Downshire Diary – (01) Meeting Dorcas

 

He had always been a contented person and altogether happy with his lot, though not a wealthy person by any measurement he had everything he wanted, and all was well in his world.

He had a job that he enjoyed, and a family that he loved and got along well with and he lived in his own modest cottage in the pleasant Downshire village of Bushy Down.

He thought he had everything a man could possibly want and he was content, that was, until a few weeks after his twenty ninth birthday when he met Dorcas Fox-Martin.

 

It was a glorious Sunday morning in June and the Village of Bushy Down was looking particularly picturesque.

He was on his way to St Lucy’s Church in the village, not somewhere he was completely unfamiliar with but somewhere he hadn’t been as often as he should have.

Though on that particular morning he had a more pressing need to be there other than the neglect of his spiritual wellbeing.

Because on that morning Ben Overton, was to be Godfather to his nephew Connor.

His sister Helen was three years younger than he was and was the baby of the family and now had a baby of her own who was about to be christened.

 

It was as he walked to the Church, preoccupied by thoughts of pride at his impending Godfatherhood that his life was changed forever.

Having caught sight of Helen on the Church steps he quickly crossed Church Lane and was brought rudely to his senses by the blast of a car horn.

Ben jumped out of the way and reached the safety of the footpath and braced himself to launch a tirade at the impatient shit on the other end of the car horn.

But when he turned to face the driver he was greeted by a beautiful smiling brunette.

Who mouthed the word “sorry” and smiled which completely disarmed him.

 

Helen and her husband Mark, watching from the Church steps thought it was highly amusing that he had nearly been turned into road kill.

He turned around to give them a withering look and when he returned his attention back to the pretty vehicular assassin she had gone and that was the end of that, or so he thought.

 

It was at the end of the main service when the Reverend Hunter began the Baptism of his nephew Connor Innes into the faith that he saw again.

It turned out that “Penelope Pitstop”, the beautiful, if dangerous brunette, was a close friend of his sister Helen and was also to be a Godparent to his nephew.

 

Ben had to confess that as proud as he was to be Godfather to Connor, he didn’t really follow proceedings as closely as he should have as his eyes were constantly drawn to the beautiful girl on the other side of the font.

But at the end he lost sight of her in the melee as everyone decanted from the Church and such was the affect that the beautiful stranger had on him that he drove to his mum’s house in Kiddingstone full of trepidation that she was gone forever. 

 

Ben Overton parked his car in the street outside his Parents house and went inside.

“Hey Ben” Helen said as he entered the kitchen “you got here safely then?”

“Very funny” he countered

“You’re obviously safer as a driver than you are as a pedestrian” She said and roared with laughter.

“Shut up and give me a beer lippy” he replied

She went to the fridge and took out a bottle, opened it and handed it to me.

“Thanks sis,” he said “have you got a glass?”

Ben didn’t like drinking from the bottle, he couldn’t stand it, and it was a bit of a joke within the family because he thought drinking from the bottle was common.

“You are so old” Helen said laughing

“I just have standards” he retorted pompously “Where’s Mark?”

“He’s in the lounge showing Gran the video” She replied.

Their Gran was 91 and quite frail and wasn’t well enough to attend the Christening so the ceremony was videoed by their brother Danny and it was being played back for her so she would feel included in proceeding.   

“You should go and watch it yourself” she added “as you missed most of it as you were ogling Dorcas”

“Dorcas?” he asked playing dumb

“Yes the pretty brunette you couldn’t take your eyes off” she said

“I think you’re imagining it” he answered as he left the kitchen

“I think you’re smitten” she shouted after me and he was about to unleash a witty retort in response but he was suddenly knocked sideways into the wall causing him to slop his drink down his trousers.

 “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going” a female voice said and he turned around to face his assailant

“That’s…” and that was all he could say as he gazed upon the smiling face of the beautiful girl he knew to be, though they had not been introduced, Dorcas.

He didn’t know how long he stood there staring at her or how long he would have continued to stare had she not broken the silence.

“This is becoming a bit of a habit” She said “my name is Dor…”

“Dorcas” he continued

“Yes” she answered “and you’re Ben”

 

And so the introductions were complete and from the first moment they met she bought something into his world that he hadn’t even noticed he didn’t have, love.

He was besotted with the diminutive young woman with the immense personality and a heart as big as the moon.

 

It is quite reasonable to state categorically that Ben Overton was quite content with his lot in life and he had not felt his life suffered for the want of love, he had not craved it nor coveted it, he just thought it was something that was inflicted on other people and he was immune to it but once he had tasted it he was hooked.

 

Had it not been for the fact that she had almost run him down and had fate not also decreed they both be Godparents to the same child he didn’t think he would ever have dared to speak to her, let alone ask her out but ask her out he did and furthermore she said yes.

 

Having plucked up the courage, at his Godsons Christening, to ask the stunningly beautiful Dorcas Fox-Martin out on a date and as he was bolstered by her positive response to such an extent he very foolishly neglected to cement the arrangement there and then and furthermore left the Christening party without securing either a firm date for their erm….. Date, or for that matter any contact details for her and it wasn’t until he got home that the full extent of his stupidity dawned on him.

In his Defence of course he would argue that he was so taken aback by Dorcas’s positive reply and such was his elation that she had agreed to go out with him on a date that he was not thinking clearly, which is why he not only failed to arrange anything but had also left without any means of contacting her.

Ben had just reached the point where he was well and truly feeling sorry himself when the phone rang.

“Hello” he said forlornly

“Oh dear” Helen said unsympathetically “cheer up”

“Don’t joke” he said “I’ve done something really stupid”

“I know” she replied “you’re a plank”

“Oh don’t” he responded feebly

“Fortunately, your wonderful sister has come to the rescue” Helen said “and I gave your number to Dorcas so she can call you”

“You’re the best sis in the world” he said

“I know” she said immodestly “now don’t cock it up”

 

He had been so diverted by his foolishness that he hadn’t even given any due consideration as to where he would take her.

Given that prior to that morning she had been a complete stranger to him so therefore he had no idea what to suggest.

His normal first date experience, limited though that might have been, consisted of either a drink, a meal, the cinema or bowling.

Well a drink didn’t sound substantial enough for his liking and as he was somewhat nervous he imagined that he may end up drinking too much and make a complete dogs breakfast of it, so he ruled that out.

A meal on the other hand was fraught with dangers of its own, food preferences, allergies and intolerance’s and it went without saying that it was an absolute given, to rule out any food that required the wearing of a bib.

The cinema he had always found to be a difficult area date wise,

Sitting in the dark with a girl and spending most of the film weighing up the options of when it would be appropriate to move in for a cuddle or a kiss.

Not that that would be of concern with Dorcas, after all they were both past the age of the back row groping scenario.

The problem inherent in the cinema was knowing her taste in film that was the issue there, so he ruled out the cinema as well.

He also crossed off tenpin bowling but for no other reason than that he was really crap at it.

 

After a couple of fruitless hours of deliberation he still had no idea where to suggest that he and Dorcas should go on their first ate and then the phone rang.

Ben took a deep breath and reluctantly picked up the receiver.

“Hello” he said timidly

“Ben?” a voice asked

“Speaking” he replied

“It’s Dorcas” she said

“Hi” Ben said weakly

“We didn’t make a date” Dorcas said hesitantly “At the Christening, for the date”

“No I…” he faltered

“Did you still… erm want to?” she asked

“Of course” he said firmly almost shouting

“Good” Dorcas said with a giggle

“I thought you might have changed your mind”

“No not at all” he stated “But...”

“But?” she said falteringly

“I don’t know where to suggest” he said

“Is that all?” she asked and laughed

She had had a similar struggle as he had to find a suitable venue/activity, they had however reached totally different conclusions which he found out when she announced she had the perfect date in mind.

“A Tree Top Trail”

“What’s that?” he asked genuinely oblivious

“It’s a trail through the tree tops with Tarzan swings, rope bridges and Zip Wires” she said excitedly

“It sounds like great fun and I’ve always fancied having a go”

Well he had no great expectation when he first asked Dorcas out and he thought she would soon tire of him, after all he was one of life’s spectators while she was the type of person who was up there on center stage.

But how wrong he was, she knew that they were cut from different cloth but she didn’t care that they were so different.

Ben had always been content to look on from the sidelines whereas Dorcas was in there participating with all her might, she was a “joiner in” while Ben was an applauder of other people’s efforts, a holder of coats.

But no more, and despite the fact that the thought of walking through the tree tops 30 feet above the ground scared him to death he said.

“Me too”

 

It was a bright Sunday morning in June, just one week after they had first met, when Dorcas picked him up in her Mini outside the Railway Station in Bushy Down, the very same Mini she had nearly run him over a week earlier. .

It was probably a little unconventional for the first date but after some discussion it was decided that she would pick him up as he lived in Bushy Down which was between her home in Finchbottom and our destination in the Dancingdean Forest.

 

Despite his apprehension he was still very much looking forward to his first date with Dorcas and was praying it would go well.

Ben’s trepidation was far removed from the normal first date nerves, which were bad enough, his main fears stemmed from the fact he had to contend with the death defying heights of the Tree Top Trail, with all its incumbent hazards such as Tarzan swings, rope bridges and Zip Wires, all at a height of 30ft.

He wasn’t good with heights at the best of times, he never had been, not because he suffered from vertigo or had an irrational fear of being up high.

In fact he liked high places, Airplanes, the London Eye, Canary Wharf or the Empire States Building, as long as there was something between him and oblivion.

What scared him to death was gravity and the belief that it would at any moment pull him screaming to the ground.

But I couldn’t show it, not to Dorcas, he had to put on a brave face for her benefit as he didn’t want her to think he was a wimp.

 

It was about an hour’s drive to the Dancingdean Forest, but the time seemed to pass by very quickly as they chatted about something and nothing, always a good sign when there are no embarrassed silences.

Once they arrived his trepidation deepened as he looked up and realized exactly how high 30 feet was.

As if sensing his reservations Dorcas took hold of his arm.

“Come on then” she said steering him in the direction of a large timber shack.

 

There were 12 of them in their group, 11 first timers and one jovial leader called Gaz who was determined they all had a “great experience”

And on the whole they all did, although there were moments when Ben was almost scared to death.

Though they were never in any real danger, they all had harnesses and protective gear but he was still scared up in the tree tops.

But at the end of it, thanks to Gaz, the whole group had a great experience, but it was still nice to get back to terra firma.

After divesting themselves of their safety gear they all made their way to the café for a well-earned coffee.

As he and Dorcas sat either side of a picnic table discussing how much they had enjoyed the experience she announced

“I wouldn’t want to do it again”

“What?” he said with alarm

“The tree top stuff” she assured him, but she continued with more than a little smugness, knowing that she had him hook line and sinker

“I’m up for another date though” she continued

Then after a minute or two she suddenly said

“I have a confession to make”

“Oh” he responded fearing the worst, she was married or engaged or something.

“I would have enjoyed it much more if I wasn’t scared of heights” she confessed

“I only finished the course because I didn’t want you to think I was wet”

After hearing her confession Ben laughed

“It’s not funny” she said crossly

“I’m laughing because I was scared to death myself” he said “I just gritted my teeth and got on with it because I didn’t want you to think I was a wimp”

On hearing his confession she laughed as well.

When the laughter had subsided they both concurred that it had been a good first date.

 

It was early evening when they finished their coffee and said fair well to their fellow adventurers and the weather was still lovely.

They were both getting peckish and as neither of them were ready for the date to end and as were only an hour or so away from the coast they headed off to Sharpington where they ended the momentous day eating fish and chips out of the paper on the sea front and talked enthusiastically about the day.

Their first kiss came in true romantic style as the sun slowly sank beyond the horizon and afterwards on the journey home they planned their second date.