June
James Tims had
always been a contented person and altogether happy with his lot.
Though not an
excessively wealthy person by any measurement, he was a successful Architect
and had everything he wanted, and all was well in his world.
He had a job
that he enjoyed immensely and a loving family that he loved and got along well
with and lived in his own cottage in the Village.
In short, he
had everything a man could want, and he was content, that was, until a few
weeks after his thirty third birthday when he met Emma Daley for the first
time.
It was a
glorious Sunday morning in June, and the Village was looking particularly
picturesque.
James was on
his way to St Agatha’s Church in the Village, not somewhere he was completely
unfamiliar with but somewhere he hadn’t been as often as he felt 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 James was to be
Godfather to his nephew Nathan.
His sister Lucy
was three years younger than him, and she 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 God
fatherhood that his life was changed forever.
Having caught
sight of Lucy on the Church steps he quickly crossed the road and was brought
rudely to his senses by the blast of a car horn.
He jumped out
of the way and reached the safety of the footpath and braced himself to launch
a tirade of abuse at the impatient arse on the other end of the car horn, but
when he turned to face the driver and was greeted by a beautiful smiling
brunette, who mouthed the word “sorry” it completely disarmed him.
Lucy and her
husband Craig were watching from the Church steps and thought it was highly
amusing that he had nearly been turned into roadkill.
He turned
around to give them a withering look and when he turned his attention back to
the pretty vehicular assassin she had gone and that was that or so he thought.
It was at the
end of the main service when the Reverend Virtue began the Baptism of his
nephew Nathan into the faith that he saw her again.
It turned out
that “Penelope Pitstop” the beautiful, if dangerous brunette, was a close
friend of his sister and was also to be a Godparent to his nephew.
Following that
he would have freely confessed that as proud as he was to be Godfather, 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 in the end,
he lost sight of her in the melee as everyone decanted from the Church, and
such was the effect this beautiful stranger had on him that he walked to his
mum’s house full of trepidation that she was gone forever.
“Hey James”
Lucy said as he entered the kitchen “you got here safely then?”
“Very funny” he
countered
“You’re
obviously not safe as a pedestrian” she said and roared with laughter.
“Shut up and
give me a beer smart-arse” he retorted
She went to the
fridge and took out a bottle, opened it and handed it to him.
“Thanks sis,”
he said, “have you got a glass?”
James didn’t
like drinking from the bottle, he couldn’t stand it, and it was a bit of a joke
within the family, he thought it was common.
“You are so old”
Lucy said laughing
“I just have
standards” He retorted pompously “Where’s Craig?”
“He’s in the
lounge showing Gran the video” She replied.
Gran was 91 and
quite frail and wasn’t well enough to attend the Christening so the ceremony
was videoed by one of the family 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
Emma”
“Emma?” 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 him and he was about to unleash a witty retort in response,
but he was suddenly knocked sideways into the wall slopping his drink down his
trousers.
“Sorry, I
wasn’t looking where I was going” she 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, Emma.
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 Em…”
“Emma” he
continued
“Yes” she
answered “and you’re James”
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 romantic
love.
James was
besotted with the diminutive young woman with the immense personality and a
heart as big as the moon.
He thought
before that day he was quite content with his lot and 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,
but once he 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 it was unlikely he would ever have
spoken to her, let alone ask her out but ask her out he did and furthermore she
said yes.
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