(Part 01)
There was a military funeral in the quaint chocolate box English Village of Mornington-By-Mere when the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale fell silent with sombre respect.
The funeral was for Private Andy Smith of the Downshire Light Infantry who was killed by an IED in Afghanistan.
The funeral and the memorial service were both well attended as Andy was a popular lad in the village and everyone had a tale to tell about him.
The Smith clan were tenants at Smithfield Farm and had been for as long as anyone could remember and everyone expected Andy to take his place on the land but he surprised everyone when he chose the army instead.
David Cooper was also a local lad and he and Andy had been good friends since pre-school so his death had hit him particularly hard.
In fact he was finding the whole day a bit of an ordeal, so he was trying to slip away unnoticed from the church and had got as far as the carpark when a voice said
“As you were, Mr Cooper”
“I recognise that voice” he thought to himself so he stopped and slowly turned around.
“Sharon” he said, “I thought I recognised you earlier,”
Sharon Taylor was his ex-girlfriend and she was wearing the dress uniform of The Downshire Light Infantry and he hadn’t seen her since the previous November when she was posted to Afghanistan, she too was a local and was also a friend of Andy and they even joined up together.
Her insistence on joining the Army was what had broken her and David up, the fear of losing her in some stupid pointless foreign conflict was too much for him to bear.
But even though they were no longer a couple every time there was a news report about Afghanistan his blood ran cold, because he still loved her, but she was back and she was safe.
“When did you get back?” he asked and kissed her cheek
“A couple of days ago” she replied
“It’s great to see you back safe,” David said
There was an indeterminate period when they just stood looking at each other as they remembered the last time they were together and he wanted to say how much he had missed her and how much he wanted her back, but the words wouldn’t come.
There was a quiet cough from behind her and when she turned around she saw it was another soldier.
“I have to go” she said
“Ok, I…” He began
“I’m flag bearer at tonight’s church service at St Winifred’s, then I’m off duty,” Sharon said
“I’ll see you afterwards then?” he asked
She nodded and walked smartly away, and he thought to himself that although he was completely against her joining up she really did look great in the uniform.
He attended the service and then waited for Sharon outside the church hoping she wouldn’t change into civvies before she met him.
He was sure it wasn’t just a man thing, after all women go mad for firemen, so he knew it couldn’t just be him that thought birds in uniforms were Phwoah.
When she came out he kissed her cheek and they walked across to the Old Mill and he was pleased to note that Sharon was still wearing her dress uniform and she looked great in the tailored skirt and tunic, brass buttons and polished belt, peaked cap and seamed stockings.
But what made Sharon even sexier than the uniform was the fact that he knew what was underneath it and of course because he loved her desperately.
They walked into the pub and he ordered drinks and they sat in a quiet corner and she talked about her tour of duty, at least as much as she could, and he just listened while she unloaded, then of course they talked about Andy and they reminisced about all the time they had spent together and when they reached a natural conclusion and they both fell silent he asked.
“How long are you home for?”
“Until Tuesday” she replied and his heart sank
(Part 02)
David and Sharon had already had a couple of drinks in the Old Mill Inn when he suggested another, but she declined.
“I’ll walk you home then” David said
“Ok” she replied
He offered to walk her home out of gallantry but in truth she could have defended herself better than he could, her body being solid, firm and muscular.
David lived in The Close only about 100 hundred yards from the pub whereas as Sharon lived on the opposite side of the village on the other side of Manor Wood where there were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere Road and Dulcets Road which formed the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside and the Taylor family lived in Dulcets Road in a house called Green Fields.
They left the pub and crossed over Church Bridge and proceeded along the riverside path on the Southern Bank of the River Brooke with Mornington Field across the water on their right and Manor Wood on the left.
About half a mile along the path she suddenly turned left into the wood
“This way” she said “it’s a short cut”
“Is it?” he replied doubtfully “I don’t think it is”
“Trust me I’m a soldier” she said and marched off at pace and by the time he caught up with her she was playing on a makeshift swing hanging from the bough of an oak tree, which was in essence a heavy duty piece of rope with a series of knots in it.
“Oh very grown up” he said as she propelled herself with great aplomb.
“You’re just jealous” she taunted him, so he just stood and watched her swing until she allowed her momentum to slow and then she leant back and with great athleticism swung her legs up and hooked her ankles around the rope like a trapeze artist.
This caused her skirt to fall away from her thighs so he walked towards her until he was positioned beside her as she swung gently back and forth.
But although David had a tantalising view of her underclothes he brought her momentum to a stop by grabbing her ankles and then he knelt down on the floor so they were face to face and then he kissed her.
“I knew you still wanted me” she said, “And I’m pleased to say I was right”
Sharon raised herself up as she unfurled her legs from the rope and as soon as she stood up straight she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
After they kissed in the Wood they emerged back onto the path holding hands and they resumed their previous course past the Mornington Brewery and immediately before the river changed direction, where Dulcets Mill stood, which was one of the last three remaining Mornington Mills, they left the river.
It was at the point where the River Brooke turned sharply to the right, and they followed the path past the mill which lead to Dulcets Mill Lane, then into Purplemere Road and on the Dulcets Road and finally to Green Fields where they kissed again.
“Does this mean we’re back on?” she asked
“If you’ll have me” he suggested, having lost his friend Andy he was still worried what would happen to her on deployments but the shock of losing his friend also highlighted how short life was and how precious time was and that it shouldn’t be wasted on “what might be”
“I’ll think about it” she replied
“Oh” he said
“I’ve thought about it” she said and Sharon kissed him again
“Of course I’ll have you back, I never wanted it any other way, I never wanted us to break up” she said “and I’ve never stopped loving you”
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