April
Pepperstock
Green was also the home of the Linden’s, brother and sister, Terry and Emma,
who had a poultry farm on the Northern side of the village.
They were both
the wrong end of their twenties and there were only the two of them left of the
Linden clan, but they had two people working for them, 22 year old local girl
Phoebe Obgaro, who was full time and thirty year old Sepp Lohr, who Terry had
known at Agricultural College, who was just helping out for a few weeks, unless
they could persuade him to stay longer.
Which was
something Emma was particularly keen on from the moment she first saw him, but
he’d been working at the farm for several weeks before there was any
impropriety between them, but when it did occur, she felt more alive than she
had done for years.
When Terry went
downstairs for breakfast he found Emma in the kitchen, singing, and the reason
she was so happy, apart from the obvious, was that Sepp had just told her he
was staying on, indefinitely.
“You’re in a
good mood” Terry said but she didn’t share the complete reason for her good
mood with her brother but replied
“Yes, I am, do
you want eggs babe?”
“Yes please” he
replied taking full advantage of her good humour
“Sepp has
decided to stick around a bit longer” she said matter-of-factly
“He’s in the
other room, go and keep him company”
Emma instructed
so he duly obliged
“Morning Mate”
he said
“It’s not just
any old morning” he responded, “it’s a magnificent morning?”
“Enough said”
Terry answered and smiled to himself just as Phoebe arrived behind him having
also experienced little miss sunshine.
“Hi Phoebe” he
said
“Hey Terry” she
retorted but couldn’t meet his gaze and quickly added “Well Sepp, I hear you’re
staying on for a bit”
“That’s right”
“How long for?”
Terry asked
“Indefinitely”
he replied, and there was a distinct smugness about him.
“So, what are
we up to today?” Phoebe asked
“Well, this
morning we’re going to get the enclosure ready for the new birds” Terry replied
“So come on let’s get going”
“Sepp! can you
bring the dirty things to the kitchen?” Emma said as she appeared in the
doorway.
“We were just
heading out” Terry said
“That’s ok
we’ll catch you up” she said cheerfully
“She’s very
happy today” Phoebe said as she and Terry walked across the yard
“She’s very
something” he responded enigmatically
“Have I missed
something?” Phoebe asked
“I think you
must have” he replied
“So, what is
it? What have I missed?” she asked “Tell me, tell me”
“Well, the
reason Sepp is staying on with us, is Emma” he said
“Eh?”
“Ok let me put
it another way” he explained “She didn’t want him to help with clearing the
dishes”
“What then?”
she asked and then the penny dropped
“Oh” and
then she giggled
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