Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (46) Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

Gwen Quinton-Smith lived in Sharpington and had done all of her life and had no desire to live anywhere else.

The traditional seaside resort of Sharpington-by-Sea suited her very well with its 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.

To her mind the whole place, like her, had age and character.

Gwen was just the wrong side of 60 and by her own admission a rather plain looking woman, quite small and slim and she choose to dress in the twin set and tweed style.

Her mode of dress was to most people a little old fashioned but she was always beautifully turned out.

But to her great surprise after a night of dancing in July at the Yaght Club Dinner Dance she found love with someone who loved her back.

 

The object of her reciprocated affections was Dennis Simmons who was a couple of years older than she, equally well turned out, to the point of being a bit of a dandy, but she liked that.

He was a retired police Inspector, an upright figure, friendly and jovial and he was also a gentleman, and prior to meeting Gwen, Dennis was a confirmed bachelor.

 

Although she was of retiring age she wasn’t really retired as in truth she had no job to retire from.

She had never been employed as she had an inheritance from her grandmother which was left to her to ensure her independence and in her 30s she inherited her parents money.

But despite her unemployment she was not an idle person, in fact she worked more hours a week than most wage earners.

She did a surfeit of Charity work, fund raising, hospital volunteing, Womens Institute, Church Warden at St Lucys and she was Chairwoman of the Sharpington Day Parade committee to name but a few.

Due in part to her good works Gwen was imensely popular in Sharpington because she was filled with such great possitivity and she had an enormous heart which was now full of love for Dennis.

 

Gwen was an only child born to elderly parents and was a spinster but the latter had been mainly by design.

She did have a great passion while at University but he let her down badly so she drew a line under such diversions until that night of dancing at the yaght club.

 

Dennis had never married either and although he was a retired police Inspector he never really retired either because on the premise of keeping his mind alert he did Security Consultancy.

 

Their relationship didn’t slow either of them down on their commitments, not one iota, they still did everything they did before, they just did more things together.

 

The only bone of contention between them had been church attendance although they had both been raised as Christian’s, her parents being Anglican High Church and his being Methodists, she was a regular attendee and he was not.

 

But she managed with a little persuasion to get him through the doors of St Lucy’s on the 1st of August when their relationship was still in its first flush.

She had chosen St Lucy’s rather than her parents High Church worship but was never sure what prompted her to attend that particular church rather than one of the other dozen or so in town, maybe she was being guided, but whatever or whoever had influenced her compass she had never been disappointed with the chosen destination and she felt immediately at home and she could tell by his expression that he felt the same way on his first time.

 

The love affair between Dennis Simmons and Gwen Quinton-Smith blossomed after the Yacht Club Dinner Dance but the sweet music didn’t stop playing for them just because the band went home.

Right through the rest of July and well into August whenever their commitments allowed they were together.

Even if it was just sitting on the sea wall talking, they were happy.

But as much as she loved him she didn’t stop thinking of others and in particular her friends.

 

She arose early on Sunday morning and read the paper as she ate breakfast before getting herself ready for Church.

When she left her house she looked down the street and she could see her good friends David Goodman and Leslie Maher, he was a widowed ex school teacher and she had just separated from her worthless husband.

They lived next door to each other and it was plain for all to see that they loved each other, she had often prayed for divine intervention on their behalf but it hadn’t helped.

She set off in their direction and she smiled when she saw her slip her arm through his.

“Excellent” she said “This is your chance God, work your magic”

And no sooner had the words left her lips, than the two of them stopped and faced each other and then he kissed her.

“Oh you’re good” Gwen said looking to the heavens “You’re really good”

 

She stood her ground and looked on until the kissing had stopped and they resumed their previous course and then she set off at a trot to catch up with them.

“Wait for me” Gwen called and they stopped to look back and then waited for her to catch up.

“Hello you two” she said and then kissed and hugged them both, “I’m so pleased for you both”

“You’re a bit quick of the mark” Leslie said “It’s only just happened”

“Yes but it was only a matter of time” Gwen said

“Are you going to St Lucy’s?” David asked

“Yes I’m meeting Dennis there” Gwen said

David was feeling pleased with himself for successfully changing the subject but then Gwen said

“So where are you two love birds off to?”

“Nowhere in particular” David said

“But we’re going there together” Leslie added and squeezed his hand.

 

As they were walking along the promenade Gwen asked a question

“Did you know its Wendy’s 18th birthday soon?”

Wendy Corney lived on the Potters Lane caravan park in Sharpington with her alcoholic mother and one night at the beginning of June David caught her breaking in to his garage.

She was a tall skinny waif with short mousy blonde shaggy dog hair.

But David didn’t call the police or report her because he saw something in her and so he took it upon himself to help her which he did by co-opting friends to find work for the tomboy.

And in so doing they all took her to their hearts.

“Is it?” Leslie asked

“Yes and I think we should give her a surprise party” Gwen suggested

“What a wonderful idea” David said “I wish I’d thought of it”

“You had other things on your mind” Gwen said

“Well you can count me in” he said

“Count “us” in” Leslie corrected him

“Oh I like how that sounds” he said “us”

“Well I’ll leave you two love birds alone now” Gwen said as they approached St Lucy’s.

“I have a beau of my own to meet”

 

Gwen and Dennis enjoyed the Sunday service and said a lengthy farewell to Reverend Morris who was at the door as they left.

Outside on the pavement Leslie and David were waiting,
“Do you two need to rush off?” David said
“We don’t have any special plans” Gwen replied
“No none” Agreed Dennis
“How about lunch then? At the Ancient Mariner” David suggested “Our treat” Leslie added
“We’re in” chirped Gwen

As they walked towards the pub they met Sabr Hemmings who was walking in the same direction, she was feeling a little down because her boyfriend Adam was on duty that weekend.

Sabr ran Hemmings General Store and was another of Gwen’s circle of friends who had given Wendy Corney part time work.

“Hello where are you lot going?” she asked

“Lunch” said Gwen
“Why don’t you join us?” David suggested “At the Mariner”
she looked blank for a moment as she processed the invitation almost as if she had been asked a question in a foreign language and had to translate it in her head before she could answer.

“You know what? I would love too,” she said beaming
“I will have to meet you there though, I have to check in at the shop first”
“No problem” David said “We’ll see you shortly then”

 

Sabr rushed off towards the shop and the others ambled slowly towards the pub.

When Sabr joined them 15 minutes later she said she had got

Wendy’s to stand in for her for a few hours.

“She said I could take the whole day if I wanted” Sabr said

“She is such a sweet girl” Gwen added

And it was appropriate that the conversation began with Wendy as she was to be the main topic of conversation during lunch, and in particular the surprise party for her 18th birthday.

 

Being a retired Police Inspector Dennis was a little cynical about the girl, helping a burglar rather than punishing them went against the grain.

He understood why Gwen would help her because he knew that she had a big heart but he was amazed by the level of love that Wendy inspired amongst her friends, of course he understood once he met her for himself.

 

They had a very pleasant lunch and the company had been an absolute delight and the banter was very down to earth and very witty.

A little more alcohol than was good for them was consumed due to the fact that they were celebrating David and Leslie finally getting together but in addition a very definite plan had been put in place for a surprise birthday party.

 

As they left the pub they walked along the promenade in the pleasant afternoon sunshine of an August Sunday.

When they reached Hemmings General Store Sabr paused
“Thank you for the lunch David” she said with a slight slur “I think I will take Wendy up on her offer”

“Probably a sensible idea” David said

 

When the two couples reached their street David said

“I bet Sabr is already asleep on the sofa”

They all laughed and then Leslie looked at David and said

“I think we might well do the same”

 

The rest of August was taken up with the arrangements for the Sharpington Day Parade which took place on the August Bank Holiday.

It was a major Charity event which raised tens of thousands of pounds every year much of which was collected by volunteers rattling tins along the route and traditionally the majority of volunteers took part in fancy dress and it was that element of the Parade which made it so popular with visitors.

Gwen was the overall Chair but it was such a big event that there were a number of sub committees and for example Jayne Keeling chaired the Fundraising Committee.

So there were a lot of meetings and Gwen had to attend them all.
But despite being kept so busy she still had time to plan the party.

 

The Bank Holiday weather was beautiful and the Parade was a great success but she was quite exhausted in the week that followed so she took a few days off to recharge her batteries before the Party which was on September 6th.

 

Wendy’s 18th birthday should have been a very significant one but because of her family situation she had barely mentioned it to anyone and had no expectations.

Her mother was too hungover to know what month it was let alone that it was her daughter’s special day.

The only reason Gwen knew at all was because Sabr had opened a Post Office account for her and because of her mother’s alcohol dependency the pass book and her important documents were left with Gwen for safe keeping and among the papers was her birth certificate.

 

Gwen had organised a surprise party, complete with banners and balloons and guests.

Gwen had told Wendy that she wanted some help on Saturday tidying her garage which she said would take all afternoon at least.

Gwen had organised the surprise party, complete with banners and balloons and made sure the guests, David Goodman, Leslie Maher, Sabr Hemmings from the shop, landscape gardener Alison Williams and one other, Oliver Kingham who was David grandson, but no Dennis as he was away working.

All the guests were waiting in the lounge when there was a knock on the front door.

“Ok quiet everyone” Gwen said and went to open the door.

“Hello Wendy, right on time”  

“Hi Gwen, shall I make a start?” she said and headed towards the garage door.

“No I thought we’d have a drink first” she said “Come in”

“Oh ok”

Gwen stepped aside and let Wendy pass and then urged

“Go through”

And when Wendy pushed open the door she was greeted by a rousing

“Happy Birthday!”

There were lots of hugs and kisses of best wishes and Wendy got very tearful.

“Ok sit down sweetie” Alison said “open your presents”

“Presents?” Wendy said

“Yes, on the table” Gwen said

“They’re all for me?” she ask in disbelief and tears filled her eyes again.

“This one first” Alison said and brushed her ginger locks off her face as she knelt beside her.

Wendy couldn’t remember the last birthday present she had received and she wanted to savour the one Alison had given her so instead of ripping the paper off it so she carefully pulled the tape off one piece at a time and she was concentrating so much that she had her tongue poking out the corner of her mouth and when she finally got to the contents, they were thermal long johns.

“Brilliant” she squealed and hugged Alison

“You’re going to need them in the winter sweetie”

 

After that first gift she was less patient and opened the rest of the presents in quick succession.

Leslie bought her a wrist watch, David, a pair of converse shoes, Gwen, an MP3 player and Sabr, a hoody.

And so as not to be left out Oliver gave her a box of Crazy Chocolatiers Truffles he bought in Sharpington that morning.

“Thank you” she said and they exchanged a lingering look.

 

Gwen was delighted with Wendy’s reaction and she sighed as she watched her sitting with Oliver as she admired her presents and they admired each other.

 

When it was time to go she put her old shoes and sweater in a carrier bag and quietly said to Gwen  

“Can I leave my watch here for safe keeping?”

“Of course you can my dear” she replied  

A great deal of hugs and kisses followed and then with tears in her eyes again she headed towards the door

“I’ll walk you home Wendy” Oliver said

“You don’t have to do that” she half-heartedly protested

“I know, but I want to” he insisted

 

Following the success of the party on Saturday Gwen had a quiet evening in on her own and an early night.

The next day it was St Lucy’s as usual and was on the receiving end of a surprise herself when Dennis appeared unexpectedly halfway through the service as he wasn’t due back until the Wednesday.

It was a lovely surprise but it was only a flying visit, he had only come back to see her because he missed her and he had to leave again the next day and would be gone until Friday.

 

So she was on her own on Monday evening when there was an urgent banging on her front door and when she opened it was Leslie and her dog Trio, so called because he only had three legs.

“Hello dear” she said “is everything alright”

“No its not” she replied

“Why whatever’s the matter?” Gwen asked

“Wendy’s been beaten up” Leslie replied sombrely

“What?” she said incredulously “by who?”

“Her mother” she said

“Right where is she?” she demanded as she slipped her coat on

“I’ll kill her, I’ll give her a taste of her own medicine”

It took all Leslie’s strength to hold Gwen back and it took her ten minutes to calm her down and convince her that Wendy’s welfare was paramount.

“Well I’ll tell you this for nothing she’s not going back to her mother’s again”

“I agree,” Leslie concurred “but where can she go, she can’t stay at David’s”

“Definitely not” she said “So let’s go and see her”

 

They went across the road to David’s bungalow and knocked on the door and when it opened

Gwen asked with real concern

“How is the poor girl?” Gwen asked with real concern

“Much better” he answered, “come in”

They went into the kitchen and while Oliver finished making the hot chocolate he chatted to the ladies.

“I was beginning to wonder where you’d got to” he said

“Well, we would have been quicker but Slugger Quinton-Smith here wanted to go and smash Linda Corney’s face in”

“Seriously?” Oliver asked

Leslie nodded and Gwen blushed

“I was a bit miffed” Gwen said

“What happened?” David sked

“I persuaded her that it probably wasn’t the best course of action” Leslie relayed

“And that Wendy should be our main concern at the moment”

“Quite right” Oliver said pouring the hot milk into the waiting mug.

“Ok let’s go and see her” David suggested, “She’s in the lounge, go through”

And Ollie followed on with the hot chocolate.

But when they arrived in the lounge they found Wendy fast asleep on the sofa.

Oliver put the mug down briefly while he picked up a flowered throw and gently covered the sleeping figure.

He then picked up the hot chocolate and all four of them tiptoed from the room.

In the kitchen Leslie said

“Well that solves the problem of where she’s going to sleep”

“For tonight at least” he added

“I’ll look after her” Oliver said as Gwen appeared to be lost in thought and said nothing.

Leslie and David just exchanged a look and smiled.

 

Gwen only slept for a couple of hours that night which was a wet stormy one after the thunder rolled in and lighting flashes lit the sky, but it wasn’t that which kept her awake it was thinking about Wendy.

 

The next day Alison Williams and young Oliver had escorted Wendy to her mum’s caravan to pick up her things and afterwards she put Wendy straight to work, to keep her mind occupied.

Then David suggested that they all go over to Dulcet-on-Brooke and have lunch at The Waterside Inn and the meal was accompanied with an abundance of wine.

Those present were David, Leslie, Gwen and Oliver, who was the designated driver.

Gwen didn’t twig immediately that the meal and the wine were a means to get her to agree to take Wendy in as a lodger but as soon as the penny had dropped she decided to play along.

She had already decided in the midst of the previous night’s storm that she would ask Wendy to live with her, but she didn’t tell David and Leslie that.

It made perfect sense for her to take Wendy in as a lodger, she was fond of her and she had the space and she was lonely when Dennis was away working.

It took two hours and two bottles of wine for them to get to the point and ask her if she’d take Wendy in and then she said as David settled the bill

“I was going to suggest it myself,”

 

Gwen’s only condition was that she should tell Wendy herself.

So having phoned ahead to ensure she should be there they drove back to David’s bungalow and when he stepped through the back door, he found Wendy and Alison sitting at the kitchen table.

“At last” Alison snorted

“Well hello gardening ladies” he slurred

“Sorry I’m late but I had to go and meet Wendy's new landlady”

“Really?” Wendy asked

“Yes indeed” he replied “Would you like to meet her?”

“Yes please” she replied excitedly so he stepped aside and Gwen walked in

“Gwen” Wendy shouted and raced across the kitchen and hugged her “I’m so glad it’s you” she squealed and they both started to cry.

She moved in that night and Ollie carried her things for her.

 

Later that evening Gwen phoned Dennis and told him the whole story.

About the savage beating and her intervention in offering Wendy a home.

“That’s so typical of you” he said

“I couldn’t help it” she said “I had to take her in”

“I would have been disappointed if you hadn’t” he said

“Bless you for saying that” Gwen said and then the conversation turned to love.

 

Gwen and Wendy got on like a house on fire, Wendy was willing and hardworking and very good company and over the weeks she became like a daughter to her and by extension due to the age difference, a granddaughter.

After two weeks of washing and ironing her clothes Gwen had become aware of the meagre selection that she had and the overall quality.

With all her jobs, Wendy had accumulated a nice pot of money, Gwen knew that because she looked after her savings book, but she never did anything or went anywhere to spend it.

So Gwen suggested taking her into Abbottsford on a shopping expedition.

 

When Gwen suggested she take Wendy on a shopping trip to Abbottsford she said

“Abbottsford? Really?” she said

“Yes” Gwen replied “When was the last time you were there?”

“I’ve never been to Abbottsford before” she said “I’ve never been out of Sharpington”

“Well we had better make a day of it then” she said

 

Gwen could tell Wendy was very excited about going shopping and she heard from everyone she talked to that she talked of nothing else all week.

However she didn’t know how much money to take, she knew how much she had, and she had an idea of what she wanted to buy but she didn’t know how much cash to take.

So she asked Gwen for some guidance and she advised that she should only take about £50 in cash as she would use her credit card for most purchases and then Wendy could reimburse her later.

“But you have to let me pay” Wendy insisted

 

Come the day, the expedition was every bit as exciting as she imagined it would be.

They set off from Gwen’s at 6.30 in the morning and were in the Espresso Phoenix Coffee House in the Phoenix Centre having breakfast by 8 o’clock.

And from the moment the first shop opened they shopped till they dropped and on the return journey Wendy fell asleep in the car.

 

It was that shopping trip with Wendy that made Dennis’s mind up about something that had been occupying his mind for several weeks.

Gwen Quinton-Smith had an enormous heart and an immense spirit of generosity and she would do anything for anybody and he decide it was time that she was on the receiving end.

 

He knew that Gwen although independently wealthy had not travelled extensively he knew she’d been on city breaks around Europe with friends but she hadn’t been anywhere that he would have considered special so he planned to change all that.

 

In order for his plan to work he needed to be sneaky he wanted the whole thing to be a surprise but there were certain things he needed to do and something vital he needed to know.

 

Firstly he spoke to the secretaries of various committees that she sat on and made sure her calendar was clear between the 8th and the 18th of January.

Then she spoke to the Vicar of St Lucy’s to get someone to take on her Church Warden duties for that ten day period.

 

So with her Calendar clear he moved on to the most important element of the whole operation, if it couldn’t be verified his plan was dead in the water.

It was essential that he found out about her passport.

 

So it was on the 4th of October when he knew Gwen would be tied up all morning in committee and that Wendy would be at home alone that he walked up the path and knocked on the door.

“Hi Wendy” he said when she opened the door

“Hello Mr. Simmons” she replied suspiciously

“I need your help” he said

“What kind of help?”

“I need you to get something for me” Dennis said to Wendy

“I’m not a thief” she said defensively knowing he was an ex-policeman

“I know you’re not honey” he said

“Look I love Gwen very much”

“So do I” Wendy retorted

“I know you do” he said “Which is why I asked you to help me”

“So what do you want me to do?” she asked but still kept him on the doorstep

“I just need you to look at her passport and tell me when it expires” Dennis said

“Oh I can do that” she replied “I know where that is, Oooh are you taking her somewhere? No don’t tell me I’ll just blab” 

Once she knew that he wanted her help to do something nice for Gwen she let him in and then went and found Gwen’s passport.

Dennis took the passport from her hand and looked inside then he smiled and handed it back.

“Thanks Wendy you are a star” he said “Now I have work to do”

 

Wendy was so excited but as the weeks went by and nothing happened she began to have doubts about Dennis’s intentions.

But she needn’t have worried.

 

Dennis had everything in place but he didn’t know the best time to spring it on her.

Ideally he would have done it at the last possible moment and then whisked her away, but in reality he knew she would want a bit more notice than that.

There would be shopping to do and hairdressers and nail bars and numerous other missions to be completed and he couldn’t deny her those.

 

He didn’t want to do it at Christmas because it wasn’t a Christmas Present it was an “I love you” present and a “you deserve to be spoilt” present.

So he settled on the 18th of December a week away from Christmas but more than three weeks before departure day.

By Christmas Day the big surprise would have sunken in by the time Christmas arrived and he could surprise her all over again with the ring he had bought her.

 

On the 18th of December Dennis took her to an exclusive restaurant in Sharpington called The Diamond in the Rough.

“This is very nice” she said “I’ve never eaten here before”

“I had to book six weeks ago” he said

“Really?” Gwen said “Well it was worth it”

 

“That was a wonderful meal” Gwen said after the meal and when they were sitting drinking coffee and liqueurs Dennis reached into his pocket and took out an envelope and said 

“Well I hope you like this as much” 

“Oooh what’s this?” she asked and then opened the envelope and after she read the contents she was speechless.

“Don’t you like it?” he asked with concern

“Like it? I love it” she said “It’s the best present I’ve ever had”

“You really like it?”

“I’ve always wanted to go to the Caribbean” she said and she reread the card again.

An 8 nights cruise on the Ocean Splendour sailing from Miami via Cozumel, Belize City, Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and back to Miami.

“You’re spoiling me” she said with tears welling up in her eyes

“You deserve to be spoilt” Dennis replied and took hold of her hand

“I love you Dennis” she said