It
was Christmas Eve and Samantha Dunlop, who worked at Hanratty’s Department
Store in Abbottsford’s Phoenix Centre, was
just on her way back to work after having had lunch with her boyfriend Darren.
“Bastard” she muttered under her breath as she
entered the centre.
Sam was running the lunch time conversation through
her head which was why she was so angry.
“You’re breaking up with me?” she asked in disbelieve
across the table in McDonald’s.
“Don’t take it so hard babe” he said
“You’re breaking up with me on Christmas Eve?” she
repeated
“I didn’t see why not I haven’t got your present
yet so it was a win, win babe” he said
“You cheap bastard” she yelled and poured his
chocolate shake over him
“I can see this is going to be another shit
Christmas” she said to herself as she walked into Hanratty’s.
She went into the staff room and took off her coat
and woollen had and shook her black hair like a wet dog.
The day before she had been passed over for
promotion and then she gets dumped on Christmas Eve.
She was a 29 years old divorcee and she had worked
for the department store in the cosmetics department for seven years and she
was passed over for Abigail Subhan,
A 22 year old University graduate who had to take
her head out of her arse to smell the perfume.
About 4 o’clock that afternoon a middle aged man
entered the department and walked up to Samantha’s counter
“Good afternoon sir how may I help?”
"I would like to buy some perfume for my
wife." he said
"Certainly sir" she replied. "What
does your wife like?”
“I’ve no idea” he replied
“Do you have anything particular in mind?" she
asked through gritted teeth
"Not really." he said "but nothing
very expensive."
"I understand sir” she said and reached behind
her “How about this one?"
He picked it up and looked it over and asked
"How much is it?"
"£150” she replied
“No, I did say nothing very expensive”
She place that bottle back where she had got it from
and picked up its neighbour.
“This one is Eighty pounds sir”
"That's still too expensive" he replied
She presented him with a smaller bottle
“How about this one?" she said
"How much?” he asked.
"Fifty pounds sir."
"Do you have anything else?" he enquired.
"Well, there's this small bottle at twenty
five pounds."
"Look love" he whispered "I want you
to show me something really cheap"
Samantha smiled and said conspiratorially
“Come this way”
She led him to the makeup counter and said
“Just stand there and look straight ahead”
“What for?” he asked
Her green eyes narrowed and she said
“Because you said you wanted to see something
really cheap, and that is as cheap as I’ve ever seen”
“Mrs Dunlop!!” Ms Subhan called “My office now”
So on top of
missing out on promotion and being dumped by her boyfriend she was also sacked
from Hanratty’s.
But then maybe
saying to her boss that even with the biggest nose in Abbottsford she couldn’t
tell the difference between Chanel and Dettol, didn’t really help her case.
Her first reaction
was to go straight to the pub and get plastered but she was driving to
Shallowfield that evening.
And the way her
luck was going at that moment she was bound to get stopped by the police and
lose her license along with everything else.
Samantha had
phoned her best and oldest friend Emily as soon as she got back to work after
Darren dumped her and Emily invited her to stay with her and her husband Matt
for Christmas.
The
Charlton’s had a Flat in East Cliff Lodge, on Teardrop Lake, so she went
straight home after she was canned and packed a bag.
As she left
Abbottsford it started to snow and the snow that had fallen ten days earlier
was still evident on the ground so the fresh fall quickly settled.
Samantha didn’t
like driving in the snow, well she didn’t like driving full stop if she was
honest, and so she was driving very cautiously.
The snow was
obviously coming from the direction she was heading because as she was driving
between Childean and Shallowfield the snow on the road was getting
significantly deeper so she went even more cautiously.
But as she
approached the last significant bend before the Shallowfield she lost control
and after fighting with the steering she careered off the road into a ditch.
Richard O’Sullivan
was in his mid-thirties and was one of the partners in O’Sullivan and
Springthorpe Auctioneers in Shallowfield.
He had been
driving in the same direction to Samantha Dunlop but then he received a phone
call from his friend Jon cancelling their dinner date so he turned around and
was heading back home when he witnessed her car briefly skidding across the
road before disappearing from view.
He stopped the car
and looked down into the ditch, the car was nose in and tilted upwards 20
degrees on the driver’s side.
The lights were on
and the engine was still running and the driver’s door was open but there was
no sign of the driver.
He got out of his
car and shouted
“Hello”
He got no response
so he clambered down into the ditch and approached the car.
He confirmed the
car was empty and reached in and switched off the engine and killed the lights.
He could see
footprints in the snow so he decided to follow them and resumed his calling.
After four or five
minutes he found a young woman in a clearing blundering about in aimless
circles.
“Are you ok?” he
asked and she turned around towards him the snow was still falling and
accumulating on her Wooly hat.
"It's
Christmas Day. Shouldn't we be watching “White Christmas?”” she said
"No” he replied “it hasn’t started yet”
“I like “White
Christmas”” she said
“Why don’t you
come and watch it with me then?” he suggested and took her arm
“I wouldn’t want
to miss it” she slurred and turned towards him which was when he noticed blood
on her face.
He guided her
slowly back the way they had come and helped her up out of the ditch and into
his car.
Then he opened the
boot and took out his torch and went back to her car, and located her handbag
from the foot well and an overnight back and coat from the back seat and
clambered back up to the road.
As he was only
half a mile from his cottage and the snow was falling thick and fast he decided
the best thing to do would be take her to the Old Mill Cottage.
After he settled
her on the sofa he took a moment to look at her closely.
She had a bump on
her forehead and a cut above her right eye but apart from that her face had a
lovely shape and symmetry.
Richard got the
first aid kit and cleaned and dressed her cut then he gave her another
appraising look.
He noticed she had
high cheekbones and flawless skin.
But her shinning
black hair and wild green set her apart from every other girl he had ever met.
"My dad wants
to play Monopoly" she said "Not me though”
“Quite right” he
said and tucked a blanket around her legs and then he went to phone the Health
Centre and was put through to the on call Doctor.
“Hello Doctor, its
Richard O’Sullivan, there’s been a car accident, a young woman has banged her
head, she has a bump on the head, a cut eye and she’s a little confused”
“Ok where are
you?” Doctor Philips said
“Old Mill Cottage
in Shallowfield” he replied
“I can’t get there
myself, the roads are terrible and I’m stuck in Mornington” he said
“What should I do
then?” he asked
“I will get to you
when I can or failing that I’ll get someone closer to you to attend” he
said
“Just don’t let
her go to sleep”
He hung up the
phone and sat on the floor in front of her and had a nonsensical conversation
with her until an hour later there was a knock on the door.
He got up stiffly
and answered the door to find two snow covered figures.
“Hello Richard,
where’s the patient?”
“Doctor Lutchford?
Is that you?” he said “Come in, come in”
“It’s a bit
Wintry” Claire said and stamped the snow off her boots “Where is she?”
“On the Sofa” he
replied “Is that Peter under all that snow?”
“The roads are
un-drivable” he said and shook Richards hand “so we walked”
“I guessed as
much” Richard said
“It’s just as well
we did there are two trees down so the Childean road is blocked”
“Come into the
kitchen and let Claire do her thing” Richard said “I’ll make a hot drink”
Claire joined them
in the kitchen about 10 minutes later.
“How is she?”
Richard asked
“I’ve glued the
cut and redressed it. The bump seems superficial and there’s no sign of a
concussion”
“Good” he said
“Is it alright if
you keep her here overnight?” Claire asked “Getting about is problematic at
best”
“Of course it is”
he said “Peter was just telling me what it’s like out there”
“Thank you Richard
that’s very good of you” she said
“I’ve given her
some pain killers, just let her sleep now, but keep an eye on her and call me
if there is any change”
They stayed long
enough to finish their drinks and then said their goodbyes and disappeared
again into the snowy night.
Richard made
himself another mug of coffee and went back to the lounge.
His houseguest was
fast asleep on the sofa, he could have carried her into the bedroom but as she
was a diminutive girl she fitted quite comfortably on the sofa, so he saw no
point in moving her.
He did go upstairs
and brought down the duvets, one he draped over her and the other he would use
himself.
Before he settled
down he put another log in the burner and picked up her handbag and rummaged
inside until he found her purse.
In the front
pocket of a rather gaudy pink purse was her driving license and he checked the
photo and confirmed it was her.
“Samantha Dunlop”
he said out loud and smiled
He also checked
her mobile phone and noticed a lot of missed calls, all from the same number.
“Someone is
worried about you” he said and dialed the number
He pulled the
armchair closer to the fire and made himself comfortable and covered himself
with the duvet.
That was the last
thing he remembered until he awoke in the eerie light of Christmas Morning with
a stiff neck.
He got up and
stretched and then winced when he turned his head.
He checked first
his watch and saw it was after eight and then his guest and found she was still
sleeping peacefully.
So he revived the
fire and dropped in another log and crept out of the room.
Showered, shaved
and dressed he returned downstairs to the kitchen.
He looked out of
the window and could see it was still snowing though much lighter than the
night before.
He flicked on the
kettle and turned his attention to lunch.
As he lived alone
he didn’t bother with Christmas lunch and all the trimmings, not because he
couldn’t cook, he was a very good cook, he just didn’t bother for himself.
In fact he hadn’t
done Christmas lunch since his wife died.
Helena loved
Christmas and everything that went with it and so did he.
But five years
earlier his love of it died along with her.
And even though
that was at a different time in a different house he still didn’t put up the decorations
like Helena used to.
First things first
he looked in the fridge and the freezer and checked the cupboards and set about
his task.
It wouldn’t be a
Christmas Lunch per se but it would be a cooked lunch on Christmas Day.
Once he had
everything prepared he made his drink and went back to the lounge.
It was 10 o’clock,
Samantha had been asleep for more than 12 hours so he thought it was probably
best if she began to come round.
He drew back the
curtains and put on the radio, nothing too raucous he thought so he selected
Christmas worship on the BBC, then he sat down in his armchair and drank his
coffee.
Within ten
minutes, helped along by a vigorous rendition of “O come all ye faithful”
She began to
stir.
He was leant back
in his chair as first her breathing changed and then her eye flicked open, a
little at first, and then fully as her eyes tried to locate something familiar.
Eventually her
eyes settled on Richard.
“Where am I?” she
asked
“You’re in
Shallowfield” he replied
“Have you
kidnapped me?” Sam asked
“No” he replied
and chuckled “You crashed your car”
She closed her
eyes again and tried to remember
“How’s your head?”
he asked and her eyes opened again
“Ow” she exclaimed
after touching the bump
“Are you sure you
didn’t bop me on the head and kidnap me?”
“I’m quite sure”
he said “Merry Christmas by the way”
“Merry Christmas?”
she said puzzled “I thought I’d already had that”
She sat herself up
and asked
“Did I have a
bag?”
“Two actually” he
replied “Your overnight bag is in the hall, and your hand bag is here”
He leant over the
arm of his chair and retrieved it and handed it to her.
“I took the
liberty of checking your mobile last night after the doctor left”
“The doctor was
here?” she asked
“Yes”
She closed her
eyes tight and tried to remember.
“You’re friend
Emily called you numerous times, she was clearly quite worried, so I called her
and told her what happened”
“Emily” she said in
a eureka moment “that’s where I was going”
She grinned
broadly at successfully accessing the memory.
“They will come
and get you when the roads are passable again” Richard said
“Why don’t you
call her while I make a drink?”
“Ok” she agreed
“Tea or coffee?”
“Tea please” she
replied and then as he was leaving the room she asked
“Who are you?”
“I’m Richard but
my close friends call me Tripp”
He had had the
nickname Tripp since he first started big school he was now 35.
It was all thanks
to his namesake Richard O’Sullivan whose most famous character portrayal was of
Robin Tripp in the shows “Man about the house” and “Robin Nest” and thanks to
reruns of the shows when he was a schoolboy the name stuck with him.
While he made the
drinks she made her phone call to Emily which dispelled her fears of being
kidnapped and she was much happier.
He entered the
room with the drinks and a pack of Paracetamol
“I spoke with
Emily” she said “And I am now happy that I haven’t been kidnapped”
“Good” he said
putting her mug down and giving her the pain killers
“Of course Emily
and I could be in it together”
“No don’t say
that” she said “my head is already messed up”
As she finished
her tea she asked sheepishly
“Could I be really
cheeky and have a shower”
“Of course you
can” he said and laughed “I took your bag up and put it in the spare room
there’s an en suite so you have complete privacy”
“Thank you
Richard” she said
“Call me Tripp” he
said
“But were not
close friends” she pointed out
“That’s very true”
he agreed “But we have slept together”
He watched her
gingerly climb the narrow stairs and found himself once again admiring her.
He had not looked
upon a woman in that way for a very long time, when his wife was alive he only
had eyes for her and after her death he focused only on his work.
When she reached
the top he said
“It’s the room on
the left”
“Thank you” she
called back and then she turned towards him and added “Merry Christmas Tripp”
Richard smiled and
walked into the kitchen and got on with the lunch
He was an ordinary
looking man in fact he was so ordinary if he were to commit a crime the
witnesses to it would supply a description that would fit half the population.
He was neither
tall nor short or fat nor thin, his face was not unpleasant to look but it
wasn’t handsome, his hair was mousy in colour and was unremarkable.
In summary he was
not the type of man who would attract the attention of someone like Samantha.
In fact it
occurred to him that only the particular chain of events that had already
occurred could have brought them together on Christmas day.
“Apart from
kidnap” he said to himself and laughed
While the Roast
Potatoes were cooking he set the table in the dining room, he always ate at the
dining room table, and it was a hangover from when Helena was still alive.
It was her Latin
upbringing, she would always say
“Meal times are
for more than just refueling”
After he’d laid
the table he went into the lounge to check on Samantha and found her back under
the duvet watching TV.
“Do you want more
tea?” he asked
“Yes please” she
said “can I do anything to help?”
“No, you just need
to relax and enjoy the hospitality” he replied and returned to the kitchen
He was lacking too
many key ingredients to make an authentic Christmas Lunch, Turkey, Cranberry
sauce chestnut stuffing and Christmas pudding and brandy butter, so in lieu of
a Turkey he cooked duck breasts, accompanied by Roast potatoes, and a selection
of vegetables, desert was an apple crumble.
He had taken
everything to the table, apart from the wine, which he retrieved from the
fridge he then pushed open the Lounge door and said
“Luncheon is
served madam”
“Oh goody” she
responded
When she was
seated at the table he said
“It’s not your
usual Christmas fare I’m afraid, but I did quite a lot of it as I wasn’t sure
how hungry you’d be”
“Wow it looks
great and I’m absolutely starving” she replied “I can’t remember when I last
ate”
Although she
couldn’t remember at the time her previous meal was actually lunchtime the day
before prior to Darren dumping her.
Richard needn’t
have concerned himself about cooking too much because Samantha ate more than
her share and still had room for two helpings of Apple Crumble.
Richard cleared
the table and took the plates to the kitchen and found Samantha stood running
the taps at the sink.
“Hey what do you
think you’re doing Samantha Dunlop?” he asked crossly
“I’m washing up”
she retorted
“You are my guest
and guests don’t wash up, now go and sit down”
“I can’t” she
replied
“You can’t what?”
“I can’t sit down”
she said “I’m too full”
“Ok then I’ll let you off”
With the washing
up done and two reviving mugs of tea made they adjourned to the lounge.
As the day wore on
the snowfall had petered out and by late afternoon the skies cleared just as
the light began to fade and the temperature dropped like a stone.
So Richard put on
the lights and drew the curtains then he attended to the wood burner before
sitting down in his chair.
“Would like music
or TV?” he asked
“Is “White
Christmas” on today?” she asked “Or did I imagine it”
“Yes it is” he
replied “would you like to watch it?”
“Yes please, it’s
one of my favourites”
“I know, I
remember you saying”
“Really? When?”
He then explained
the conversation they had in the woods the night before and she put her head in
her hands
“Oh God how
embarrassing” she said
“And then when we
got back here you announced "My dad wants to play Monopoly””
“Now you’re making
it up?”
“Not at all, you
said, "My dad wants to play Monopoly, but not me though"”
“Because I wanted
to watch White Christmas” she said “I was seven when that happened”
Samantha laughed
at the memory and Richards’s rendition of her and then she shivered.
“Are you cold?” he
asked and got up from his chair and retrieved the folded Duvet she had used the
night before
“Here put this
over you” he said unfolding it onto her lap
“Thank you” she
said and smiled
“It’s definitely
chilly I think I might get my fleece” he said
“We could share
the duvet” she suggested and flapped the duvet aside
“Oh, ok, yes” he
said and sat next to her on the sofa and she flapped it over him.
As he nervously
fumbled with the TV control Samantha’s phone rang for which he was grateful as
it diverted attention away from him.
“Hello” she said
“Hi Em, Merry
Christmas”
Suddenly he wasn’t
so grateful for the interruption once he realized it was her friend Emily
presumably to arrange a time to collect her.
There was a long
tortuous silence until she said
“Hold on I’ll ask”
and Samantha turned her attention back to him
“Emily says the
road is still closed so they can’t pick me up until tomorrow, and could you put
me up for another night, or put up with me for another night”
“Of course, you
can stay as long as you like” he said struggling to keep the delight out of his
voice
“Ok Hun bye”
“I’m sorry” she
said
“Whatever for?”
“Imposing on you”
“It’s no
imposition Sam, it’s a pleasure” he said
“Now watch the
film”
When he woke up on
Boxing Day he was thrilled to see it was snowing again and settling fast on the
frozen snow of the day before.
He showered and
shaved and dressed for the day and went down stairs with a spring in his step.
When he got to the
kitchen he found Samantha was up before him and was in high spirits.
“Morning Tripp”
she said “It’s snowing again”
“Yes I know, it
looks like I might have to put up with you for another night”
“Really?” she
queried
“Well I can’t see
them reopening the road today in this”
"How's the head?" Richard asked her
"Better," she told him
“Good”
“Do you mind?” she
asked
“Do I mind what?”
“Being stuck with
me for another day”
“Not for a second”
he replied and she smiled
“In that case can
I cook you breakfast?” she asked
“I don’t know, can
you cook?”
“Go and set the
table and then you’ll find out” she said
As she cooked the
omelet’s she was feeling very happy with the situation and was not entirely
sure why.
Richard O’Sullivan
was not the kind of man who would normally show up on her radar, she went for a
very different type, he was rather ordinary.
As she dished the
omelets onto the waiting plates the thought occurred to her that, that was
probably why she had never landed a good one.
Later that day
they were playing cards in front of the log burner when Richard said.
“I bet this wasn’t
how you envisaged spending your Christmas”
“No it wasn’t” she
agreed
“So what was the
plan?”
“Christmas dinner
with my boyfriend’s parents” she said
“Oh” he said
barely hiding his disappointment
“But that was
before I was dumped by my skinflint boyfriend on Christmas Eve because he was
too tight to buy me a present”
“Ouch”
“Then I lost my
job because I embarrassed a miserly customer at Hanratty’s who was too mean to
buy a £25 pound bottle of scent for his wife’s gift”
“Oh dear”
“So I called Emily
and she invited me to stay and then I crashed the car in the snow”
“That I can
verify”
“Me too” she said
touching the wound above her eye
“You managed to
pack a lot in to one day” he said
“Yes” She agreed
“As Christmas Eve’s go, boring it was not”
“Indeed” he said
“Christmas Day on the other hand” she began and then they exchanged a smile.
The road through
Shallowfield was finally reopened on the day after Boxing Day so Emily and Matt
Charlton arrived mid-morning to collect Samantha.
While Sam was
upstairs getting her bag, Richard entertained the Charlton’s in the lounge.
“It was kind of
you to take Sam in”
“It was nothing”
Richard said dismissively
“It was my
pleasure”
Just then he heard
Samantha’s footfalls on the stairs
“We’re having a
party on New Year’s Eve and you are more than welcome to come” Emily said
“Thank you but no
I’m not much of a reveler”
“Oh do come” Sam
said
“I’m not really
much of a one for parties” he replied
“Well if you
change your mind its flat 3 East Cliff Lodge any
time after nine” Matt said and shook his hand
On the door step
Samantha turned and kissed his cheek
“Thank you Tripp”
Samantha waved
through the back window as he watched them drive down the lane and he felt a
strange sense of loss.
Since his wife
died he had lived in quiet isolation and he had grown content in his existence.
But Samantha had
disturbed his calm and muddied the quiet waters of his life.
As Matt drove carefully
along the snow covered roads, Emily chatted excitedly at a pitch that was only
audile to dogs while Samantha was feeling lost and alone.
When he got up on
New Year’s Eve the snow had all but gone and he still planned to spend it alone
as had become the norm.
All day long he
was content it would be business as usual for the turn of the year.
Samantha was in
Emily and Matt’s spare room for hours getting ready for the party.
Hair, nails, legs,
the whole nine yards she even borrowed one of Emily’s raciest dresses.
“You look
gorgeous” Emily said
“Thank you” she
replied “I thought I should make the effort”
“But you haven’t
gone to all this trouble just for us, have you?”
“I don’t know what
you mean” Samantha said adjusting her makeup.
“He probably won’t
come you know” Emily said
“He doesn’t have
to” Sam said
Richard was
dressed in his smartest suit and was rushing around the lounge muttering under
her breath, looking for his car keys when there was a knock at the door.
“Who’s that now”
he said to himself
Abandoning his
search he went to the door prepared to bark his disapproval in their direction
but instead he found Samantha standing on the doorstep dressed to kill and
carrying a bottle of Champaign.
“I thought if you
won’t come to the party I’d bring the party to you”
She said holding
up the bottle
“I was just coming
to find you” he said
“Well I beat you
to it” she said and smiled
“Shall we go to
the party then?” he asked
“No let’s have a
quiet night in” she said and closed the door behind her.
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