congregation.
It was an excellent service with the Vicar at his very best.
Afterwards it took some while for the Church to empty as everyone wanted to share their best wishes with the Vicar and he was clearly getting over come with all the attention.
After he left the church and said his goodbyes he smiled at Justine and watched her walk away and then he spent the rest of the day missing her.
In the days preceding Christmas, Tommy had been inundated with invitations to share Christmas dinner and as usual he was quite overwhelmed by people’s kindness.
In the end he accepted his next door neighbour’s, the Daly’s, invitation and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas lunch with Victoria and Owen, where he ate too much, drank too much and left just before he over stayed his welcome and returned home very late that evening.
And although he was full of spirits from the Daly’s drinks cabinet his spirits were quiet low as he was alone.
And all that night his dreams were full of Justine and she was saying
“We have to end it”
“But I love you” he said
“And I love you” Justine concurred “But I can’t cheat on him anymore”
(Part 05)
On Boxing Day he spent much of the day in the Cross Keys and when he eventually got himself home it was dark.
He went in and switched the lights on and he had been home for about half an hour before he fell asleep in his armchair and was woken about an hour later by a loud banging on the front door.
So he dragged himself up from his comfortable chair and dragged himself to the door and opened it.
“Hello Tommy” Justine said
“Hi” he said groggily, not really believing it was her.
“Can I come in?” she asked with a shiver
“Of course, sorry, come in” he said
She pulled off her gloves and stuffed them in her pocket before slipping her boots off and then handed him her hat, coat and scarf.
Justine sat down on the sofa as far from his chair as it was possible to get and perched herself on the edge of the seat nervously.
She wasn’t glammed up like usual, there were no designer clothes, no silk blouse, no tailored skirt or expensive patterned tights and overpriced shoes.
She had wellingtons on her feet when she stepped in the house and as she sat on his sofa she had Tigger socks on her feet and wore loose fitting trousers and a baggy sweater.
“Do you love me?” she said suddenly
“You know that I do” he replied
“Yes but do you really love me, or is it just an infatuation?” She asked
“Do you love me, warts and all, and not just in a sympathetically lit hotel room, or when I’m dressed up to the nines, would you love me looking like this?”
“I love you with all my heart” he replied
“But only enough to have an affair with me” she said coldly
“That was all that was on offer” he pointed out
“But you would be content to continue with that though wouldn’t you?” she asked
“Only if it was that or nothing” he said
“I thought so” she retorted
“No you don’t understand, I want us to be together” he said “All the time, not just when we can connive and scheme for a stolen hour together or a dirty weekend”
“What do you mean?” Justine asked
“I want you to leave Sammi and be with me”
“Do you really mean that?” she asked with tears welling up in her eyes “You’re not just saying it, to get me into bed?”
“No of course not” he said and knelt beside her and held her hands.
“What about the age difference?” she asked “I was fifteen years of age when you were born, you are a young man”
“You say that like its news to me” she replied “I know you’re 15 years older me and I don’t care”
Tommy put his arms around her and just held her for the next five minutes.
“You may not still think that when you hear what I have to tell you” she said as she straightened up and looked at his face.
“Nothing you could possibly say could change the way I feel” he said confidently
“Don’t be so sure” Justine retorted
“I mean what I say” Tommy reiterated and then he watched the woman he loved take a deep breath before she spoke.
“I have left him” she said and his face immediately betrayed his true feelings for her and she gasped when she saw the look of joy on his face.
“You really do love me, for me” she said
By New Year’s Day everyone in the village knew they were a couple and they were a cause célèbre for a while but once Sammi had moved away and her house was sold things settled down and by the following Christmas no one gave them a second thought, which suited them down to the ground.
The Christmas after that they celebrated as a married couple.
Tommy Weir’s cab arrived back at the Tipton Country Park Hotel in the North Downshire village of Tipton just as the snow began to fall again.
He paid the driver and then he and Danny walked into the plush panelled lobby of the hotel.
It had been a really nice evening out, a phenomenal meal and good company.
There were forty of them at the restaurant, colleagues from all over Europe some of them were strangers, some were close friends and some of them more so.
“Night cap?” Tommy asked
“No thanks’ mate I’m on the red eye in the morning” Danny replied.
Tommy looked at his watch and saw it was already morning.
“I’ll say goodnight then” he said and they shook hands and Danny headed for the desk.
Tom was definitely up for one, so he headed for the bar.
There were only a handful of people in there at that hour and as he caught the night porter’s eye he said “Southern Comfort please, a large one”
“Make that two” a voice said from behind him.
He recognised the voice immediately, those wonderful plummy tones were acutely familiar to him, perfect English, each vowel dripping with sexuality, so he said to the barman “Two”
Then he turned around and looked at the woman who had been the object of his lust for nine months and an unrequited love for three of those and very much requited for another three of them.
Justine Khan was his older woman, his cougar to use the modern parlance.
She was a few months on the wrong side of fifty but still beautiful in his eyes even though he was fifteen years younger.
Justine and Tommy had shared an office at Brocklington Broadcast International for over a year, and at first he loathed her, he thought she was vain, overbearing and manipulative and her opinion of him was much the same.
They even lived in the same village, Dulcet St Mary and attended the same church, St Mary of Bethany.
They sang in the same choir and sat on the same committees so there was no escape for him from the bloody woman.
But as the weeks changed into months his feelings for her changed with them.
Justine had an Egyptian father and an English mother which left her with a dark complexion and western features.
She was an exotic looking woman with jet black hair and large brown eyes.
Justine was a tall woman, slender and very well endowed with legs to die for.
He would surreptitiously watch her move around the office on her shapely legs, admiring the tightness of her skirt around her hips and buttocks as she bent.
And when she was sat at her desk his eyes would stray to her gaping blouse and the treasures contained within.
But it wasn’t until a grey overcast day in June, on an office beano to Epsom Downs that they showed each other in no uncertain terms how they felt, when as the Derby favourites thundered towards the finish line Justine and Tommy, away from prying eyes, kissed for the first time.
And as they kissed he unzipped her leather jacket and slipped his hands inside her shirt to caress her naked skin.
(Part 02)
Over the weeks that followed that first kiss on the racecourse, so did more sensual moments of intimacy, but they were really only tasters of what the two of them truly desired.
They had tried on several occasions to engineer an opportunity to take their burgeoning relationship to the next level.
One such opportunity was a three day trip to visit suppliers, which they got rubber stamped by management and booked appointments and hotels and they were feeling very pleased with themselves for their lustful scheming.
However an unseen hand dealt them a bitter blow when Justine went down with laryngitis.
Afterwards they tried to just arrange a simple dirty weekend away, Abbotsford, Abbeyvale, Applesford and even other places that didn’t begin with the letter A.
They even devised an intricate scenario for the benefit of Justine’s husband, Sammi, which he swallowed hook, line and sinker but then that failed at the eleventh hour when Tommy broke his wrist.
However even though it seemed like the fates were against them they decided they should have one last role of the dice.
So it was at the Brocklington Broadcast International Christmas Party weekend in Tipton that they planned to finally consummate their lust.
They had been out to a restaurant in Roespring called The Old School House and they had spent the evening sitting at the same table during the dinner, discreetly holding hands under the table, but as they left at the end of the evening they got separated and ended up in different cabs.
Tommy obviously thought that fate had interceded once again and their last chance had gone.
He supposed that it would be more devastating to him than to her because although he was single man, Justine was a married woman, which meant that for her there was some guilt involved, even if her husband Sammi was a complete waste of space.
But despite any perceived guilt Tommy was delighted to find Justine was waiting for him in the bar when he got back to the hotel.
He hadn’t taken into account that she would want it as bad as he did.
They sat in the corner of the bar and finished their drink.
“Another?” he asked
“I don’t think so” Justine said sharply and stood up, took his hand and dragged him to his feet.
“Let’s have the next one in my room” she said and led him by the hand through the plush reception area, with its brass fittings and oak wood paneling and green leather upholstery, up to the reception desk and collected their room keys.
With the key cards in hand Justine hurried him along the corridor and her wonderful plummy tones accompanied him all the way down the corridor until they finally arrived at their destination which was Justine’s room where they stood in the corridor and kissed.
At first it was the usual semi controlled kissing they had done so many times before but it quickly became hot and passionate as his hand sought out her breast, which was when she broke away and opened the door.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked
“God yes” Justine replied and pulled him into the room.
(Part 03)
Once inside the room he was eager to get started again and immediately tried to get inside her clothes.
Justine however put a stop to things and said
“Not so fast, I want everything to be just so”
“Sorry” he responded not quite sure what “just so” was.
But he needn’t have worried as it seemed that she wanted to amongst other things get the lighting right.
She was conscious of the age difference between them and didn’t want him to be disappointed with what she had to offer, because as a much younger man she thought he would have been more used to firmer flesh.
He wasn’t concerned with that what he felt for her had gone way beyond simple physical attraction so she really didn’t have to worry.
While she set the scene he was sent into the bathroom and while he was in there he thought it prudent to relieve himself while he had the opportunity.
However such a natural function normally simply rendered, is much more complicated when you are seriously aroused.
It necessitates adopting the posture of a ski jumper and even then it’s not always successful.
When he left the bathroom he found the room lighting very subdued and Justine wearing only a smile and a pair of white lace knickers showing in stark contrast against the gorgeous dark flesh.
“Are you disappointed?” She asked
“You’re even more gorgeous than I had hoped” he replied.
Justine had one arm draped across her breasts
“Good answer” she said as she walked towards him and lowered her arm at the last second and he got his first long lingering look at her large round breast that he had only previously dreamed of and then she was in his arms and began undressing him.
As they lay entwined in the afterglow, still breathing hard from their exertions.
Justine rested her head on his chest and sighed as he reflected that making love with her was everything he had hoped it would be and more and then they drifted off into a sweet post coital sleep.
After a short sleep he was awoken by Justine tenderly kissing his neck as her hand strove to awaken the rest of him and when all of him was fully awake they made love again.
The next day when the rest of their colleagues returned to their homes or in some cases their home countries Justine and Tommy put into effect their plan to stay on for another night and repeated the joyful pleasure of each other again and again.
Tommy would have gladly continued their unions well into the New Year but alas before the protracted Christmas break Justine dropped a bombshell on him when she took him to one side and to his great surprise ended the affair.
“But I love you” he said
“And I love you” Justine concurred
“Then why?” Tommy asked
“It has to end, not because I don’t love you” she said “But because despite everything I still love my husband, and I can’t cheat on him anymore”
(Part 04)
He didn’t take the news well and for the week between Justine dropping her bombshell and the office closing for Christmas he barely spoke a word to her and when the office closed for the Christmas break he left without saying goodbye, it was just too painful for him.
On Christmas Eve he spent the day laying on the sofa watching sentimental movies and eating comfort food.
However come the evening he snapped out of his torpor and walked through the snow to church.
As usual St Mary of Bethany was well attended for Midnight Mass, despite the bitter cold and everyone in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the service.
After the mass was over everyone gathered at the rear of the church and shared the peace which was when he saw her.
Tommy tried to get to the door but Justine anticipated his move and intercepted him.
“Happy Christmas Tommy” she said and then hugged him.
“I miss you” she whispered
“Me too” he replied as he hugged her.
After the hug Justine turned to leave and Tommy said
“Happy Christmas Justine”
She smiled and went home, to her husband and he went home alone.
Christmas morning began with a frosty glaze decorating the rooftops and lightly dusting the evergreens and then as the bells rang out to celebrate the birth of the Lord the joyous faithful arrived under a clear blue sky and the winter sun glistened on the layer of frost coating the previous day’s snow.
It was a most glorious Christmas morning and Tommy’s spirits were high.
Much higher than they had been for over a week.
He met Justine outside St Mary’s which raised his spirits even higher and he kissed her on each cheek in the sunshine before they went inside to join the rest of the congregation.
It was an excellent service with the Vicar at his very best.
Afterwards it took some while for the Church to empty as everyone wanted to share their best wishes with the Vicar and he was clearly getting over come with all the attention.
After he left the church and said his goodbyes he smiled at Justine and watched her walk away and then he spent the rest of the day missing her.
In the days preceding Christmas, Tommy had been inundated with invitations to share Christmas dinner and as usual he was quite overwhelmed by people’s kindness.
In the end he accepted his next door neighbour’s, the Daly’s, invitation and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas lunch with Victoria and Owen, where he ate too much, drank too much and left just before he over stayed his welcome and returned home very late that evening.
And although he was full of spirits from the Daly’s drinks cabinet his spirits were quiet low as he was alone.
And all that night his dreams were full of Justine and she was saying
“We have to end it”
“But I love you” he said
“And I love you” Justine concurred “But I can’t cheat on him anymore”
(Part 05)
On Boxing Day he spent much of the day in the Cross Keys and when he eventually got himself home it was dark.
He went in and switched the lights on and he had been home for about half an hour before he fell asleep in his armchair and was woken about an hour later by a loud banging on the front door.
So he dragged himself up from his comfortable chair and dragged himself to the door and opened it.
“Hello Tommy” Justine said
“Hi” he said groggily, not really believing it was her.
“Can I come in?” she asked with a shiver
“Of course, sorry, come in” he said
She pulled off her gloves and stuffed them in her pocket before slipping her boots off and then handed him her hat, coat and scarf.
Justine sat down on the sofa as far from his chair as it was possible to get and perched herself on the edge of the seat nervously.
She wasn’t glammed up like usual, there were no designer clothes, no silk blouse, no tailored skirt or expensive patterned tights and overpriced shoes.
She had wellingtons on her feet when she stepped in the house and as she sat on his sofa she had Tigger socks on her feet and wore loose fitting trousers and a baggy sweater.
“Do you love me?” she said suddenly
“You know that I do” he replied
“Yes but do you really love me, or is it just an infatuation?” She asked
“Do you love me, warts and all, and not just in a sympathetically lit hotel room, or when I’m dressed up to the nines, would you love me looking like this?”
“I love you with all my heart” he replied
“But only enough to have an affair with me” she said coldly
“That was all that was on offer” he pointed out
“But you would be content to continue with that though wouldn’t you?” she asked
“Only if it was that or nothing” he said
“I thought so” she retorted
“No you don’t understand, I want us to be together” he said “All the time, not just when we can connive and scheme for a stolen hour together or a dirty weekend”
“What do you mean?” Justine asked
“I want you to leave Sammi and be with me”
“Do you really mean that?” she asked with tears welling up in her eyes “You’re not just saying it, to get me into bed?”
“No of course not” he said and knelt beside her and held her hands.
“What about the age difference?” she asked “I was fifteen years of age when you were born, you are a young man”
“You say that like its news to me” she replied “I know you’re 15 years older me and I don’t care”
Tommy put his arms around her and just held her for the next five minutes.
“You may not still think that when you hear what I have to tell you” she said as she straightened up and looked at his face.
“Nothing you could possibly say could change the way I feel” he said confidently
“Don’t be so sure” Justine retorted
“I mean what I say” Tommy reiterated and then he watched the woman he loved take a deep breath before she spoke.
“I have left him” she said and his face immediately betrayed his true feelings for her and she gasped when she saw the look of joy on his face.
“You really do love me, for me” she said
By New Year’s Day everyone in the village knew they were a couple and they were a cause célèbre for a while but once Sammi had moved away and her house was sold things settled down and by the following Christmas no one gave them a second thought, which suited them down to the ground.
The Christmas after that they celebrated as a married couple.
Tuesday 7 February 2017
Mornington-By-Mere – (25) The Santa Express
(Part 01)
Mornington-By-Mere, is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
A quaint picturesque village, a chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
But it wasn’t just a quaint chocolate box English Village it was the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale.
And although the village was the hub it was the surrounding farms and hamlets that were its life blood.
One such Farm was Manor Farm on the Western side of the village.
The Hargrave family had farmed the land at Manor Farm since the days when Napoleon was still a Corporal and they were showing no signs of bucking that trend.
The head of the Hargrave’s was Bruce though he leant heavily on his wife Karen.
They were in their mid-fifties and were looking forward to many more years at the helm.
There were three children the eldest at 32 was Mandy who along with her husband Jason McCabe had produced the first grandchild.
The second child was Norman who was two years younger than his sister and two years younger still was Michael and neither of them showed any sign of producing a little Hargrave.
Michael was a serious farmer, and a good one at that, but there was more to him than just farming.
Michael was very active in the church, at St Winfred’s as well as farther afield.
This involved among other things, being a greeter at the church services, delivering Parish Magazines, helping at the Christmas Bazaar, you name it and he did it and that was only in the village.
His wider good works included the Soup Kitchens in Finchbottom or Purplemere, who were always desperate for volunteers.
The Christmas Charity Wagon in Sharpington, which was an old Mornington Brewery dray pulled by two white shire horses.
The whole thing was bedecked with tinsel and lights and carried on the back a multi denominational choir.
Michael was not however among those going from door to door, as the wagon drove around the town, collecting donations in plastic buckets and handing out sweets to the excited children, no he was in the choir because he had the voice of an angel.
He was also volunteered for the Roving Angels which had been in existence for about two years and was similar to the Street Angels, Street Pastors and other groups that had sprung up all across the UK in the previous 12 or 15 years.
They had made a really positive impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in Finchbottom and Purplemere town centres over the first two years, particularly in the general vicinity of the bars and clubs.
They provide a calming presence on the streets late at night in situations where a police uniform might have the opposite effect.
In the two years since they began Roving Angels had contributed to a 29% fall in public place violence on the weekends.
It all began when Christian Churches in the area came together with the Police and the Borough Council’s to establish the Angels.
But it took people of Faith to make it work as with so many things in life.
Michael had been with them since the beginning.
But one of his favourite good deeds was to help out on the Santa Express, which was something to behold, and he loved it because it reminded him of his childhood.
(Part 02)
The Boddingtons were pig farmers at Saddleback Farm near the hamlet of Fallowacres, which was as near as damn it the center point of the Vale, though only geographically.
But they also had a number of butcher’s shops in and around the Vale.
The Mornington Estate heavily subsidised the businesses in the village among them were a General Store, Farm Shop, Bakers and of course a Boddington’s Butchers Shop.
It was only a small shop located on the River Brooke side of The Street next to Addison’s Baker’s.
As a result of it being a small shop located in a small village it hadn’t had a full time butcher since before RAF Mornington was mothballed at the end of the 90s.
However when the Mornington Estate exercised its option to purchase Mornington Field back from the MOD it also acquired all the buildings and infrastructure on the airfield itself as well as 29 houses in the village formally used as quarters for military personnel.
Once plans were drawn up to optimize the newly acquired assets and more people moved to the village all the businesses benefitted.
So everyone in the family did a stint in Mornington but no one wanted to make it permanent.
Eleanor Boddington was approaching her twenty fifth birthday and she was fed up with not having proper roots.
The longest she had in one place was a two year stint at the shop in Childean, which ended in disaster when her ex-boyfriend wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Since then she had been like a nomad, she would love to settle in Mornington with a particular farmer she was keen on, providing she could get him to notice her.
Which shouldn’t have been as difficult as it was proving to be. she was a typical Boddington, good looking, thick black curly hair and wild gypsy eyes and she flirted with him for all her worth.
Over the last few years she had had a lot of dealings with Manor Farm because they were a heritage farm and as well as breeding more exotic animals like llamas and ostrich, the farm produced quality meat.
And it was during her dealings with Manor Farm that she first met Michael Hargrave.
She liked that he was a tall man with broad shoulders and hands like shovels.
Ellie also liked his short brown hair, neatly trimmed beard and thick rimmed glasses.
But the things she loved the most about him were his hazel eyes and his infectious laugh.
He seemed to enjoy their conversations which were lengthy and diverse and she learned a lot about him and his interests.
And she admired him very much for all his voluntary work and she suggested she might join him some time but nothing ever came of it.
Until December came around and he suggested she join him on the Santa Express.
He had resisted previously because he wasn’t sure she genuinely wanted to help he thought her interest might be purely superficial.
“So if you’re really interested” he said “I will pick you up outside the shop at 1 o’clock on Wednesday”
“I’ll be there” she promised
(Part 03)
The Santa Express was a renovated steam engine and coaches, which ran from Sharping St Mary station to a secret location where Santa was waiting in his grotto.
It picked up the local children and their parents late afternoon so that they arrived at the grotto in darkness in order to make the most of the spectacular lights.
It was one of the high points of his year, he well remembered his parents taking him when he was a young lad and he liked to see other the kids as excited as he used to be at their age.
On Wednesday afternoon Eleanor was standing outside Boddington’s at 1 o’clock as promised and they talked the whole way as they drove to Sharping St Mary and when they got there the kids were going crazy with excitement and the excitement was quite infectious.
But Michael’s job on the trip was to make sure none of the over excited little darlings fell off the train.
John Cooper and his sister Lyndsey, and Bizzie Lizzie Florist Michelle Norman among others from the village were also present and at one point Michele managed to trap him between the carriages armed with a bunch of mistletoe and only when she had satisfied herself in the pagan ritual did she let him go.
Eleanor witnessed the kiss and she was not at all happy about it but she did enjoy the day as a whole.
Now if the kids were excited on the way to the grotto then judging by the decibel level they were even more so on the way back to the station.
When they disembarked and the children and their parents made their way home Michele Norman kissed Michaels cheek and said goodbye and then Michael and Eleanor went back to his car.
On the journey back to Mornington Eleanor barely spoke because she was sulking about all the kissing.
Back in Mornington he drove into Military Row and dropped her off outside number 7.
“Well did you enjoy the day?” he asked
“Most of it” she replied, kissed his cheek and got out of the car.
He had never believed in love at first sight or in soul mates he thought them rather fanciful notions the stuff of romantic fiction and sentimental movies.
That was until he met Eleanor and he was instantly smitten, and he thought she may have felt the same.
Even his mother had noticed and after she had seen them together she said
“You two are like two halves of a different whole, and that each of them was the missing piece in the others puzzle”
It wasn’t many months before when his mum was nagging him about getting a wife he had said
“I’m not looking for a life partner” well he thought he may have found one whether he was looking or not.
But after the Santa Express experience he was beginning to think he and his mother had misread the situation and over the following week that feeling was reinforced as she appeared to be avoiding him.
(Part 04)
On Christmas Eve local Vet Hayley Gwilym was at Manor Farm to look at a sick Lama and she happened to mention that her retired mentor Robin Jeffrey had been bending her ear all morning.
And during her visit she asked Michael if he would pop up to Dulcets Mill because he couldn’t get the web cam to work and he needed it functioning for Christmas Day so he could skype his kids and grandchildren.
They both knew it probably meant that he had disabled it by accident but she had tried to explain over the phone and failed miserably, she would have gone up to see him, but she had an extraordinarily long list of calls so she pleaded with him to go in her stead.
So later that afternoon he had to go out in the cold and trudge across the village through the snow just to tick a box.
As he suspected Robin had accidentally disabled the web cam so he worked his magic and went back out into the cold night and by the time he got to the road it had started snowing again and by the time he reached the Close it was coming down hard and fast.
In fact it was coming down so rapidly that visibility was reduced to zero.
It was so disorienting that he couldn’t have even found his way back to Robin’s despite being no more than 15 minutes away from Dulcets Mill.
So he inched his way along the footpath tucking up close to hedges, picket fences and garden walls so he didn’t wander off course.
When he reached the end of a row of houses he had to take a leap of faith, as he couldn’t see the other side of the road.
As he trudged onward he realised he had gone off course because he hadn’t reached the other side.
He had no idea how far he had gone as he had no point of reference, so he decided the best course of action was to veer left to try and find the footpath again.
Unfortunately he had no idea how far left to go or for that matter how far left he had already gone.
Michael was just beginning to panic when he tripped on a kerbstone and crashed into another lost soul and they fell to the floor in an untidy heap.
(Part 05)
When he had scrambled to his feet he found he was outside Boddington’s
“I’m saved” he thought as he envisaged taking refuge in the shop until the snow abated, but first he had to help the other poor customer he had left prostrate on the snowy ground.
“I’m so sorry” he said as he grabbed a handful of coat and pulled the stricken body to its feet.
The individual muttered incoherently under their breath as they brushed themselves off and he got the impression his apology was not accepted.
And when they began to turn in his direction he was bracing himself for a volley of abuse but to his great surprise he found the previously stricken figure to be Eleanor Boddington and the muttering scowling indignant face instantly changed to a beaming smile when she recognized the face of her assailant.
“Michael” she said excitedly then cautiously gave a long look in the direction of the shop doorway then in a quieter voice she continued
“I didn’t know it was you”
“Are you ok?” he asked
“I am now” she replied and glanced again at the door
He looked her up and down and realised why he hadn’t recognized her before, she was dressed in heavy duty winter clothes.
Her lovely thick black curls were completely covered by a red woolly hat, her dainty feet were in wellies and her slender figure was concealed by a puffer jacket.
She was still looking anxiously towards the shop doorway and then impulsively she steered him around the side of the building and kissed him as the snow fell steadily on them, which he reciprocated.
After a minute of mutually beneficial passion he said
“Does this mean you’re talking to me again?”
“That depends” she said enigmatically
“On what?”
“On whether you go around kissing Michelle Norman every five minutes or not” she said
“I see, you are referring to the mistletoe kiss on the train”
“I didn’t see any mistletoe” Eleanor said
“So you thought it was just a snog?” he asked
“Yes” she replied and looked down at her feet.
Michael lifted her chin so he could see her eyes and then he kissed her.
It was less prolonged than the first however because a voice called from the shop doorway
“Ellie?”
So Michael released her reluctantly and she called.
“I’ll be there in a moment Dad”
“I have to go” she said and kissed him again
“Perhaps we can pick it up again later” he said
“We’re going to Fallowacres”
“How long for?” he asked
“Until the New Year” she replied
“In which case I’m going to need another kiss before you go” Michael said and then they kissed one last time
“Happy Christmas Ellie” he said
“Happy Christmas” she echoed and she paused by the door and added
“I’ll bring you a present”
“You’re the only present I want” he said and she ran straight back into his arms.
Michael watched as they drove away from the shop and then turned around and continued his journey home as the snow abated.
And he spent all that Christmas looking forward to the New Year.
Mornington-By-Mere, is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
A quaint picturesque village, a chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
But it wasn’t just a quaint chocolate box English Village it was the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale.
And although the village was the hub it was the surrounding farms and hamlets that were its life blood.
One such Farm was Manor Farm on the Western side of the village.
The Hargrave family had farmed the land at Manor Farm since the days when Napoleon was still a Corporal and they were showing no signs of bucking that trend.
The head of the Hargrave’s was Bruce though he leant heavily on his wife Karen.
They were in their mid-fifties and were looking forward to many more years at the helm.
There were three children the eldest at 32 was Mandy who along with her husband Jason McCabe had produced the first grandchild.
The second child was Norman who was two years younger than his sister and two years younger still was Michael and neither of them showed any sign of producing a little Hargrave.
Michael was a serious farmer, and a good one at that, but there was more to him than just farming.
Michael was very active in the church, at St Winfred’s as well as farther afield.
This involved among other things, being a greeter at the church services, delivering Parish Magazines, helping at the Christmas Bazaar, you name it and he did it and that was only in the village.
His wider good works included the Soup Kitchens in Finchbottom or Purplemere, who were always desperate for volunteers.
The Christmas Charity Wagon in Sharpington, which was an old Mornington Brewery dray pulled by two white shire horses.
The whole thing was bedecked with tinsel and lights and carried on the back a multi denominational choir.
Michael was not however among those going from door to door, as the wagon drove around the town, collecting donations in plastic buckets and handing out sweets to the excited children, no he was in the choir because he had the voice of an angel.
He was also volunteered for the Roving Angels which had been in existence for about two years and was similar to the Street Angels, Street Pastors and other groups that had sprung up all across the UK in the previous 12 or 15 years.
They had made a really positive impact on crime and antisocial behaviour in Finchbottom and Purplemere town centres over the first two years, particularly in the general vicinity of the bars and clubs.
They provide a calming presence on the streets late at night in situations where a police uniform might have the opposite effect.
In the two years since they began Roving Angels had contributed to a 29% fall in public place violence on the weekends.
It all began when Christian Churches in the area came together with the Police and the Borough Council’s to establish the Angels.
But it took people of Faith to make it work as with so many things in life.
Michael had been with them since the beginning.
But one of his favourite good deeds was to help out on the Santa Express, which was something to behold, and he loved it because it reminded him of his childhood.
(Part 02)
The Boddingtons were pig farmers at Saddleback Farm near the hamlet of Fallowacres, which was as near as damn it the center point of the Vale, though only geographically.
But they also had a number of butcher’s shops in and around the Vale.
The Mornington Estate heavily subsidised the businesses in the village among them were a General Store, Farm Shop, Bakers and of course a Boddington’s Butchers Shop.
It was only a small shop located on the River Brooke side of The Street next to Addison’s Baker’s.
As a result of it being a small shop located in a small village it hadn’t had a full time butcher since before RAF Mornington was mothballed at the end of the 90s.
However when the Mornington Estate exercised its option to purchase Mornington Field back from the MOD it also acquired all the buildings and infrastructure on the airfield itself as well as 29 houses in the village formally used as quarters for military personnel.
Once plans were drawn up to optimize the newly acquired assets and more people moved to the village all the businesses benefitted.
So everyone in the family did a stint in Mornington but no one wanted to make it permanent.
Eleanor Boddington was approaching her twenty fifth birthday and she was fed up with not having proper roots.
The longest she had in one place was a two year stint at the shop in Childean, which ended in disaster when her ex-boyfriend wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Since then she had been like a nomad, she would love to settle in Mornington with a particular farmer she was keen on, providing she could get him to notice her.
Which shouldn’t have been as difficult as it was proving to be. she was a typical Boddington, good looking, thick black curly hair and wild gypsy eyes and she flirted with him for all her worth.
Over the last few years she had had a lot of dealings with Manor Farm because they were a heritage farm and as well as breeding more exotic animals like llamas and ostrich, the farm produced quality meat.
And it was during her dealings with Manor Farm that she first met Michael Hargrave.
She liked that he was a tall man with broad shoulders and hands like shovels.
Ellie also liked his short brown hair, neatly trimmed beard and thick rimmed glasses.
But the things she loved the most about him were his hazel eyes and his infectious laugh.
He seemed to enjoy their conversations which were lengthy and diverse and she learned a lot about him and his interests.
And she admired him very much for all his voluntary work and she suggested she might join him some time but nothing ever came of it.
Until December came around and he suggested she join him on the Santa Express.
He had resisted previously because he wasn’t sure she genuinely wanted to help he thought her interest might be purely superficial.
“So if you’re really interested” he said “I will pick you up outside the shop at 1 o’clock on Wednesday”
“I’ll be there” she promised
(Part 03)
The Santa Express was a renovated steam engine and coaches, which ran from Sharping St Mary station to a secret location where Santa was waiting in his grotto.
It picked up the local children and their parents late afternoon so that they arrived at the grotto in darkness in order to make the most of the spectacular lights.
It was one of the high points of his year, he well remembered his parents taking him when he was a young lad and he liked to see other the kids as excited as he used to be at their age.
On Wednesday afternoon Eleanor was standing outside Boddington’s at 1 o’clock as promised and they talked the whole way as they drove to Sharping St Mary and when they got there the kids were going crazy with excitement and the excitement was quite infectious.
But Michael’s job on the trip was to make sure none of the over excited little darlings fell off the train.
John Cooper and his sister Lyndsey, and Bizzie Lizzie Florist Michelle Norman among others from the village were also present and at one point Michele managed to trap him between the carriages armed with a bunch of mistletoe and only when she had satisfied herself in the pagan ritual did she let him go.
Eleanor witnessed the kiss and she was not at all happy about it but she did enjoy the day as a whole.
Now if the kids were excited on the way to the grotto then judging by the decibel level they were even more so on the way back to the station.
When they disembarked and the children and their parents made their way home Michele Norman kissed Michaels cheek and said goodbye and then Michael and Eleanor went back to his car.
On the journey back to Mornington Eleanor barely spoke because she was sulking about all the kissing.
Back in Mornington he drove into Military Row and dropped her off outside number 7.
“Well did you enjoy the day?” he asked
“Most of it” she replied, kissed his cheek and got out of the car.
He had never believed in love at first sight or in soul mates he thought them rather fanciful notions the stuff of romantic fiction and sentimental movies.
That was until he met Eleanor and he was instantly smitten, and he thought she may have felt the same.
Even his mother had noticed and after she had seen them together she said
“You two are like two halves of a different whole, and that each of them was the missing piece in the others puzzle”
It wasn’t many months before when his mum was nagging him about getting a wife he had said
“I’m not looking for a life partner” well he thought he may have found one whether he was looking or not.
But after the Santa Express experience he was beginning to think he and his mother had misread the situation and over the following week that feeling was reinforced as she appeared to be avoiding him.
(Part 04)
On Christmas Eve local Vet Hayley Gwilym was at Manor Farm to look at a sick Lama and she happened to mention that her retired mentor Robin Jeffrey had been bending her ear all morning.
And during her visit she asked Michael if he would pop up to Dulcets Mill because he couldn’t get the web cam to work and he needed it functioning for Christmas Day so he could skype his kids and grandchildren.
They both knew it probably meant that he had disabled it by accident but she had tried to explain over the phone and failed miserably, she would have gone up to see him, but she had an extraordinarily long list of calls so she pleaded with him to go in her stead.
So later that afternoon he had to go out in the cold and trudge across the village through the snow just to tick a box.
As he suspected Robin had accidentally disabled the web cam so he worked his magic and went back out into the cold night and by the time he got to the road it had started snowing again and by the time he reached the Close it was coming down hard and fast.
In fact it was coming down so rapidly that visibility was reduced to zero.
It was so disorienting that he couldn’t have even found his way back to Robin’s despite being no more than 15 minutes away from Dulcets Mill.
So he inched his way along the footpath tucking up close to hedges, picket fences and garden walls so he didn’t wander off course.
When he reached the end of a row of houses he had to take a leap of faith, as he couldn’t see the other side of the road.
As he trudged onward he realised he had gone off course because he hadn’t reached the other side.
He had no idea how far he had gone as he had no point of reference, so he decided the best course of action was to veer left to try and find the footpath again.
Unfortunately he had no idea how far left to go or for that matter how far left he had already gone.
Michael was just beginning to panic when he tripped on a kerbstone and crashed into another lost soul and they fell to the floor in an untidy heap.
(Part 05)
When he had scrambled to his feet he found he was outside Boddington’s
“I’m saved” he thought as he envisaged taking refuge in the shop until the snow abated, but first he had to help the other poor customer he had left prostrate on the snowy ground.
“I’m so sorry” he said as he grabbed a handful of coat and pulled the stricken body to its feet.
The individual muttered incoherently under their breath as they brushed themselves off and he got the impression his apology was not accepted.
And when they began to turn in his direction he was bracing himself for a volley of abuse but to his great surprise he found the previously stricken figure to be Eleanor Boddington and the muttering scowling indignant face instantly changed to a beaming smile when she recognized the face of her assailant.
“Michael” she said excitedly then cautiously gave a long look in the direction of the shop doorway then in a quieter voice she continued
“I didn’t know it was you”
“Are you ok?” he asked
“I am now” she replied and glanced again at the door
He looked her up and down and realised why he hadn’t recognized her before, she was dressed in heavy duty winter clothes.
Her lovely thick black curls were completely covered by a red woolly hat, her dainty feet were in wellies and her slender figure was concealed by a puffer jacket.
She was still looking anxiously towards the shop doorway and then impulsively she steered him around the side of the building and kissed him as the snow fell steadily on them, which he reciprocated.
After a minute of mutually beneficial passion he said
“Does this mean you’re talking to me again?”
“That depends” she said enigmatically
“On what?”
“On whether you go around kissing Michelle Norman every five minutes or not” she said
“I see, you are referring to the mistletoe kiss on the train”
“I didn’t see any mistletoe” Eleanor said
“So you thought it was just a snog?” he asked
“Yes” she replied and looked down at her feet.
Michael lifted her chin so he could see her eyes and then he kissed her.
It was less prolonged than the first however because a voice called from the shop doorway
“Ellie?”
So Michael released her reluctantly and she called.
“I’ll be there in a moment Dad”
“I have to go” she said and kissed him again
“Perhaps we can pick it up again later” he said
“We’re going to Fallowacres”
“How long for?” he asked
“Until the New Year” she replied
“In which case I’m going to need another kiss before you go” Michael said and then they kissed one last time
“Happy Christmas Ellie” he said
“Happy Christmas” she echoed and she paused by the door and added
“I’ll bring you a present”
“You’re the only present I want” he said and she ran straight back into his arms.
Michael watched as they drove away from the shop and then turned around and continued his journey home as the snow abated.
And he spent all that Christmas looking forward to the New Year.
Sunday 5 February 2017
Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (24) A Curious St Stephens Day
(Part 01)
Edward Carlisle and his brother George shared a flat in Jubilee Court, in Sharpington, they were twins, though not identical.
George was tall and blonde while Edward was shorter and darker.
In fact the only things they had in common were blue eyes and a surname.
In every other way they differed and the best way to sum them up would be to say that Edward had a heart and a brain whereas George possessed neither.
On Boxing Day they were invited to their Parents house in Brocklington for the day so they set off from the flat just after breakfast and stopped briefly by the pier to pick up George’s girlfriend Emily Clive, and as they pulled up to the curb side Edward had mixed feelings about taking her with them.
Emily wore her unruly red hair tied in a kind of loose arrangement on top of her head which gave the impression that she was taller than she actually was which she liked because she was only 4 foot 11.
Her mode of dress could best be described as interesting and there was nothing that could be in any way considered to be subdued in her apparel.
Emily generally went for the Tomboy look which she managed to pull off very well.
On St Stephens Day she wore a white sweater beneath a garishly bright multi-coloured striped coat, Yellow skinny trousers and Red converse shoes and she was dripping with jewellery, she loved jewellery, and Edward loved her.
Which was the reason for his mixed feelings.
Emily had lovely laughing green eyes which narrowed when she smiled, which was often, and her smile illuminated her face and that morning was no exception.
There was a house full at the Carlisle’s and they had a great day at their mums but due to a mix up between him and George as to who the designated driver was, they both got pissed and had to stay the night.
This caused a bit of a reshuffle on the accommodation front due to their mother’s insistence that George and Emily sleep in separate rooms.
Not just because there mother was a good Christian woman but for the simple reason that she didn’t think George could be relied upon not to disgrace himself and ravish Emily under her roof.
Then she proceeded to question Edwards’s manhood by saying that she would trust him to behave if she was his girlfriend.
Little did she know that he would have ravished Emily at the drop of a hat if she’d let him.
The result of the reshuffle meant that Emily shared the spare room with Cousin Lily while Edward was forced to endure his brother’s constant snoring and farting as they each slept on a sofa in the lounge.
Edward found it difficult to drop off, partly because of George and his horrendous snoring but also because his head was full of images of George’s girlfriend.
After tossing and turning for about an hour his attempts to drop off were further frustrated by an acute need to pee so he got up and tiptoed his way upstairs to the loo and relieved himself.
(Part 02)
Edward was yawning as he left the bathroom and stepped back onto the landing not really paying attention to what he was doing and he subsequently bumped into Emily coming the other way, who pushed him back into the bathroom and planted a wet sensual kiss on his lips.
“We shouldn’t be doing this” he said coming up for air
“Why? You were enjoying it” Emily said and kissed him anew
“That’s not the point” he protested
“So you admit you were enjoying it” she said “so let’s do it again”
“We mustn’t” he insisted and opened some distance between them
“But it’s really nice” Emily said wistfully
“I know but we can’t be doing it anymore” he said indignantly
“I know you like me” she continued as she sat on the side of the bath
“I’ve seen you looking at me when you think no one’s looking”
“Ah” he exclaimed and sat on the loo.
Emily had been going out with George for about three months and Edward fell in love with her the instant he brought her home.
But the thought never crossed his mind to do anything about it, he had a strong moral compass and you didn’t do things like that, it wasn’t cricket, even if his brother didn’t deserve her.
So he just worshipped her from afar.
“I’m sorry” he said
“Why are you sorry?” she asked
“For being too weak” he replied “I had no right to fall for you”
“I don’t think you’re weak” Emily said “Far from it, a weak person wouldn’t have stopped me kissing them”
“Maybe” he conceded
“Your brother wouldn’t have stopped” Emily added
“I’m not my brother” he pointed out
“I realize that only too well” she said and stood up
“I’d better go, but this is for Christmas” she said and kissed him gently
“Merry Christmas”
He went back downstairs and tried to sleep but he found it even more difficult after his encounter with Emily than he did before.
“This is a real Christmas surprise” he thought as he lay wide awake with only his brothers snoring for company.
When George rolled over onto his side he let out a ripping fart which was followed a minute or so later by a cloud of noxious gas which drifted over him and was so foul he decided to leave the room and take sanctuary in the kitchen.
He walked out into the hall and turned towards the kitchen and just as he reached the kitchen door a voice from behind said
“Hello again”
He turned around to see Emily sitting on the stairs.
“Hi Emily” he said “Are you stalking me?”
“Would you mind?” she asked
“No comment, do you want a drink?” he said and went into the kitchen and Emily followed on behind.
He made the drinks and sat down at the table opposite her.
“So you can’t sleep either then” he said
“I’m afraid not”
“Something on your mind” he asked
“Something” she agreed but didn’t elaborate so he didn’t pursue it any further.
But after five minutes she asked
“Would you ask me out if I wasn’t spoken for?”
“If you weren’t going out with George I would ask you in a heartbeat”
He replied
(Part 03)
“Would you ask me out if I wasn’t spoken for?” Emily asked
“If you weren’t going out with George I would ask you in a heartbeat”
He replied
“Why?” Emily added
“Why would I ask you out?” he said
“Where do I start? your hair, your eyes, your smile, your laugh but most of all your heart”
Emily gave him a dazzling smile when he had finished his catalogue and said
“I’ve broken up with him”
“What?” he asked
“We broke up” she replied
“When?”
“Last week”
“But why?”
“Well partly because he was shagging my friend Rosie” she replied “or my ex best friend Rosie I should say”
“Was he?” he asked in disbelief
“You didn’t know then?”
“No I didn’t, honestly” he said “he wouldn’t tell me something like that because he knows I’d disapprove”
“No, that’s because you are a better human being” she said proudly
“I don’t know about that” Edward said “What was the rest of the reason?”
“What?”
“You said George and Rosie was only part of the reason”
“Oh yes I see” she said “well mostly I broke up with him because he wasn’t you”
Edward couldn’t believe his ears, did those words really come out of her mouth, it wasn’t possible that she was really attracted to him.
“So if you broke up with him last week why did you still come today?” he asked
“Because you’re here” she replied and walked around the table and sat on his lap and kissed him.
It was a long and lingering kiss and when it was over he enjoyed it so much he was feeling guilty.
“Does George know?”
“Yes” she said eager to resume
“So why didn’t he say something?” he asked “He’s crap at keeping secrets”
“Because I told him I’d cut his balls off if he did, especially if it spoiled my chances” she replied and kissed him again before he could speak anymore.
The prolonged kiss showed no sign of abating until a voice said
“What’s going on in here then?”
It was Cousin Lily who Emily was sharing the spare room with.
“She’s just wishing me a Happy Christmas?” Edward said
“Result” Lily remarked
She poured herself a glass of water and said
“I’ll leave you two alone”
“Good because I want to wish him a Happy New Year now” Emily replied
“I think that’s guaranteed” Edward said
They left his mums shortly after breakfast and had a clear run back to Sharpington.
Edward was driving and Emily rode shotgun while a rather fragile Feeling George lay snoring and farting on the back seat.
It was a very quiet and uneventful journey home with both of them lost in their own thoughts.
When they got back to Sharpington they had a quiet dozy day of television and slobbery at Emily’s parent’s bungalow on the sea front.
They were invited back to Brocklington for a New Year’s Eve party at his mum’s house but they decided on a different way to see the New Year in and retired early and made gentle tender love from one year to the next.
Edward Carlisle and his brother George shared a flat in Jubilee Court, in Sharpington, they were twins, though not identical.
George was tall and blonde while Edward was shorter and darker.
In fact the only things they had in common were blue eyes and a surname.
In every other way they differed and the best way to sum them up would be to say that Edward had a heart and a brain whereas George possessed neither.
On Boxing Day they were invited to their Parents house in Brocklington for the day so they set off from the flat just after breakfast and stopped briefly by the pier to pick up George’s girlfriend Emily Clive, and as they pulled up to the curb side Edward had mixed feelings about taking her with them.
Emily wore her unruly red hair tied in a kind of loose arrangement on top of her head which gave the impression that she was taller than she actually was which she liked because she was only 4 foot 11.
Her mode of dress could best be described as interesting and there was nothing that could be in any way considered to be subdued in her apparel.
Emily generally went for the Tomboy look which she managed to pull off very well.
On St Stephens Day she wore a white sweater beneath a garishly bright multi-coloured striped coat, Yellow skinny trousers and Red converse shoes and she was dripping with jewellery, she loved jewellery, and Edward loved her.
Which was the reason for his mixed feelings.
Emily had lovely laughing green eyes which narrowed when she smiled, which was often, and her smile illuminated her face and that morning was no exception.
There was a house full at the Carlisle’s and they had a great day at their mums but due to a mix up between him and George as to who the designated driver was, they both got pissed and had to stay the night.
This caused a bit of a reshuffle on the accommodation front due to their mother’s insistence that George and Emily sleep in separate rooms.
Not just because there mother was a good Christian woman but for the simple reason that she didn’t think George could be relied upon not to disgrace himself and ravish Emily under her roof.
Then she proceeded to question Edwards’s manhood by saying that she would trust him to behave if she was his girlfriend.
Little did she know that he would have ravished Emily at the drop of a hat if she’d let him.
The result of the reshuffle meant that Emily shared the spare room with Cousin Lily while Edward was forced to endure his brother’s constant snoring and farting as they each slept on a sofa in the lounge.
Edward found it difficult to drop off, partly because of George and his horrendous snoring but also because his head was full of images of George’s girlfriend.
After tossing and turning for about an hour his attempts to drop off were further frustrated by an acute need to pee so he got up and tiptoed his way upstairs to the loo and relieved himself.
(Part 02)
Edward was yawning as he left the bathroom and stepped back onto the landing not really paying attention to what he was doing and he subsequently bumped into Emily coming the other way, who pushed him back into the bathroom and planted a wet sensual kiss on his lips.
“We shouldn’t be doing this” he said coming up for air
“Why? You were enjoying it” Emily said and kissed him anew
“That’s not the point” he protested
“So you admit you were enjoying it” she said “so let’s do it again”
“We mustn’t” he insisted and opened some distance between them
“But it’s really nice” Emily said wistfully
“I know but we can’t be doing it anymore” he said indignantly
“I know you like me” she continued as she sat on the side of the bath
“I’ve seen you looking at me when you think no one’s looking”
“Ah” he exclaimed and sat on the loo.
Emily had been going out with George for about three months and Edward fell in love with her the instant he brought her home.
But the thought never crossed his mind to do anything about it, he had a strong moral compass and you didn’t do things like that, it wasn’t cricket, even if his brother didn’t deserve her.
So he just worshipped her from afar.
“I’m sorry” he said
“Why are you sorry?” she asked
“For being too weak” he replied “I had no right to fall for you”
“I don’t think you’re weak” Emily said “Far from it, a weak person wouldn’t have stopped me kissing them”
“Maybe” he conceded
“Your brother wouldn’t have stopped” Emily added
“I’m not my brother” he pointed out
“I realize that only too well” she said and stood up
“I’d better go, but this is for Christmas” she said and kissed him gently
“Merry Christmas”
He went back downstairs and tried to sleep but he found it even more difficult after his encounter with Emily than he did before.
“This is a real Christmas surprise” he thought as he lay wide awake with only his brothers snoring for company.
When George rolled over onto his side he let out a ripping fart which was followed a minute or so later by a cloud of noxious gas which drifted over him and was so foul he decided to leave the room and take sanctuary in the kitchen.
He walked out into the hall and turned towards the kitchen and just as he reached the kitchen door a voice from behind said
“Hello again”
He turned around to see Emily sitting on the stairs.
“Hi Emily” he said “Are you stalking me?”
“Would you mind?” she asked
“No comment, do you want a drink?” he said and went into the kitchen and Emily followed on behind.
He made the drinks and sat down at the table opposite her.
“So you can’t sleep either then” he said
“I’m afraid not”
“Something on your mind” he asked
“Something” she agreed but didn’t elaborate so he didn’t pursue it any further.
But after five minutes she asked
“Would you ask me out if I wasn’t spoken for?”
“If you weren’t going out with George I would ask you in a heartbeat”
He replied
(Part 03)
“Would you ask me out if I wasn’t spoken for?” Emily asked
“If you weren’t going out with George I would ask you in a heartbeat”
He replied
“Why?” Emily added
“Why would I ask you out?” he said
“Where do I start? your hair, your eyes, your smile, your laugh but most of all your heart”
Emily gave him a dazzling smile when he had finished his catalogue and said
“I’ve broken up with him”
“What?” he asked
“We broke up” she replied
“When?”
“Last week”
“But why?”
“Well partly because he was shagging my friend Rosie” she replied “or my ex best friend Rosie I should say”
“Was he?” he asked in disbelief
“You didn’t know then?”
“No I didn’t, honestly” he said “he wouldn’t tell me something like that because he knows I’d disapprove”
“No, that’s because you are a better human being” she said proudly
“I don’t know about that” Edward said “What was the rest of the reason?”
“What?”
“You said George and Rosie was only part of the reason”
“Oh yes I see” she said “well mostly I broke up with him because he wasn’t you”
Edward couldn’t believe his ears, did those words really come out of her mouth, it wasn’t possible that she was really attracted to him.
“So if you broke up with him last week why did you still come today?” he asked
“Because you’re here” she replied and walked around the table and sat on his lap and kissed him.
It was a long and lingering kiss and when it was over he enjoyed it so much he was feeling guilty.
“Does George know?”
“Yes” she said eager to resume
“So why didn’t he say something?” he asked “He’s crap at keeping secrets”
“Because I told him I’d cut his balls off if he did, especially if it spoiled my chances” she replied and kissed him again before he could speak anymore.
The prolonged kiss showed no sign of abating until a voice said
“What’s going on in here then?”
It was Cousin Lily who Emily was sharing the spare room with.
“She’s just wishing me a Happy Christmas?” Edward said
“Result” Lily remarked
She poured herself a glass of water and said
“I’ll leave you two alone”
“Good because I want to wish him a Happy New Year now” Emily replied
“I think that’s guaranteed” Edward said
They left his mums shortly after breakfast and had a clear run back to Sharpington.
Edward was driving and Emily rode shotgun while a rather fragile Feeling George lay snoring and farting on the back seat.
It was a very quiet and uneventful journey home with both of them lost in their own thoughts.
When they got back to Sharpington they had a quiet dozy day of television and slobbery at Emily’s parent’s bungalow on the sea front.
They were invited back to Brocklington for a New Year’s Eve party at his mum’s house but they decided on a different way to see the New Year in and retired early and made gentle tender love from one year to the next.
Friday 3 February 2017
Downshire Diary – (29) The Girl in the Maternity Dress
(Part 01)
It was Christmas Eve and it was understandably busy as Steve Berry stood behind the bar drying glasses and he watched his wife Holly as she walked around the lounge bar talking to the customers as was her usual habit.
He liked it as she walked from table to table, he liked the way the flared skirt moved across her lovely legs and found it quite sensual, she had a less graceful gait than she used to, but Steve still felt a great sense of pride that he was her husband and plus the additional pride that Holly was pregnant, very pregnant in fact.
It had been two years since they had met and she had changed the course of his life entirely.
It was Christmas again and Steve Berry had always had a dislike for it, despite all the jollity.
Unlike many of his Christmas mad friends he’d had no happy Christmas memories to anesthetise him against the season.
His childhood Christmases were memories he would rather have forgotten.
So he never trusted Christmas, he believed that shit lurked beneath the coloured lights and paper chains.
That was until Holly Davis opened his eyes to new possibilities and he realised that Christmas could also magnify joy and through her love Steve had been cured of his Christmas phobia.
After an excess of alcohol and some sneakiness from Holly he found himself working behind the bar in her Uncle Phil’s pub, the Pig and Whistle in Abbeyvale.
He was still, even to that day, uncertain quite how she managed to affect that, but affect it she did and during the ten days he spent working for her, she had turned his life upside down and it culminated at closing time on Christmas Eve as the church bells at St Mary’s chimed midnight, with him wishing her a Merry Christmas and kissing her.
Judging by the way Holly responded Steve hoped that the kiss on Christmas Eve might have been the start of something between them but alas for him it didn’t lead anywhere, immediately at any rate.
Holly had indeed responded to his advance and in fact had been hoping for it, but she knew it was far too soon to throw caution to the wind.
The effects of the kiss proved to be a slow burner which didn’t burst into flames until the early hours of New Year’s Day.
The two years since they first made love, had been very eventful, they became partners in January, engaged at Easter and Married in September.
However it wasn’t only Steve and Holly’s fortunes that had changed over the preceding two years since they had met but so had those of the Pig and Whistle.
It had gone from a rundown dive with one large open bar to a thriving pub with a sports bar, a games room and a smart lounge plus it had a growing reputation as a gastro pub.
The restaurant had always been busy right from the outset but when Steve and Stephanos were in the kitchen, they provided good pub grub and no more, because they didn’t have the repertoire to take it to the next level.
However since Steve and Holly had returned from their Sharpington honeymoon the previous year with Chef Simon Clarke the restaurant had really taken off.
(Part 02)
Simon Clarke had been working at the Granite Hill Country House Hotel where the Berry’s were staying for their honeymoon as a sous chef for an arrogant sadistic bully.
Now he was a Chef in his own right and Steve and Stephanos had grown as cooks under him.
So the reputation of the Pig and Whistles restaurant contributed greatly to the busyness on Christmas Eve.
So on Christmas Eve and Holly, despite being told to rest by Steve and everybody else, was doing her usual walkabout as hostess and as Steve looked at her he sighed because he was so in love with the lovely girl in the maternity dress.
Just like Christmas Eve two years before it was snowing, not as hard, but enough not to want to make any unnecessary journeys.
She had had a twinge or two which she just laughed it off, she said the baby had been really active all day.
“She’s dancing to the Christmas songs” she said to Steve “she really likes the Puppini Sisters”
But by 9 o’clock in the evening it was obvious the twinges were more than the baby Christmas Dancing and she was having actually having contractions.
Luckily Dr Claire Andrews was dining in the restaurant with friends
“Get Doc Andrews” Steve said to Petra
“Ok” she replied and ran off while Steve and one of the regulars helped Holly into the private room at the back of the bar.
“Where is she?” The doctor asked
“In here” Steve called
Dr Andrews threw her car keys to Petra
“Can you get my bag from the car please?”
“Yes doc” she replied
“Ooooooh” Holly exclaimed through gritted teeth “that was a big one”
After Dr Andrews examined her she said
“She’s definitely in labour”
“I’ll call an ambulance” Steve suggested
“No she’s too far along” Claire said “the baby is going to be born here, and quite soon”
“I’d be happier if we got her to hospital” Steve said
“So would I” Dr Andrews replied
“But she’ll never make it to the hospital”
“She’s really too close?” Steve asked
“Yes” Claire replied “so under the circumstance, here is going to have to do”
“Upstairs it is then” Steve said “but the first sign of an angel and three wise men and we’re calling an ambulance”
“Christmas is never dull with Holly” he thought to himself as one by one the remainder of happy customers disappeared into the snowy night amidst a peel of Happy Christmas wishes.
“I have to give her that”
Steve looked out the door as he said goodnight to the last customer and it was still snowing but still not hard.
He locked the doors and went back inside to where the live in staff were sitting, no one wanted to go to bed until the baby had been born.
So they sat around a table in the bar until half past one when Noelle Claire Berry was born.
“How typical of Holly Berry to have the baby on Christmas Day” Steve said with tears in his eyes.
It was Christmas Eve and it was understandably busy as Steve Berry stood behind the bar drying glasses and he watched his wife Holly as she walked around the lounge bar talking to the customers as was her usual habit.
He liked it as she walked from table to table, he liked the way the flared skirt moved across her lovely legs and found it quite sensual, she had a less graceful gait than she used to, but Steve still felt a great sense of pride that he was her husband and plus the additional pride that Holly was pregnant, very pregnant in fact.
It had been two years since they had met and she had changed the course of his life entirely.
It was Christmas again and Steve Berry had always had a dislike for it, despite all the jollity.
Unlike many of his Christmas mad friends he’d had no happy Christmas memories to anesthetise him against the season.
His childhood Christmases were memories he would rather have forgotten.
So he never trusted Christmas, he believed that shit lurked beneath the coloured lights and paper chains.
That was until Holly Davis opened his eyes to new possibilities and he realised that Christmas could also magnify joy and through her love Steve had been cured of his Christmas phobia.
After an excess of alcohol and some sneakiness from Holly he found himself working behind the bar in her Uncle Phil’s pub, the Pig and Whistle in Abbeyvale.
He was still, even to that day, uncertain quite how she managed to affect that, but affect it she did and during the ten days he spent working for her, she had turned his life upside down and it culminated at closing time on Christmas Eve as the church bells at St Mary’s chimed midnight, with him wishing her a Merry Christmas and kissing her.
Judging by the way Holly responded Steve hoped that the kiss on Christmas Eve might have been the start of something between them but alas for him it didn’t lead anywhere, immediately at any rate.
Holly had indeed responded to his advance and in fact had been hoping for it, but she knew it was far too soon to throw caution to the wind.
The effects of the kiss proved to be a slow burner which didn’t burst into flames until the early hours of New Year’s Day.
The two years since they first made love, had been very eventful, they became partners in January, engaged at Easter and Married in September.
However it wasn’t only Steve and Holly’s fortunes that had changed over the preceding two years since they had met but so had those of the Pig and Whistle.
It had gone from a rundown dive with one large open bar to a thriving pub with a sports bar, a games room and a smart lounge plus it had a growing reputation as a gastro pub.
The restaurant had always been busy right from the outset but when Steve and Stephanos were in the kitchen, they provided good pub grub and no more, because they didn’t have the repertoire to take it to the next level.
However since Steve and Holly had returned from their Sharpington honeymoon the previous year with Chef Simon Clarke the restaurant had really taken off.
(Part 02)
Simon Clarke had been working at the Granite Hill Country House Hotel where the Berry’s were staying for their honeymoon as a sous chef for an arrogant sadistic bully.
Now he was a Chef in his own right and Steve and Stephanos had grown as cooks under him.
So the reputation of the Pig and Whistles restaurant contributed greatly to the busyness on Christmas Eve.
So on Christmas Eve and Holly, despite being told to rest by Steve and everybody else, was doing her usual walkabout as hostess and as Steve looked at her he sighed because he was so in love with the lovely girl in the maternity dress.
Just like Christmas Eve two years before it was snowing, not as hard, but enough not to want to make any unnecessary journeys.
She had had a twinge or two which she just laughed it off, she said the baby had been really active all day.
“She’s dancing to the Christmas songs” she said to Steve “she really likes the Puppini Sisters”
But by 9 o’clock in the evening it was obvious the twinges were more than the baby Christmas Dancing and she was having actually having contractions.
Luckily Dr Claire Andrews was dining in the restaurant with friends
“Get Doc Andrews” Steve said to Petra
“Ok” she replied and ran off while Steve and one of the regulars helped Holly into the private room at the back of the bar.
“Where is she?” The doctor asked
“In here” Steve called
Dr Andrews threw her car keys to Petra
“Can you get my bag from the car please?”
“Yes doc” she replied
“Ooooooh” Holly exclaimed through gritted teeth “that was a big one”
After Dr Andrews examined her she said
“She’s definitely in labour”
“I’ll call an ambulance” Steve suggested
“No she’s too far along” Claire said “the baby is going to be born here, and quite soon”
“I’d be happier if we got her to hospital” Steve said
“So would I” Dr Andrews replied
“But she’ll never make it to the hospital”
“She’s really too close?” Steve asked
“Yes” Claire replied “so under the circumstance, here is going to have to do”
“Upstairs it is then” Steve said “but the first sign of an angel and three wise men and we’re calling an ambulance”
“Christmas is never dull with Holly” he thought to himself as one by one the remainder of happy customers disappeared into the snowy night amidst a peel of Happy Christmas wishes.
“I have to give her that”
Steve looked out the door as he said goodnight to the last customer and it was still snowing but still not hard.
He locked the doors and went back inside to where the live in staff were sitting, no one wanted to go to bed until the baby had been born.
So they sat around a table in the bar until half past one when Noelle Claire Berry was born.
“How typical of Holly Berry to have the baby on Christmas Day” Steve said with tears in his eyes.
Thursday 2 February 2017
Downshire Diary – (15) The Girl in the Green Dress
(Part 01)
Steve Berry had always had a distinct dislike for Christmas, in fact he hated everything about it, despite all the jollity and faux fun because unlike many of his Christmas mad friends he had no happy Christmas memories to anesthetise him against the season.
His parents were chronic alcoholics and each year their Christmas came in a bottle and thanks to his ill-tempered father, Steve’s came with a slap, so his childhood Christmases were festive memories he would rather have forgotten.
But adulthood brought no relief from the season and it always seemed to him that when shit happened Christmas just magnified the misery.
If someone died at Christmas the very season makes it more keenly felt and he could testify to that fact as his own mother died on Christmas Eve when he was 19.
He had no idea where his father was and quite frankly he didn’t care he never bothered to show up for the funeral and for all he knew he could have been dead as well.
So as a result he had never trusted Christmas, because he knew that shit lurks beneath the coloured lights and paper chains.
That was until Holly Davis opened his eyes to new possibilities and he realised that Christmas could also magnify joy.
But it wasn’t just Christmases that had always held horrors in his past, so did New Year’s Eve.
Steve wasn’t big on New Year’s Eve, it was not a time that held any deep significance for him and he found the whole idea of it rather pointless, why did people make such a fuss over going from one year to the next, to his mind it was meaningless, and that would have been reason enough for him to dislike it, far apart from the personal memories it evoked.
And the prominent memory was of one New Year’s Eve when he was just six years old that his parents locked him in his room while they went off on a three day bender.
But he had decided to try and put that behind him along with all the other bad memories and with Holly’s help he was hopeful that he might succeed.
Since the first day he met her she had helped him to tame his demons and it all began when Holly Davis temporarily took over running her uncles pub, the Pig and Whistle in Abbeyvale a week and a half before Christmas on Friday the 13th of December, Steve had got blind drunk and ended up spending the night in the lounge bar on one of the bench seats.
When he woke up the next morning with his face stuck to the mock leather of a bench seat and painfully sat himself up she produced a contract he had signed the night before agreeing to work for her at the pub until New Year’s Eve.
(Part 02)
Despite his initial misgivings Steve had thoroughly enjoyed working with Holly at the Pig and whistle and he was still uncertain quite how she managed to affect that, but affect it she did and during the ten days he spent working for her, she had turned his life upside down and it culminated at closing time on Christmas Eve as the church bells at St Mary’s chimed midnight, with him wishing her a Merry Christmas and kissing her.
Because of the snow Steve was unable to get home on Christmas Eve so he spent the night in the spare room and they were then snowed in at the pub for Christmas day as well.
Holly was due to go for Christmas lunch at her cousin’s house but as she lived 30 miles away it was not possible to make the journey safely with the amount of snow that was still laying.
Steve was due to spend the day alone in his flat, not celebrating Christmas at all, but Holly invited him to spend the day with her instead.
After he cooked them lunch and they had watched the Queens Speech Holly cajoled him into unburdening himself about his aversion to the holidays.
That proved to be very revealing and was followed by more food, more drink and finally after exchanging Christmas presents they kissed passionately again.
In the week that followed the first Christmas he and Holly spent together and the first one he had ever celebrated, there was good deal more kissing as day by day they headed inexorably towards New Year’s Eve.
But Steve had a sense of foreboding as the days ticked by as his normal dislike for the occasion was magnified that year because it marked the final day of his contract at the Pig and Whistle and it could also mark the end of Holly’s Tenure at the pub and maybe even their budding relationship.
Holly had completely turned his life upside down and he had fallen hopelessly in love with her and the thought of going back to his old life in the New Year filled him with dread and the notion that he would never see her again was inconceivable but he wasn’t sure how he could prevent any of it happening.
Although he didn’t like it, New Year’s Eve was a very good earner for the pub and as the takings had not been optimised on Christmas Eve due to the snow, added to the fact that the figures had been disappointing in the interim due to the lingering snow and freezing conditions, so a good New Year’s Eve was absolutely vital to stay profitable.
With that in mind Holly and Steve had to spend most of the afternoon at the Cash and Carry stocking up on vital supplies.
“Right that’s the lot Hon” she said
(Part 03)
A good New Year’s Eve was absolutely vital for Holly so with that in mind she and Steve had to spend most of the afternoon at the Cash and Carry stocking up on vital supplies.
“Right that’s the lot Hon” she said
“Are you sure that’s enough?” Steve asked facetiously
“That’s enough lip from you” she said and kissed him, and that simple kiss, was a symbol of their familiarity, and was also a milestone moment for them because although they had kissed many times in that week since Christmas Eve, they had only ever kissed when they were alone and certainly never in public.
“If we sell that lot tonight I’ll be over the moon” she said although there wasn’t any chance that that might actually happen even if they did have an extension until 1.00am but they would give it a try.
Steve normally spent New Year’s Eve at home in self-imposed exile at his flat, watching a DVD and hiding from the world and pretending that New Year’s Eve was just a bad dream but that year with Holly was going to be very different.
At least on New Year’s Eve there were none of the annoyingly jolly Christmas songs, there was only one really annoying New Year’s song and that was usually confined to midnight.
There was a steady trade in the bar, far more than Christmas Eve, but not exactly record breaking numbers, and Steve thought they most of the supplies they had bought earlier at the Cash and Carry, would remain unsold.
But just after 9 o’clock the numbers swelled and continued swelling until the place was absolutely banging.
There were seven of them working that night but only six at any one time behind the bar and they were absolutely rushed off their feet and the till’s never stopped ringing.
The staff and a hard core of the regulars were in fancy dress for the occasion.
Debbie was a French maid, Stephanos was in a toga, Clare was a Witch, Ausra was a Gypsy, Petra was a clown and Steve was a pirate, while Holly, as was her custom, was dressed immaculately, and on that occasion she was dressed as the Emerald Lady in a wonderful green dress adorned with a garland of holly leaves and around her neck was the holly leaf pendant that Steve gave her for Christmas.
By the end of the night, which absolutely flew by, he had to admit that he hadn’t enjoyed a New Year’s Eve more in his life, even though his feet were killing him.
When the last of the punters had been ushered out the door and the bolt shot at 1.25 am, Holly said
“Thank God for that, put the kettle on” and then she kicked off her shoes.
Everyone pulled together and gathered up all the glasses and cleared them to the kitchen and then Steph and Clare brought out the drinks on a tray
“Where are the others?” Holly asked
“They’re loading the glasses into the machine” Clare replied “You know what Steve’s like”
“Tell them not to worry” she said “We’ll do it in the morning”
Holly frowned and then corrected herself
“We’ll do it in later this morning”
(Part 04)
So they all sat together drinking their tea and coffee and laughing at the exploits of one or two of the more enthusiastic punters but very soon there was only Holly and Steve left
“Do you want another tea?” he asked
“I’d rather have a proper drink” she replied “You could join me if you’re staying over”
He nodded and went behind the bar and returned shortly with two glasses of wine and as they sat together drinking she said
“My feet are so sore”
“Put them up here then” he said tapping his knee “I’ll rub them for you if you want”
“Oh yes please” she said and put both stocking feet on his knee
“Hold up” he said “one at a time”
Holly laughed and put one foot down.
“Oh that’s really lovely” she said as Steve began massaging her little foot and that was all he got out of her for the next twenty minutes until he was halfway through her other foot when she said.
“You’re a free man now”
“What do you mean?” Steve asked
“The contract” she said
“It was only up to and including New Year’s Eve it’s now New Year’s Day so you are free to return to your old life”
“Good” he said sharply and Holly baulked at the force of the word.
“Because now I am here because I want to be”
And Holly’s face broke into a broad smile and took her foot off his lap so she could kiss him.
They made love for the first time in the early hours of New Year’s Day and as they lay entwined in the semi darkness Holly said.
“We make a good team, I think we could run this place together”
“What about Phil?” Steve asked
“Ah I may have misled you regarding Uncle Phil” she confessed
“In what way?”
“He’s not coming back” Holly said
“Why not?” Steve asked
“He’s ill” Holly replied sadly
“Really? How ill?”
“The “he won’t see another Christmas kind” of ill”
“Oh” he responded sadly “so he’s not on holiday?”
“No” she admitted “I am in the process of buying the pub from him”
“That’s a big step” he said
“I know” she agreed “but I have years of experience in Hospitality and you’re a good accountant”
“Oh I see, so you only want me for my numeracy” he said
“No I only want you for your foot rubs” Holly corrected him
“Ok then it’s a deal” he said
“Are you sure?” she asked “We will have to celebrate all the holidays”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything” he replied and they sealed the deal with a kiss which was a prelude to them making love again, but Steve paused briefly and said
“You do realize what would happen if we were to marry?”
“What’s that?” she said pleasantly surprised that his thoughts had already strayed to the possibility of marriage
“You would become Holly Berry”
“I could live with that” she said and brought the discourse to a passionate conclusion.
Steve Berry had always had a distinct dislike for Christmas, in fact he hated everything about it, despite all the jollity and faux fun because unlike many of his Christmas mad friends he had no happy Christmas memories to anesthetise him against the season.
His parents were chronic alcoholics and each year their Christmas came in a bottle and thanks to his ill-tempered father, Steve’s came with a slap, so his childhood Christmases were festive memories he would rather have forgotten.
But adulthood brought no relief from the season and it always seemed to him that when shit happened Christmas just magnified the misery.
If someone died at Christmas the very season makes it more keenly felt and he could testify to that fact as his own mother died on Christmas Eve when he was 19.
He had no idea where his father was and quite frankly he didn’t care he never bothered to show up for the funeral and for all he knew he could have been dead as well.
So as a result he had never trusted Christmas, because he knew that shit lurks beneath the coloured lights and paper chains.
That was until Holly Davis opened his eyes to new possibilities and he realised that Christmas could also magnify joy.
But it wasn’t just Christmases that had always held horrors in his past, so did New Year’s Eve.
Steve wasn’t big on New Year’s Eve, it was not a time that held any deep significance for him and he found the whole idea of it rather pointless, why did people make such a fuss over going from one year to the next, to his mind it was meaningless, and that would have been reason enough for him to dislike it, far apart from the personal memories it evoked.
And the prominent memory was of one New Year’s Eve when he was just six years old that his parents locked him in his room while they went off on a three day bender.
But he had decided to try and put that behind him along with all the other bad memories and with Holly’s help he was hopeful that he might succeed.
Since the first day he met her she had helped him to tame his demons and it all began when Holly Davis temporarily took over running her uncles pub, the Pig and Whistle in Abbeyvale a week and a half before Christmas on Friday the 13th of December, Steve had got blind drunk and ended up spending the night in the lounge bar on one of the bench seats.
When he woke up the next morning with his face stuck to the mock leather of a bench seat and painfully sat himself up she produced a contract he had signed the night before agreeing to work for her at the pub until New Year’s Eve.
(Part 02)
Despite his initial misgivings Steve had thoroughly enjoyed working with Holly at the Pig and whistle and he was still uncertain quite how she managed to affect that, but affect it she did and during the ten days he spent working for her, she had turned his life upside down and it culminated at closing time on Christmas Eve as the church bells at St Mary’s chimed midnight, with him wishing her a Merry Christmas and kissing her.
Because of the snow Steve was unable to get home on Christmas Eve so he spent the night in the spare room and they were then snowed in at the pub for Christmas day as well.
Holly was due to go for Christmas lunch at her cousin’s house but as she lived 30 miles away it was not possible to make the journey safely with the amount of snow that was still laying.
Steve was due to spend the day alone in his flat, not celebrating Christmas at all, but Holly invited him to spend the day with her instead.
After he cooked them lunch and they had watched the Queens Speech Holly cajoled him into unburdening himself about his aversion to the holidays.
That proved to be very revealing and was followed by more food, more drink and finally after exchanging Christmas presents they kissed passionately again.
In the week that followed the first Christmas he and Holly spent together and the first one he had ever celebrated, there was good deal more kissing as day by day they headed inexorably towards New Year’s Eve.
But Steve had a sense of foreboding as the days ticked by as his normal dislike for the occasion was magnified that year because it marked the final day of his contract at the Pig and Whistle and it could also mark the end of Holly’s Tenure at the pub and maybe even their budding relationship.
Holly had completely turned his life upside down and he had fallen hopelessly in love with her and the thought of going back to his old life in the New Year filled him with dread and the notion that he would never see her again was inconceivable but he wasn’t sure how he could prevent any of it happening.
Although he didn’t like it, New Year’s Eve was a very good earner for the pub and as the takings had not been optimised on Christmas Eve due to the snow, added to the fact that the figures had been disappointing in the interim due to the lingering snow and freezing conditions, so a good New Year’s Eve was absolutely vital to stay profitable.
With that in mind Holly and Steve had to spend most of the afternoon at the Cash and Carry stocking up on vital supplies.
“Right that’s the lot Hon” she said
(Part 03)
A good New Year’s Eve was absolutely vital for Holly so with that in mind she and Steve had to spend most of the afternoon at the Cash and Carry stocking up on vital supplies.
“Right that’s the lot Hon” she said
“Are you sure that’s enough?” Steve asked facetiously
“That’s enough lip from you” she said and kissed him, and that simple kiss, was a symbol of their familiarity, and was also a milestone moment for them because although they had kissed many times in that week since Christmas Eve, they had only ever kissed when they were alone and certainly never in public.
“If we sell that lot tonight I’ll be over the moon” she said although there wasn’t any chance that that might actually happen even if they did have an extension until 1.00am but they would give it a try.
Steve normally spent New Year’s Eve at home in self-imposed exile at his flat, watching a DVD and hiding from the world and pretending that New Year’s Eve was just a bad dream but that year with Holly was going to be very different.
At least on New Year’s Eve there were none of the annoyingly jolly Christmas songs, there was only one really annoying New Year’s song and that was usually confined to midnight.
There was a steady trade in the bar, far more than Christmas Eve, but not exactly record breaking numbers, and Steve thought they most of the supplies they had bought earlier at the Cash and Carry, would remain unsold.
But just after 9 o’clock the numbers swelled and continued swelling until the place was absolutely banging.
There were seven of them working that night but only six at any one time behind the bar and they were absolutely rushed off their feet and the till’s never stopped ringing.
The staff and a hard core of the regulars were in fancy dress for the occasion.
Debbie was a French maid, Stephanos was in a toga, Clare was a Witch, Ausra was a Gypsy, Petra was a clown and Steve was a pirate, while Holly, as was her custom, was dressed immaculately, and on that occasion she was dressed as the Emerald Lady in a wonderful green dress adorned with a garland of holly leaves and around her neck was the holly leaf pendant that Steve gave her for Christmas.
By the end of the night, which absolutely flew by, he had to admit that he hadn’t enjoyed a New Year’s Eve more in his life, even though his feet were killing him.
When the last of the punters had been ushered out the door and the bolt shot at 1.25 am, Holly said
“Thank God for that, put the kettle on” and then she kicked off her shoes.
Everyone pulled together and gathered up all the glasses and cleared them to the kitchen and then Steph and Clare brought out the drinks on a tray
“Where are the others?” Holly asked
“They’re loading the glasses into the machine” Clare replied “You know what Steve’s like”
“Tell them not to worry” she said “We’ll do it in the morning”
Holly frowned and then corrected herself
“We’ll do it in later this morning”
(Part 04)
So they all sat together drinking their tea and coffee and laughing at the exploits of one or two of the more enthusiastic punters but very soon there was only Holly and Steve left
“Do you want another tea?” he asked
“I’d rather have a proper drink” she replied “You could join me if you’re staying over”
He nodded and went behind the bar and returned shortly with two glasses of wine and as they sat together drinking she said
“My feet are so sore”
“Put them up here then” he said tapping his knee “I’ll rub them for you if you want”
“Oh yes please” she said and put both stocking feet on his knee
“Hold up” he said “one at a time”
Holly laughed and put one foot down.
“Oh that’s really lovely” she said as Steve began massaging her little foot and that was all he got out of her for the next twenty minutes until he was halfway through her other foot when she said.
“You’re a free man now”
“What do you mean?” Steve asked
“The contract” she said
“It was only up to and including New Year’s Eve it’s now New Year’s Day so you are free to return to your old life”
“Good” he said sharply and Holly baulked at the force of the word.
“Because now I am here because I want to be”
And Holly’s face broke into a broad smile and took her foot off his lap so she could kiss him.
They made love for the first time in the early hours of New Year’s Day and as they lay entwined in the semi darkness Holly said.
“We make a good team, I think we could run this place together”
“What about Phil?” Steve asked
“Ah I may have misled you regarding Uncle Phil” she confessed
“In what way?”
“He’s not coming back” Holly said
“Why not?” Steve asked
“He’s ill” Holly replied sadly
“Really? How ill?”
“The “he won’t see another Christmas kind” of ill”
“Oh” he responded sadly “so he’s not on holiday?”
“No” she admitted “I am in the process of buying the pub from him”
“That’s a big step” he said
“I know” she agreed “but I have years of experience in Hospitality and you’re a good accountant”
“Oh I see, so you only want me for my numeracy” he said
“No I only want you for your foot rubs” Holly corrected him
“Ok then it’s a deal” he said
“Are you sure?” she asked “We will have to celebrate all the holidays”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything” he replied and they sealed the deal with a kiss which was a prelude to them making love again, but Steve paused briefly and said
“You do realize what would happen if we were to marry?”
“What’s that?” she said pleasantly surprised that his thoughts had already strayed to the possibility of marriage
“You would become Holly Berry”
“I could live with that” she said and brought the discourse to a passionate conclusion.
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