Sharpington-by-Sea is
a traditional seaside resort complete with a Victorian Pier, seafront hotels,
crazy golf, The Palladium ballroom, well maintained gardens, promenade, theatre
and illuminations, all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside, as
well as amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.
Which was the first
purpose built amusement park to open in Britain, which had an assortment of
rides, like the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse
Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster but it was
still fun.
It was also a popular
resort for retirees and boasted a number of static caravan parks.
It was June 6th, “the
longest day” his father used to call it but for him it felt like the longest
evening
It wasn’t very late,
sometime after nine, when David Goodman left the Sharpington Yacht Club, it was
a quiet evening for a Saturday and he had soon exhausted the meager pool of
interesting people.
So he meandered his
way along the promenade in the fading light towards home on a warm night in
June with barely a breath of wind off the sea.
David was fast
approaching his sixty third birthday and was Widowed, retire and lonely, his
children had grown up and moved away a lifetime ago and even their children
were beginning to take flight.
He saw them all often
enough but it wasn’t the same as having them around all the time.
However despite his
loneliness he was not lacking in friends, far from it.
He fumbled for his
keys as he made his way down the back path of his bungalow and his eye was
drawn to a faint light through the garage window, at first he thought it might
be a reflection but when he turned around there was nothing behind him but
darkness.
The garage was what
was known as a tandem because it was spacious enough for two cars in tandem
i.e. end to end.
The up and over door
was naturally at the front of the house and at the rear was a window through
which he had seen the light and a door which gave access into the garden and he
could see as he got closer that it was ajar.
David was 62 years old
so it was a little foolhardy to proceed and confront a possible intruder but he
did it anyway.
He grabbed the handle
of the garage door and pushed it gently open and reached his hand in, feeling
his way to the light switches then he pushed the door open wide and hit the two
switches simultaneously.
The two lights came on
instantly but one of the bulbs, the one at the rear, blew immediately returning
it to near darkness.
He kept the car in the
front half of the garage, not that he drove it very often, but the back half
was full of everything and nothing, old pieces of furniture, tools, packing
boxes and so on, junk mainly, as a result not much light got from one end of the
garage to the other because of everything in between.
When the lights first
went on he saw the shape of a figure, just one he thought, though he couldn’t
be sure, then the light went off again and he lost the shape in the gloom and
there were a lot of shapes that could have been the intruder.
He switched on his
phone torch and in the gloomy light he thought he saw movement and then he felt
a push against his shoulder but it was only a glancing one and he was able to
stand his ground and he reached out and grabbed his assailant.
“Got you” he said
rather unimaginatively as he bundled the intruder towards his workbench and
pinned them there while he got a better purchase on them.
There was a lot of
wriggling and during the struggle he got a whack in the face, so using the
weight of his upper body he pushed them forward so the hands that the intruder
was employing to hit him with had to be used to support themselves.
However they weren’t
done yet and alternated hands to have quick swipes at him and it was at this
point while trying to subdue them that his left hand got a handful of breast.
“You’re a girl” he
said and release his hold and grabbed her shoulder instead.
So having determined
his burglar was female, he made a minor adjustment and transferred his weight
forward so he had her completely pinned and with his right hand now free he
used his phone again to have a look at her.
“My God you’re just a
kid” he said and slapped her hard on the buttock.
“Get out of here” he
said to her angrily “And don’t come back again”
The intruder scurried
away and David walked to the house and made himself a coffee and went to the
cupboard above the sink and got out a new light bulb, a proper old fashioned
60w bulb, that lit up to its maximum brightness as soon as you flicked the
switch, and not one of those low energy things that only reached maximum
brightness as you were about to switch it off and leave the room.
He went back out to
the garage and reached up and replaced the bulb which lit immediately and when
he looked in front of him he saw a girl sitting on the bench.
A skinny waif like
creature, with short mousy blonde hair, a bit like a shaggy dog and she was wearing
a baggy tee shirt and leggings.
“Didn’t you hear me
tell you not to come back?” he asked her
“Yes” she said meekly
“So what are you doing
back here again?” he asked sharply
“Um”
“Why are you back?” he
said standing directly in front of her
“Well?”
“I wanted to say
sorry” she said quietly and he softened
“How old are you?” he
asked her
“17” she replied
“And what’s your
name?” he asked
“Wendy”
“And what were you
after in here anyway?” he asked
“I was looking for
food”
“Why?” he asked with
surprise
“Because I was hungry”
“What?”
“I was hungry” she
repeated
“Where are you from?
Where are your parents?”
“I live on the caravan
park, Potters Lane, with my mum”
“Why hasn’t she fed
you?” he questioned
“She’s not well,” she
said tearfully
“Come in the house” he
said “And I’ll make you something”
So David took her in
the house and sat her in the kitchen while he made her bacon and eggs, which
she polished off in no time flat.
As she was sitting
drinking a hot chocolate Wendy asked
“Why did you feed me?”
“Because you were
hungry” he replied
“But I was trying to
steal from you” she pointed out
“Yes but you didn’t”
“That’s because you
turned the light on and disturbed me” she stated
“But I could tell you
weren’t a bad girl” David said washing up her plate
“But you thought I was
a boy until you grabbed my...”
Wendy left the word
unsaid and blushed
“No you’re right” he
said “I wouldn’t have grabbed you there had I realized you were a girl”
“So why did you feed
me bacon and eggs?”
“Because you came back
and apologized” David explained “That’s why”
“So you don’t think I
look like a boy?”
“No I think you look
like an urchin” he corrected her and smiled
“Seriously do you
think I’m ugly?”
“No I don’t, why would
you think that?” David said
It would have been
true to say she wasn’t stunningly beautiful but there was something about her
elfin features, a distinct cuteness, she was a tomboy certainly but a pretty
one.
“Everybody thinks I’m
ugly and worthless” she said and she started to cry
“Even my mum” she
added between the sobs so he went over to her and hugged her and she instantly
locked her skinny arms around his neck.
“No one thinks you’re
ugly” he said reassuringly
“You do,” she sobbed
“No, I think you’re
cute”
“Really?” She said
then cried into his neck
“So why did you think
I was a boy?”
He thought about it
for a while before answering
“Because it was dark
and I’m old” he said
“Now dry your eyes and
I’ll walk you home it’s getting late,” he said giving her his hankie
“You don’t have too”
she said between sobs
“I know but I’m going
to do it anyway” he insisted
“Does your mum work?”
he asked as they walked towards Potters Lane
“No” she replied,
“She’s not well enough”
“What about you?”
“No one’ll give me a
job” she said and laughed
“Why not?”
“No don’t tell me,
because you’re ugly and worthless”
She nodded
“Do you want a job?”
he asked
“Yes”
“What do you want to
do?”
“I don’t care what I
do, anything” she said earnestly
“So if I could get you
some work, would you be interested?”
“Oh yes” she replied
as they reached the end of her road.
“Ok, I’ll see what I
can do” he said “But you have to promise you won’t let me down?”
“No way” she said
“Shake on it then” he
said and held out his hand which she shook as she looked him squarely in the
eye before turning off into the caravan park.
“And the next time
you’re hungry come and knock on the door” he called after her
“Ok”
“Was that Wendy
Corney?” A voice said from behind him as he watched Wendy walk down Potters
Lane and when he turned around he saw it was Leslie Maher, his next-door
neighbour, out walking her dog, Trio, so called as he had three legs.
“Yes” he said
And then to answer the
unasked question he said
“I caught her trying
to steal from my garage”
“I see” she said, “and
did you call the police?”
“No”
“I’m glad” she said,
Leslie was one of the angels
“Is it true her mother
is ill?” he asked her
“Yes, she’s a chronic
alcoholic” Leslie replied sadly
“I’m glad you’ve
decided to try and help her”
“I didn’t say I had”
David
“You don’t have to,
you’re that kind of man” she said looking at him earnestly “But I just have one
question”
“What’s that?”
“Why?”
“Because someone has
convinced her that she’s ugly and worthless”
He replied and she
reached up and kissed his cheek
“Good night David”
A day or two later he
spied Alison Williams in the garden, she was a self-employed gardener and as he
could in no way be considered to possess green fingers, that was his wife’s
gift, he employed Alison.
And at the end of
Sharpington where he lived was popular with retiree’s she had a numerous
clientele.
She was a buxom young
woman though quite muscular, about 5ft 10, big chested and thirty something
with a great unruly shock of vivid ginger hair.
He was absentmindedly
looking out through the kitchen window watching and was distracted by the sight
of the robust Alison bent over a planter with her dungarees stretched tight
across her well-defined buttocks but as she stood up from her toil he had a
different thought.
“Alison!” he called
“Morning” she said
“I’m just packing up”
“Hang on; I need to
ask you a favour”
“Ok ask away,” she
said
“Do you ever take on
casual labour?” He asked
“Yes, but its hard
finding someone reliable who turns up when they say they will” she said “Why do
you have someone in mind?”
“Yes”
“It’s not some
lecherous git you’re trying to set me up with is it?” Alison asked suspiciously
“No it’s a local girl,
Wendy Corney”
“Ok I’ll give her a
trial” she said “But its hard graft and the money’s shit”
“She won’t mind” he
said confidently
After speaking with
Alison he decided to go down to Hemmings General Store and pick up a paper and
to ask another favour.
“Are you coming in for
tea?” called Leslie
“On the way back” he
suggested “If that’s ok”
“That’s fine” she
replied cheerily
He always flirted
outrageously with Belinda Hemmings and she would always flirt back but there
was nothing in it as his hearts love lay elsewhere.
They had known each
other for years, when she was still Belinda Church and she had been a
bridesmaid at his wedding.
But alas she was quite
ill and in hospital so her daughter Sabr was running things
Sabr was an Arabic
word for the Islamic virtue of “patience”, although neither Belinda nor her
husband were Arabs or Islamists she read it in a book when she was expecting
her daughter and fell in love with the name.
While he was at the
counter in Hemmings paying for his paper he was just about to broach the
subject of part time work for Wendy with Sabr when Gwen Quinton-Smith walked
through the door.
She very flustered,
though she often did, so he waited until she eventually regained her composure
and he raised the question with her about full time or part time work for Wendy
with the two of them at the same time.
Gwen said that she
would ask around the ladies at the Women’s Institute but in the mean time she
did have some odd jobs about the house that needed doing.
Sabr also promised to
give Wendy a few hours in the shop while her mum was ill and she could start the
same day.
“Not a bad mornings
work all in all” he thought to himself as he left the shop “I just hope Wendy
won’t let me down”
It was just at that
minute that he spotted Wendy Corney’s gawky gangling gait crossing the road
heading for the footbridge over the railway, some 50 yards away, so he set off
in pursuit.
He lost sight of her
for a few minutes and when he was across the bridge himself he didn’t know if
she’d gone left or right.
So he took a gamble
and went left just as a girl on horseback rode by, it was Emma Goldup.
“Morning Mr Goodman”
“Morning Emma”
She always called him
Mr. Goodman even though it was 7 years since he retired from teaching.
She was the only child
of a local couple with several businesses in the town.
But when she finished
her expensive education she had no interest in working for any of the family
businesses and got a job working in a small riding school at Brooke Side Farm
on the outskirts of town.
Her parents were
outraged, her father offered to buy the riding school and let her run it but
she forbade him from doing any such thing and threatened never to speak to
either of them if he did, she just wanted to work with horses.
She was a pretty girl,
only a tiny little thing sat astride a great Honey coloured colt, and in spite
of her parents wealth she had no airs and graces.
He finally tracked
Wendy down about ten minutes later sitting on the banks of a little stream
dangling her naked feet in the water.
“Hello you” he said
startling her
“You made me jump” she
said and giggled.
“What are you up to?”
he asked
“Nothing as usual” she
replied glumly.
“Just as well I’ve
found some work for you”
“Really?” She said
excitedly
“You’re not just
winding me up,” she continued obviously used to being let down.
“No I’m serious” David
said
She turned away from
him and he could tell the way her shoulders were moving that she was crying.
“Well come on then” he
said “Get your shoes on, they’re waiting for you”
Wendy turned away from
him and he could tell the way her shoulders were moving that she was crying.
“Well come on then” he
said “Get your shoes on, they’re waiting for you”
“What, now?” She said
wiping her face on her sleeve and nearly falling in the stream then she threw
her long arms around him in a big gawky hug.
“Thanks David” she
said and then she sat down again and he handed her a hankie which she gave a
double take at, not knowing whether to dry her eyes or her feet, so she did
both in the end, eyes first.
As he walked her back
into the village he filled her in with what odd bits of work he had found for
her so far.
“But the rest is up to
you” he said
“I won’t let you down
David, I promise” she said and when they arrived outside the shop David added
“It’s only temporary
while Mrs. Hemmings is ill but if you work hard, I’m sure they’ll use you
again”
And on hearing those
words she stood up straight and gave him a wonky smile.
“What if she doesn’t
like me?” She said nervously and he wiped the last remnants of her tears away
and took her into the shop.
“Sabr! This is Wendy”
he said
“Hello Wendy” Sabr
said
“Hi” she replied
trembling
“Don’t look so
worried” Sabr said “I won’t bite”
He was feeling very
pleased with himself as he walked up to Leslie Maher’s front door.
“Am I too late for
tea?” he asked when she opened the door
“No you’re fine,
Gwen’s still here” Leslie said
He received the news
with mixed feelings, he was pleased that he wasn’t too late but he was
disappointed that he had to share her with Gwen Quinton-Smith, although he
really liked Gwen.
And both of them were
very interested to hear all the details of his morning.
It was Saturday
morning, on the first Saturday of July and furthermore the Gods had delivered
to the folk of Sharpington a very hot day, the hottest day of the year so far
in fact.
Leslie was away in
Spain with her useless husband and had been for almost 3 weeks but she was due
back the next day and he was really looking forward to seeing her.
David had been a
widower for 10 years and in love with Leslie Maher for 5 of those.
Unfortunately she was
still married, so that was a no go area for him.
He didn’t believe in
fishing in someone else’s pond no matter how attractive the body of water might
be and how much he might be in love with it.
Even if Frank Maher
didn’t live by the same code as he did and was complete bastard, who spent all
his time either womanizing or drinking with his cronies.
Even if David were the
type of man to go after another man’s wife Leslie was not the kind of woman who
would let him.
So he had to watch and
hope that she might finally kick him into touch.
Because it was so close
to her return, that Saturday dragged and he did his best to fill the time.
In the morning he
walked along the promenade towards the attractions and decided to take a stroll
along the pier, he stopped periodically to look over the railings and on one occasion
he saw his brother in law Dennis Simmons walking along the beach and when he
looked up he gave David a wave, he waved back and continued on his way and it
was when he reached the end that he found Sabr Hemmings leaning on the rail and
gazing out to sea, the sea breeze disturbing her strawberry blonde hair.
“Do you come here
often?” he asked and they both laughed.
“Who’s running the
shop this morning if you’re here?” he asked her
“My Dad and Wendy” she
said
“How is Wendy doing?”
“Very well, she’s a
very hard worker, I have to force her to go home”
“That’s because she
doesn’t have much of a home to go to” he thought to himself, but he was glad to
hear she was doing well.
“And your mum?”
“Not good I’m afraid”
she replied sadly
“I’m sorry to hear
that” David said and she turned towards him and broke down and he held her and
comforted her for the next ten minutes.
They sat down on the
bench at the end of the pier and she unburdened herself on him and David
listened intently and when she had finished he simply said
“You don’t need me to
tell you what to do, you already know”
After walking Sabr
back to the shop he decided to go and have a pint at the Ancient Mariner
before he went home and fell asleep in front of the TV.
He was sitting in the
beer garden, people watching while enjoying a pint of Mornington Ale.
“Well bless me, I
thought you were dead” a voice said
“You knew very well
I’m not dead you saw me on the pier this morning Dennis”
“I know but you did
look a bit pasty” he said
“Do you want another?”
“Yes I will,
thanks”
Dennis Simmons was the
same age as David, he was a retired police Inspector, an exceptional dancer and
was a confirmed bachelor.
And as they sat
quietly enjoying their beer David asked.
“Are you going to the
Yacht Club Dinner Dance?”
“I wasn’t planning on
it” he replied “Are you?”
“Yes, you could come
as my plus one” David suggestion
“Why don’t you take a
lady instead?” Dennis asked
“The lady I would
choose to take is going with someone else” David explained
“Don’t tell me you’re still carrying
a torch for that neighbour of yours?” Dennis
asked and David nodded
“I don’t blame you
though she’s a lovely woman”
“That she is” David
said wistfully
“Ok” he said “I’ll be
your wingman”
“Thanks mate” he said
The next day Leslie’s
flight landed on time and she was back home by lunchtime but Frank being Frank
left her to unpack while he went off to play Golf.
She tried to pretend
that she didn’t really mind but she wasn’t fooling David so he offered to take
her out for lunch.
“You really don’t have
to do that” she said
“Nonsense get your
bag” he insisted and he drove her to Dulcet-on-Brooke and they ate lunch at The
Waterside Inn and they weren’t the only
couple from Sharpington sharing an intimate meal together.
“So how was the
holiday?” he asked
“The Hotel was nice”
Leslie replied
“But it would have
been nicer if it wasn’t next to two Golf courses”
“I see”
There was a sadness in
her eyes so he didn’t press her further and changed the subject and they spent
a warm summer afternoon in the beer garden on the banks of the River Brooke.
A couple of weeks
passed and things had been quite quiet in Sharpington and he stepped out of his
kitchen into the sunlight to find Alison Williams working up a sweat cutting
the grass.
She had just stopped
to empty the grass box when she saw him coming.
“Morning” he called
“Hello David”
At that moment Wendy
appeared wearing identical dungarees as Alison carrying some empty sacks.
“Hello” she shouted
“Hi Wendy” he shouted
back
Then in a lower voice
he asked Alison
“How’s she doing?”
nodding in Wendy’s direction
“Excellently” Alison
replied beaming
“She a quick learner,
hardworking, eager and reliable”
“Really?”
“I couldn’t ask for
better, and she’s a real sweetie” she said
“I’m so pleased” he
said and left them to their toil in the soil and drove into Abbottsford to buy
a new suit.
David dried, perfumed
and powdered himself and changed into his dinner suit complete with cummerbund
and bow tie, he gave his reflection a cursory glance and wished he hadn’t worn
a clip on bow tie.
“Too late to worry
about that now” he said as he heard the taxi blow his horn.
After picking up
Dennis on the way they made it to the Yacht Club with minutes to spare.
The ante room was
jammed with an array of stunningly turned out women but he couldn’t see Leslie
anywhere.
While he and Dennis
stood on the periphery Gwen Quinton-Smith appeared.
She was normally a
rather plain looking woman just the wrong side of 60, quite small and slim and
normally choose to dress in the twin set and tweed style.
But not that night,
that night she was looking very presentable indeed, if in a rather retro
fashion way, but there was clearly more to Gwen than immediately met the eye.
“Hello David” She said
warmly “thank you so much for finding Wendy for me, she’s been an absolute
Godsend”
“I’m glad she’s been
useful” he said and then he noticed she was no longer making eye contact with
him but was looking at Dennis instead.
“Gwen, this is my
brother in law Dennis” he said
“Hello Dennis” she
said
Just after David had
introduced Dennis and Gwen a waitress arrived with a tray of drinks, Dennis
took one and handed it to Gwen and then took one for himself and David grabbed
a glass just in time before the waitress snatched the tray away and as she
left, Leslie joined them, looking very shapely and David’s heart skipped a
beat.
“What are you lot
talking about?” she said
“Gwen was just telling
me what a little gem Wendy Corney is weren’t you Gwen” he said but she and
Dennis appeared to be oblivious to their presence and then the waitress stepped
through the crowd to offer Leslie a drink and then Emma Goldup appeared wearing
a long white dress.
“Hello Mr Goodman” she
said “I hear on the grapevine that you know someone hard working and
conscientious who might be looking for some work”
“Yes I do, Emma, but
I’m not sure how much free time she has at the moment” he said “she’s in great
demand, but I will certainly put her in touch, but only on one condition”
“What’s that?”
“That you stop calling
me Mr Goodman and call me David”
“Ok” she said and
giggled
Gwen and Dennis
suddenly became aware they were not alone and then the small talk ebbed and
flowed before they wandered over to the seating plan to find out who their
dining companions were.
“Great we’re on the
same table” David said
“Really?” Leslie said
“how funny, who else have we got?”
They studied the plan
for a few minutes and then David said
“Well that’s probably
the best table in the room”
“I agree” Leslie said
proudly
“So who do you think
we need to thank?” he asked her
“Gwen obviously”
Leslie scoffed “She always does the tables”
Then she stuck her arm
through his and said
“You may escort me to
my table peasant”
“Yes’m” he said
tugging his forelock
They were right about
it being the best table in the room, they had a good mix and there was a lot of
jovial banter
The only person who
didn’t seem to enjoy it was Leslie’s husband Frank, he seemed totally bored
with the whole affair and complained about everything and communicated with the
rest of the group in monosyllables.
Leslie was not at all
pleased with him and made no secret of the fact.
But the straw that
broke the camels back for her was when the dancing started Frank deserted her
to go and drink with his mates at the bar.
“Intolerable,
completely intolerable” she muttered and stormed out of the ballroom.
David was on the other
side of the table at the time but as soon as he saw her leave he set off in
pursuit.
She bolted towards the
terrace but when he got outside there was no sign of her.
There were small
groups of guests at one end so he guessed she had not gone in that direction
and went down the steps to the garden.
He eventually found
her sobbing in an arbour and when she saw him she threw herself into his arms.
“Oh David, why is he
such a bastard?”
“I don’t know love” he
replied
“He couldn’t even wait
to have one bloody dance with me” she sobbed.
“I know”
“Will you dance with
me?” she asked
“Always” he
replied
After David walked her
back up to the ballroom she slipped away to attend to her makeup and when she
returned she led him to the dancefloor which they barely left for the next
hour, they didn’t speak but Leslie clung to him like a limpet and they were so
engrossed they failed to notice Dennis and Gwen were also on the dancefloor and
oblivious to what was happening around them.
Just after midnight
Leslie said
“Will you take me
home?”
“Of course” he said
He told Dennis that
they were heading off and he said that was fine so he walked Leslie outside and
they got a taxi.
They didn’t speak on
the journey home but Leslie held his hand from the moment the taxi door closed.
He paid the driver and
walked her to her front door still holding her hand.
“I’m sorry your
evening was spoiled” David said
“It wasn’t, thanks to
you” she said and kissed his lips “Goodnight”
He didn’t see Leslie
the next day or in fact for the next week, he knocked on her door a couple of
times but he got no answer.
David was at a loss
what to do, he didn’t want to be too pushy but he felt he had made a
breakthrough at the Yacht Club but he decided he should remain patient.
The problem was that
the time was hanging heavy as the weather had turned very wet and stormy so he
didn’t take his normal walks down to the seafront so he was feeling a little
stir crazy.
A couple of days later
he was halfway through watching an old Ealing comedy on TV and decided to make
a drink.
And as he stood at the
kitchen sink filling the kettle he noticed Wendy Corney pottering about in the
garden.
“Oh good, company” he
said to himself and went to the back door and opened it.
“WENDY” he shouted and
she immediately looked in my direction and waved.
“COME HERE” he called
to her and accompanied it with a gesture so she stopped what she was doing and
trotted up the path to the back door.
“Hi David” she said
her rain soaked face smiling, and then she shivered.
“Come in out of the
rain for a bit”
“Ok” she said, “have
you got the kettle on?”
As they sat in the
kitchen he said
“So how are you
getting on?”
“Great” she said
“How’s your mum?”
“The same” she replied
“But I’m working most of the time”
“And how’s that
going?”
“Brilliant I work with
Alison the most, and Sabr at the shop use’s me as and when in the shop and Miss
Quinton-Smith has been giving me odd jobs as well”
“Gwen is a good woman”
he said
“Talking about jobs, I
bumped into Emma Goldup at the Dinner Dance last weekend and she asked if you
were available”.
“Is she the blonde
girl with the horse?” She asked
“Yes” he said “I don’t
know what work she has in mind, it might well be shovelling muck”
“Oh I don’t mind what
I do” Wendy said “I just like being useful”
“Good for you” he said
He had spent the
morning cleaning the car and was just finishing off when a taxi pulled up and
Leslie got out.
She smiled and waved
and the driver removed a suitcase from the boot and a moment later Gwen
appeared from her front door.
“Is everything ok
dear?” she asked as she trotted across the road.
“Yes I’m fine” she
replied to Gwen but she was looking at David “I just went to stay with James
for a few days”
James was her eldest
son and he lived in Northchapel.
“Why don’t we go for a
pub lunch and catch up” David suggested
“I can’t” Gwen said
which was unlike her, she was normally a shoe in when lunch was mentioned,
which was why Leslie and David looked at her a little strangely which prompted
her to hurriedly add
“Wendy's coming to
help me tidy the attic”
“It must be important”
Leslie said, “If you’re going forgo a lunch invitation”
Then Gwen said,
“If truth be told I do
rather look forward to days like today”
“Yes Wendy is such a
nice girl and very good company” Leslie said
“Quite” Gwen agreed
“I’m going to have to
say no as well I’m afraid” she said
“The journey has given
me a bit of a head”
“Oh ok” he said and
reacting to his crestfallen look she said
“Another day
though”
Leslie went indoors
and he got his vexation out of his system as he waxed the car to within an inch
of its life for the next two hours.
The day after Leslies
return he woke up to find he was as stiff as a board.
He thought it must
have been his excursions the day before when cleaning the car after all he was
getting on a bit, but later that day he found out that he had the flu.
So he returned to his
bed and didn’t emerge again until Sunday.
When he arose early on
Sunday morning he ate a very hearty breakfast before taking a long relaxing
bath and having fed and cleansed his body he decided it was time to get some
exercise.
He hadn’t gone more
than a few yards from the cottage when Leslie Maher emerged from her front
gate.
“Hello David” she said
brightly
“I haven’t seen you
for a few days”
“I’ve been in bed” he
replied
“Oh” Leslie said with
a raised eyebrow
“With the flu”
“Oh you poor dear” she
said
It was the first time
he’d seen her since she had blown off his lunch invitation with a headache.
“I was hoping the
offer of lunch was still on” she said
“Of course”
“Excellent” Leslie
said and took him by the arm and they walked down the street to the promenade.
“Frank has gone” she
said blandly
“I’m sorry,” he said
though he was glad
“Don’t be” she said
“it’s for the best”
“The boys told him to
go you know” she announced proudly
“You deserve better
than him” he said squeezing her hand
“Thank you” she said
and squeezed his hand back
“You can do better
than him” he said
“I already have” she
said and when he turned to face her she smiled and he kissed her.
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