Mornington-By-Mere – (95) The Unexpected Gift

 

When the Mornington Estate exercised its option to purchase Mornington Field 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.

The buildings on the airfield itself were converted into commercial premise while the former married quarters were made available to rent and the Vineyard family moved into number 17 Military Row on the 18^th of December 2014 but Donna Vineyard was the only one still there five Christmas’ later but she shared the house with her boyfriend David Smith.

They were both hard working 30 years old’s, Donna at the Digitize Image Lab up at Mornington Field and David farmed up at Smithfield’s Farm with his family.

That year it was Donna and David’s turn to play hosts to the parents for Christmas dinner, which Donna achieved with great aplomb.

But after dinner, when the table was cleared away and the dishwasher was loaded, it was time for present giving, and this Donna didn’t take in her stride, and that was because she didn’t really like receiving unknown Christmas Presents.

Donna preferred to either get money or have already selected the gift and instructed the giver, or preferably she would actually buy it herself and then give it to the presenter for them to wrap.

That way she avoided having to employ one of the stock phrases for responding to the Christmas present she would rather not have received.

Her comment’s included,

“Thanks a lot”,

“My word! What a gift”,

“You shouldn't have”

And “Wow”

Or “Well, well, well”

She would have liked to have been facetious but she loved Christmas too much to say something like

“If I had put on 4 stones it would have fitted me perfectly”,

“It's lovely, but I'm worried about the jealousy it may create”,

“Just my luck to get this, on the Christmas I promised to give all my gifts to charity”

Or “Unfortunately, I am about to enter MI5's Witness Protection programme”

So imagine her dismay when her boyfriend of five years presented her with an unexpected gift in front of all the assembled family.

“Oh I’ll open that later” she said “let someone else go next “

But they all insisted she open it and inside she was seething, but externally she had to adopt a calmer stance and David knew precisely what was going on behind the façade and smiled at her discomfiture as he put the gift box in her hand as she sat down on the chair.

It was a box about the size of a bag of sugar and painfully aware that all eyes were on her she pulled the ribbon which undid the bow, then she removed the lid to reveal a smaller similarly wrapped package which she removed and smiled with gritted teeth.

David knew that parcels within parcels were another one of Donna’s pet hates, which is why he did it.

So she again pulled the ribbon which undid the bow, then she removed the lid to reveal another smaller similarly wrapped package.

This was repeated twice more before she held a small bundle wrapped in tissue which, urged on by the spectators, she began to unwrap, and the only audible sound was that of Donnas teeth grinding.

But finally the last layer had been conquered and everyone expected one of her stock response’s but instead there was just silence, even the grinding of teeth had desisted because her mouth was open as she stared at the item at the centre of the unfolded tissue paper, which was a platinum set solitaire diamond engagement ring.

No one else in the room could see it so they weren’t entirely sure what was going on until David asked

“So Donna Vineyard, will you marry me?”