Uncanny Love Tales – (034) The Girl in the Easter Dress

Easter was fast approaching, another significant event in the calendar that held no fond memories for him.

Steve Berry had grown up with a dislike for all family orientated occasion, New Years, Easter, Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night and especially Christmas with all its nauseating jollity and faux fun.

Unlike most of the people he knew he had no happy memories to anesthetise him against those occasions.

His parents were alcoholics and from a very early age he had learned to fend for himself and most of his childhood memories of the big holidays he would rather have forgotten.

That was until Holly Davis opened his eyes to new possibilities and he realised that Christmas and other holidays could also magnify joy and that life was full of wonderful possibilities, and as they lay in each other’s arms in the early hours of New Year’s Day, having just made love for the first time, Holly proposed that they run the Pig and Whistle together.

Despite his first doubtful thoughts, when he thought it may just have been post coital exuberance on her part, Steve agreed, based on the way the two of them had worked together through the Christmas period.

 

When he returned to his day job on January 5th his first action was to hand in his notice, much to the annoyance of his employers and the consternation of his co-workers, and his second action was to put his flat on the market.

Some of his friends suggested that he was burning his bridges whereas Steve believed he was merely following his heart.

Holly was buying the pub from her Uncle Phil, who sadly would not be around much longer, but even allowing for the discounted price he was asking, she could only just afford it with the sale of her house and virtually all of her savings, which didn’t allow her any extra for the improvements she wanted to make.

She could of course take out a mortgage for what she needed but she didn’t really want to begin with a debt.

Holly had no idea Steve had put his flat up for sale, in fact Holly didn’t even know if he owned his own flat, it wasn’t until the beginning of February when he said

“I have officially burned my bridges”

“What do you mean Hon?” She said

“I am now unemployed and homeless”

He said and handed her the written offer on his flat

“What are you saying?” Holly asked

“Our nest Egg” he said

“Are you sure?”

“All or nothing” he said

So, Steve and Holly became partners in the Pig and Whistle, and they sealed the deal in what had become their customary manner.

 

The Pig and Whistle had once been the Railway Hotel, up until the second world war when the Station was bombed out of existence.

In the post war years when the new station was built, it was inexplicably sited a mile away from its Hotel.

The Hotel was then sold off after nationalization and renamed.

It was ideally situated close enough to town to benefit from foot traffic but far enough away from the hot spots to avoid the weekend binge drinkers.

There was another hidden benefit of their location which would not be discovered until much later.

There were significant improvements made to the exterior of the building by Phil’s predecessor, upvc soffits, guttering and double glazing were installed as well as a number of others in fact it was improved to such an extent that they ran out of money, which was how Phil got it so cheap.

He and his wife Pat had big plans for the place but when she died suddenly the light went from his world as did his purpose for existing and he rather lost interested in the pub.

“So where do we start?” Holly said

“The roof” he replied

There was some remedial work required to the chimneys and some slates had been displaced in the winter storms.

“We can claim for the storm damage on Phil’s insurance and while they are up there, they can do the chimneys” he said

“Excellent” she said “That will save us a bit”

“And then we should complete the kitchen extension and the Conservatory” Steve said

Phil and Pat had applied for planning permission before she died but it would run out in April so the clock was running in that regard but Abbeyvale conservatory’s were keen to finish the job they had started more than a year earlier.

In fact, they were so keen Steve was able to negotiate a reduction on the installation cost.

So that was all set-in motion and then they turned their attention to the interior.

 

Holly had worked in hospitality since she was at college and of all the things she had learned, the one that stood out for her was not to put all your eggs in one basket, you had to diversify but equally don’t try to be all things to all men.

It was an old pub with a big open bar, Holly wanted to reinstate the old layout and return it to three separate bars.

The lounge bar for the conversational drinkers, a TV bar for the sports fans and a games room for darts, pool etc. and then the conservatory would be for the diners.

“I bow to your superior knowledge of hospitality Holl” he said “I’m just a bean counter, and as such I can say that it would be a relatively small outlay to replace the internal walls and it will be less expensive in the long run to heat three small spaces than one large”

“So, is that a yes then?” Holly teased

 

It was essential they started getting customers through the door so they couldn’t afford to have the pub closed for any length of time.

A pub the size of the Pig and Whistle would haemorrhage money at an alarming rate with the doors closed.

They wouldn’t be able to pay the staff and so they would have to find other work and then you’ve lost your experienced workforce.

Holly decided they wouldn’t close for any longer than was necessary for the refurbishment.

So, they closed for two days for the builders to put in the stud walls between the bars and closed the lounge bar for one week to decorate.

Then a week later they closed the TV bar for a week and repeated the process for the games room.

So, by the middle of March all three bars had been decorated and re-carpeted plus the Conservatory was complete and ready for use. 

 

The repairs and renovations, plus some new fixtures and fittings cost them just under half of their nest egg, which they were exceedingly pleased with, but they knew that if they didn’t get a steady trade through the door the remainder would be eaten up just in running costs.

They could put on novelty nights like Pub quizzes, or a clairvoyant doing readings, open mic comedy nights, poetry slams and the like but they planned to steer clear of live music or DJ’s, Holly thought they were more trouble than they were worth in the long run.

Also, they had to make the most of the annual special occasions, all those dates in the calendar that Steve had a phobia about in fact, but they had just missed out on St Patrick’s Day.

However, gimmicks only got you so far, the bread and butter patrons needed a reason to come back for the rest of the time.

The food would certainly help with that, especially with the conservatory.

It was midway through March when Holly and Steve sat down to catch their collective breaths, one evening on the patio in the pub garden.

“You know what’s next?” Holly said

“Another drink” Steve said hopefully

“The Garden” she said bleakly

It would have been more appropriately called the jungle.

It had been largely neglected not only by Phil but by his predecessors as well because the extent of the growth had occurred over more than a generation.

As luck would have it there were three regulars who drank at the pub, the Beaumont brothers, who were proper old country boys and the jungle was right up their street.

 

When they approached the Beaumont’s, they gladly picked up the gauntlet and they and various other members of the family pitched up the next day and got straight down to it and by the end of the second day they had made great progress and as they sat down to an end of day pint Steve asked

“How’s it going?”

He hadn’t anticipated it would take that long with such a large crew and his bean counters brain was doing cartwheels

“Another day clearing” Kenny Beaumont said “But you can at least get down to the River now”

“River?” he said, “What river?”

“The Trott” Old George replied

Just at that moment Holly stepped out from the Conservatory

“Did you know the garden backed onto a River?” Steve asked

“No” she replied with surprise

“Well it’s there Missy” Old George said and chuckled

“Well we’d better go and have a look then” She said to Steve and took his hand, pulling him to his feet.

It was a much longer walk than they anticipated, the pub garden which they thought was huge to begin with was almost three times bigger than it appeared to be before the Beaumont’s got to work.

In fact, it was bigger than either of them had anticipated and the great bonus was that the garden led down to a section of the river Trott, only accessible from the pub garden.

Holly and Steve didn’t even realise they were that close to the river

“Wow” Holly said as they stood on the bank

“Ka-ching” Steve responded

“Spoken like a true bean counter” Holly said and laughed

 

It was Easter Sunday and the first major occasion since the refurb was completed.

When the Beaumont’s had finished clearing the pub garden there were quite a few large areas of bare earth which needed to be turfed in order for them to make the best use of the garden and the newfound view of the river.

And a month later it had taken sufficiently to take a light cut and the overall effect wasn’t bad at all, viewed from the patio.

The improvements to the beer garden would bring great rewards with summer just around the corner.

 

It wasn’t quite an uninterrupted view of the river, as they thought it expedient to have a small wicket fence put up to separate the garden from the running water and thus prevent small children venturing to close and being washed away.

Holly had arranged an Easter Egg hunt straight after church, they had invited the children from the local area via Sunday Schools, cubs, brownies and primary schools, the idea being the children would come along for the egg hunt and their parents would spend over the bar and buy from the BBQ.

Holly and the other girls had been out that morning and hidden the cream eggs and every child who took part would get a ticket for the Easter Egg raffle.

It was an excellent turn out in the April sunshine and there were so many children they had to go out in groups, the youngest went first.

“Ok Children, only six eggs each” Holly said dressed in a pink puffy dress and a flowered Easter bonnet. “One…Two…Three…Go”

And off they went in all directions like marbles in a game.

Steve was down by the fence making sure none of them reached the water’s edge and he watched the beautiful girl in the Easter dress amidst the mayhem laughing as the children raced around her, and he knew at that moment without any shadow of doubt that he was in love with her.

 

When all the children had their eggs everyone repaired inside for the big draw, this was tactically delayed to allow the adult’s time to recharge their glasses and it was in the bar after the last prize was won and presented that Steve stepped forward and called.

“Could I just have your attention for a moment?”

The assembled crowd hushed and turned their gaze on him, and he continued

“I would just like to take this opportunity to thank our lovely hostess Holly for putting on such a fun activity today”

A round of applause rippled around in response.

“And I would like to present her with this special gift”

And Steve handed her with great aplomb, a handmade Easter egg which she quickly unwrapped

“It’s lovely” she said, “Thank you” and then she kissed him.

“Read the instructions” he instructed

On the egg was a handwritten card which read

“Must be opened upon receipt”

So, Holly placed the egg on the table and obediently untied the ribbon holding the two halves of the egg together, and as they separated it revealed inside, where the handmade chocolates should have been, a small square box.

She handed the egg to Steve and opened the box to reveal that it contained a small Ceylon sapphire ring that he had bought in a local antique shop.

“Does this mean what I think it means?” she asked quietly

“I don’t know, do you think it means I want to marry you?” Steve said

“Yes” she said

“Good because that’s exactly what it means” he replied

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” she screamed and the whole place was in uproar. 

Snippets of Downshire Life – Holy Week – Easter Monday

The Finchbottom Vale nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, and to the east 15 miles inland from Sharpington-By-Sea, equidistant between the seaside resort and Pepperstock Green was the rambling village of Brookley and at its heart was St Mildred’s Church.

The villager’s spiritual needs were met by its vicar Rev Cecil Payne who lived at the adjacent vicarage with his wife Lily and their six unmarried daughters, Chrissie, Daniela, Hazel, Heather, Katie and Elise.

Cecil and Lily loved their children very much but as they reached the time in their lives when they were nearing their sixties and they had expectations for their daughters.

For Lily her hopes involved the grandchildren that were not forthcoming whereas Cecil just wanted them to spread their wings, but as Easter loomed, there was no sign of either of them getting their wish, but the power of prayer was a wonderful thing and both parents prayed for their daughters. 

The youngest of whom were twins, and the oldest of them, by two minutes was Katie.

They were not identical twins, but she and Elise were as alike as made no difference.

 

On Easter Monday she got on the train bound for Sharpington and in pursuit of a highly prized item, well to her anyway.

She was going to track down the love of her life, Danny Perry.

She lost her heart to him when she was only six and he was the new boy who arrived at the school after the Christmas break.

Although she was instantlly taken with him, indeed she was completely smitten, it was love at first sight, but he didnt speak to her for two years, but thats boys for you.

Techniccally it wasnt the first time he saw her they had been at nursery school together but his parents moved away before they started school propper, but she didnt remember him.

 

But as his cousin Sue Peach was one of her best friends she got great intel about him, what he was doing who he was seeing, what music he liked what films she went to see.

Once they got to secondary school she was still carrying a torch for him, but their contact was still minimal and although she didnt really speak to him, she did see alot of him, around school especially, though they were in different streams, because he was a brainiac like her twin sister.

But if she saw him in town or in the cinema queue or at the Lido he would always smile at her because he knew she was his friends sister.

But she never had the courage to speak to him, so she would just smile back.

Sometimes she would be with girlfriends and sometimes with a boy and sometimes he was with mates and other times he’d be with a girl.

She had her fair share of boyfriends but none of them were serious, it was just a question of trying someone on for size to see if they fit, and some of them could have been a good fit if she given them a chance but her problem was that how ever good the fit was, they never measured up against Danny.

But the older she got the braver she got, and Katie eventually worked up the courage to speak to him and they went on to speak a lot once the ice was broken.

Katie was firm friends with his cousin Susan, but she didn’t know at the time that she knew she carried a torch for Danny, but it was Susan who got them both involved with St Mildred’s Choir, in an effort to get them together.

 

On Easter Monday Danny was fishing off the end of Sharpington Pier, it wasn’t his favourite fishing retreat, he preferred to fish Purplemere, at his preferred shady spot by the point on the south side of the water, that was the place he felt most at peace and where he was often lost in dreams.

But it was the closed season, so he had to settle on the Pier, but it was still peaceful enough on the fishermen’s deck.

 

Katie got off the train at Sharpington station and set off directly for her destination.

The day before, Easter Sunday, she had been at a birthday party in the village, and it was at the party where she got the information that led her to the Pier.

Because Danny Perry was also at the party and she heard him say to his cousin that he was planning a fishing trip the next day.

So, she took the decision that if she was going to get him she was going to have to do the running.

This was not one of Katie’s strong suits, but she was galvanised into action by two things, firstly that all five of her sisters now had men in their lives and she didn’t want to be left out, but the main reason that she had decided on such a bold course of action was that she had also overheard Mandy Reed say that she was going to ask Danny out when they went back to college the next day, and she wasn’t going to let that happen, she really hated Mandy, not a very Christian attitude, she knew that, especially for a Vicars daughter but that was how she felt.

 

When she reached the promenade, she was suddenly overcome with panic, what if Mandy also found out he was going to Sharpington, unlikely she thought but nonetheless she decided to run.

Katie was small and slight and was possessed of whippet like speed and she sprinted onto the Pier and ran the full length until she reached the top of the steps that led down to the fishermen’s deck.

Once she was there she sat on a bench and questioned the wisdom of running to the Pier as she was now hot and bothered.

Fortunately, she had a solution to her appearance and picked up her bag and went to the ladies.

Firstly, she splashed water on her red face, then after drying it again she opened her bag and with the aid of its contents made quick work of making herself respectable and remade up her face.

Her blue t-shirt was a bit sweaty from her run, however she had a white vest top in her bag, so she changed into that, then all that was needed was a squirt of deodorant and a couple of dabs of perfume and she was done.

 

It was an unseasonably warm sunny day and Danny was sitting on a bench looking at the blue sea, he had cast out and was enjoying the gentle breeze off the water.

“Hello” A soft voice said, and as he looked around he saw Katie standing with the sun at her back, or at least he assumed it was her, because with the breeze stirring the strands of her strawberry red hair and the golden sun behind it she appeared to have a fiery halo that left her face in shadow,

But her silhouetted shape left him in no doubt.

“Hi” he responded

“I thought it was you” she said

The sun was temporarily obscured by a cloud and he could see her lovely face for the first time.

“Have you caught anything?” she asked as she sat down on the bench next to him.

“Not yet” he admitted, then asked

“So, what brings you here?”

“I remembered you saying yesterday that you were coming fishing and as I was on the Pier I thought I would come and say hello before I go home” she replied

“It’s a bit out of your way isn’t it?” he asked already knowing the answer

“Yes” Katie admitted gazing out across the sea “but I like it here”

“Me too” he concurred wistfully, but he didn’t care what had brought her there.

They sat there in silence for quite a few minutes just enjoying the scene until she asked

“Have you been fishing long?”
“What today? Or in general?” he responded, and she laughed

“Both then” she said and laughed again

“Well today, about 2 hours before you found me” he told her “and generally since I was seven when my Dad first took me with him”

“Do you still go with him” she asked

“Oh yes” he replied, “What about you?”

“Me? I’ve never fished” she replied

“Would you like to have a go?” Danny asked

“Yes please” she answered enthusiastically

“Ok then” he said as he reeled in the line, then he quickly discarded what was left of the bait and opened his bait box.

“I can’t put the wriggly thing on” she said horrified

“It’s ok I’ll put the bait on” he replied and smiled at her
I baited the hook and then stood up

“Ok we need to stand up to do the next bit” he said, and Katie got quickly to her feet.

He showed her the basic principles of casting and then he stood behind her as she held the rod in her right hand.

“God you smell good” he thought to himself “Your hair, your skin, your clothes”

He breathed in her perfume deeply then internally chastised himself “Concentrate”

 

Danny put his hand on hers and indicated the best place to hold the grip.

“Now pull some line out with your other hand” he instructed, and she did as he said, and Danny took his right hand off hers,

“Right you’re on your own” he said and rested his hands on her middle.

Swiveling at the waist Katie swung the rod to the right and then snapped it forward and the baited hook sailed through the air and plopped a respectable distance from the pier. 

It was a good job he was holding her waist though, otherwise her momentum may have had her following the hook into the water,

But Katie just thought it was good that he was holding onto her.

“I did it” she squealed
“Great cast Katie” he said indicating his spot on the bench
“now comes the patient bit, you sit down and watch”

“No, I’ll be fine were I was” she said

“Nonsense fishermen’s privilege” he insisted
“Well thank you” she said perching on the seat staring intently at the line while he did the same with her legs.

“Why is the end of the poley thing wobbling?” she asked concentrating intently on the task while he was concentrating intently on her legs.

“That means you have a fish” he replied

“What do I do?” she yelled excitedly

“Strike” Danny said

“What’s that?”

“Jerk the rod up sharply and then reel it in”

He stood up as she reeled in frantically and looked down at her and she was the picture of concentration with her tongue poking out the corner of her mouth,

She noticed he was watching her and withdrew her tongue and smiled at him and then returned her full attention to her task and poked her tongue out again.

The line was getting close to the pier and in its wake, there was definitely a fish

“Should I stand up?” she asked
“If you want to” he replied so she stood up and reeled furiously for the last few feet
“Now lift the rod up slowly” he instructed and as she lifted the rod up vertically the fish left the water and swung towards her, Danny reached out and grabbed the line and wriggling on the hook was a little Dab.

“And there’s your fish” he said, and she beamed broadly

“No, I can’t touch it” Katie squealed as he offered the fish to her

“What kind of fisherwoman are you?” he asked teasingly “you can’t put the wriggly thing on the hook and you won’t touch the fish”
“I'm a girlie fisherwoman obviously” she said and giggled, and Danny carefully unhooked the fish

“What are you going to do with it?” she asked frowning

“Let it go” he said and climbed down towards the water and put back in the sea and it swam away.

When he climbed back up she beamed him a happy smile and squeezed his arm.

 

They sat on the fishermen’s deck for several hours, doing more talking and laughing than fishing.

Katie looked at her watch and suddenly sighed.

“I have to go” she said “I said I’d be back by 4”

“If you give me a few minutes to pack up I’ll come with you” he suggested not wanting the day to end 

“Great” she said

So, he quickly packed away and put his tackle bag over his shoulder and with his rod bag in his hand they set off, firstly up the step, then along the Pier to the promenade and then up to the Station.

 

Danny couldn’t remember a time he had enjoyed a fishing trip so much, and she couldn’t remember a better trip to the seaside.

They both thought it had been a great Easter Monday and they enjoyed the walk to the Station and the train journey back towards Brookley.

He didn’t want the day to end but he knew as they reached Old Halt that time was running out because when they got to Brookley and left the station they would have to go their separate ways because she would go right, and he would go left.

So, Danny knew he had about five minutes to summon up the courage to ask her out.

The train came to a halt and they stepped onto the platform and his mind was blank, he just didn’t know how to ask her.

Katie chatted all the way along the platform, through the ticket barrier and when they reached the entrance he still couldn’t think how to ask her out and they were stood on the pavement in the sunshine and were about to part.

What he didn’t know of course was that she was going through the same turmoil

“I really enjoyed the fishing” she said

“Me too” Danny said with his stomach in knots, and he had just decided that he was just going to have to blurt it out and hope for the best.

“Do you want to go to the pictures on Saturday” she asked “The new Stars Wars is on in Sharpington”

“I’d love to” Danny said immediately relieved.

“That’s a date then” she said and sighed, then she kissed his cheek and turned towards the Vicarage.

 

He felt ten feet tall as he walked the last few hundred yards to his home and smiled to himself that the girl he had loved for almost six years since had asked him out.

 

She stood on the corner of the station carpark and watched until he was out of side then she jumped up and down, and punched the air,

“In your face Mandy Reed” she shouted.

Not very Christian and not very lady like, but she didn’t care she had a date with Danny Perry, and the shy girl who lacked confidence had asked him out.

But however it came about, it didnt really matter, what mattered was that it happened and it was the begining of the love that lasted a lifetime.

Which began on the day that Katie caught her first fish while also catching her first and only love.

 

 

 

Snippets of Downshire Life – Holy Week – Easter Sunday

The Finchbottom Vale nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, and to the east 15 miles inland from Sharpington-By-Sea, equidistant between the seaside resort and Pepperstock Green was the rambling village of Brookley and at its heart was St Mildred’s Church.

The villager’s spiritual needs were met by its vicar Rev Cecil Payne who lived at the adjacent vicarage with his wife Lily and their six unmarried daughters, Chrissie, Daniela, Hazel, Heather, Katie and Elise.

Cecil and Lily loved their children very much but as they reached the time in their lives when they were nearing their sixties and they had expectations for their daughters.

For Lily her hopes involved the grandchildren that were not forthcoming whereas Cecil just wanted them to spread their wings, but as Easter loomed, there was no sign of either of them getting their wish, but the power of prayer was a wonderful thing and both parents prayed for their daughters. 

The youngest of whom were twins, and the youngest of them, by two minutes was Elise.

They were not identical twins, but she and Katie were as alike as made no difference.

 

Anyone who looked at Elise Payne would have seen that she was one of the most popular girls at college and not just because she was gorgeous, even though she was, her face had a shape and symmetry that was very easy on the eye and her figure was to die for.

Although there were girls who were more classically beautiful than her they didn’t have any of the character of Elise’s.

Her silky red hair shone and shimmered as she moved her head and her brown eyes bore into your soul when you met their gaze.

As if her unique beauty was not enough she was also athletic, artistic, intelligent and sexy, but it was her personality and inherent goodness that put her head and shouldered above the competition.

Everyone, boy or girl that ever met her fell instantly in love with her, but Sunday School leader Calvin Peat had been in love with her since before she blossomed.

However, despite all the attention Elise managed to keep everyone of her admirers at bay, which led to the rumours that she was in fact gay.

Calvin never believed that for a moment and he had known her longer than anyone at college because he was the boy next door and he had lived there since she was three and they had been best friends since the beginning.

But when she was invited to the seventeenth birthday party of another of the cool girls, he was still extremely surprised to get an invitation from Elise to be her plus one, even though they had been friends since nursery school.

However, having established that Elise was one of the popular group, Calvin was in no uncertain terms, not.

He was not athletic, artistic, sexy or cool, they did have a keen intelligence in common and he was bound for the University of Downshire to study Theology, with teaching being his ultimate goal.

But under normal circumstances, friendship and intelligence aside, it was a surprise that one of the popular girls would want to invite a Theology geek to one of her friend’s 17th birthday party on the afternoon of Easter Sunday.

 

The party was in one of the grander houses at the other end of Brookley from the Church, and it was ostentatiously decorated and a bit gaudy, and there were a lot of guests, it was one of those big flashy parties with an abundance of superficial friends.

It was not really Elise’s kind of thing as she was never a flashy person, once they got there they soon separated themselves from the main throng and had their own private party in a quiet corner and found six likeminded friends to join them one was Elise’s twin Katie, who was also one of the popular girls, and three others who they had also been friends with since nursery school, Danny Perry, and his cousins Roy and Susan Peach.

 

Their party was a great success, with Roy keeping up the supply of wine which they drank liberally as they reminisced about their shared history and they laughed until they cried.

When they left the party propper and got to the end of the road,  they split up, Katie was going back to Susans and Roy went off with Danny so they had the usual hugs and kisses on the pavement and then went their seperate ways.

 

As they walked through the village, the slightly tipsy Elise had her arm through Calvins and he said

“I had a really great time” 

“Yeh, me too” she replied

“Wasn’t it great to get the six of us together again?”

“We should do it more often” Clavin suggested

““We” should get together more often” Elise said

“What just the two of us?” he asked

“Yeh” she said coyly

“Just you and the geek?” he asked with surprise

“You’re not a geek” she said defensively “And anyway even if you were that wouldn’t stop me fancying you” she said.
“You fancy me?” Calvin asked pointing at himself
“Didn't you know?” she asked, and he shook his head
“What about you?” she asked shyly

“Do you fancy me?”

“I don’t know about fancying you” he said, and she was clearly crestfallen for a second

“But I’ve been in love with you since we were 7 if that counts”

“You pig” she said and laughed before she kissed him softy on the lips, which led to the most wonderful spine tingling embrace that seemed to last forever.

When it ended she looked at him with her soulful eyes and smiled the most loving smile.

He returned her smile and wanted to say something fitting for the moment but in truth he was lost for words.

“Wow” she said beating him to the punch and then she giggled and ran off up the Church Road and shouted over her shoulder

“You’ll have to marry me now”

 

Uncanny Love Tales – (034) The Girl in the Easter Dress

Easter was fast approaching, another significant event in the calendar that held no fond memories for him.

Steve Berry had grown up with a dislike for all family orientated occasion, New Years, Easter, Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night and especially Christmas with all its nauseating jollity and faux fun.

Unlike most of the people he knew he had no happy memories to anesthetise him against those occasions.

His parents were alcoholics and from a very early age he had learned to fend for himself and most of his childhood memories of the big holidays he would rather have forgotten.

That was until Holly Davis opened his eyes to new possibilities and he realised that Christmas and other holidays could also magnify joy and that life was full of wonderful possibilities, and as they lay in each other’s arms in the early hours of New Year’s Day, having just made love for the first time, Holly proposed that they run the Pig and Whistle together.

Despite his first doubtful thoughts, when he thought it may just have been post coital exuberance on her part, Steve agreed, based on the way the two of them had worked together through the Christmas period.

 

When he returned to his day job on January 5^th his first action was to hand in his notice, much to the annoyance of his employers and the consternation of his co-workers, and his second action was to put his flat on the market.

Some of his friends suggested that he was burning his bridges whereas Steve believed he was merely following his heart.

Holly was buying the pub from her Uncle Phil, who sadly would not be around much longer, but even allowing for the discounted price he was asking, she could only just afford it with the sale of her house and virtually all of her savings, which didn’t allow her any extra for the improvements she wanted to make.

She could of course take out a mortgage for what she needed but she didn’t really want to begin with a debt.

Holly had no idea Steve had put his flat up for sale, in fact Holly didn’t even know if he owned his own flat, it wasn’t until the beginning of February when he said

“I have officially burned my bridges”

“What do you mean Hon?” She said

“I am now unemployed and homeless”

He said and handed her the written offer on his flat

“What are you saying?” Holly asked

“Our nest Egg” he said

“Are you sure?”

“All or nothing” he said

So, Steve and Holly became partners in the Pig and Whistle, and they sealed the deal in what had become their customary manner.

 

The Pig and Whistle had once been the Railway Hotel, up until the second world war when the Station was bombed out of existence.

In the post war years when the new station was built, it was inexplicably sited a mile away from its Hotel.

The Hotel was then sold off after nationalization and renamed.

It was ideally situated close enough to town to benefit from foot traffic but far enough away from the hot spots to avoid the weekend binge drinkers.

There was another hidden benefit of their location which would not be discovered until much later.

There were significant improvements made to the exterior of the building by Phil’s predecessor, upvc soffits, guttering and double glazing were installed as well as a number of others in fact it was improved to such an extent that they ran out of money, which was how Phil got it so cheap.

He and his wife Pat had big plans for the place but when she died suddenly the light went from his world as did his purpose for existing and he rather lost interested in the pub.

“So where do we start?” Holly said

“The roof” he replied

There was some remedial work required to the chimneys and some slates had been displaced in the winter storms.

“We can claim for the storm damage on Phil’s insurance and while they are up there, they can do the chimneys” he said

“Excellent” she said “That will save us a bit”

“And then we should complete the kitchen extension and the Conservatory” Steve said

Phil and Pat had applied for planning permission before she died but it would run out in April, so the clock was running in that regard but Abbeyvale conservatories were keen to finish the job they had started more than a year earlier.

In fact, they were so keen Steve was able to negotiate a reduction on the installation cost.

So that was all set-in motion and then they turned their attention to the interior.

 

Holly had worked in hospitality since she was at college and of all the things she had learned, the one that stood out for her was not to put all your eggs in one basket, you had to diversify but equally don’t try to be all things to all men.

It was an old pub with a big open bar, Holly wanted to reinstate the old layout and return it to three separate bars.

The lounge bar for the conversational drinkers, a TV bar for the sports fans and a games room for darts, pool etc. and then the conservatory would be for the diners.

“I bow to your superior knowledge of hospitality Holl” he said “I’m just a bean counter, and as such I can say that it would be a relatively small outlay to replace the internal walls and it will be less expensive in the long run to heat three small spaces than one large”

“So, is that a yes then?” Holly teased

 

It was essential they started getting customers through the door so they couldn’t afford to have the pub closed for any length of time.

A pub the size of the Pig and Whistle would haemorrhage money at an alarming rate with the doors closed.

They wouldn’t be able to pay the staff and so they would have to find other work and then you’ve lost your experienced workforce.

Holly decided they wouldn’t close for any longer than was necessary for the refurbishment.

So, they closed for two days for the builders to put in the stud walls between the bars and closed the lounge bar for one week to decorate.

Then a week later they closed the TV bar for a week and repeated the process for the games room.

So, by the middle of March all three bars had been decorated and re-carpeted plus the Conservatory was complete and ready for use. 

 

The repairs and renovations, plus some new fixtures and fittings cost them just under half of their nest egg, which they were exceedingly pleased with, but they knew that if they didn’t get a steady trade through the door the remainder would be eaten up just in running costs.

They could put on novelty nights like Pub quizzes, or a clairvoyant doing readings, open mic comedy nights, poetry slams and the like but they planned to steer clear of live music or DJ’s, Holly thought they were more trouble than they were worth in the long run.

Also, they had to make the most of the annual special occasions, all those dates in the calendar that Steve had a phobia about in fact, but they had just missed out on St Patrick’s Day.

However, gimmicks only got you so far, the bread and butter patrons needed a reason to come back for the rest of the time.

The food would certainly help with that, especially with the conservatory.

It was midway through March when Holly and Steve sat down to catch their collective breaths, one evening on the patio in the pub garden.

“You know what’s next?” Holly said

“Another drink” Steve said hopefully

“The Garden” she said bleakly

It would have been more appropriately called the jungle.

It had been largely neglected not only by Phil but by his predecessors as well because the extent of the growth had occurred over more than a generation.

As luck would have it there were three regulars who drank at the pub, the Beaumont brothers, who were proper old country boys and the jungle was right up their street.

 

When they approached the Beaumont’s, they gladly picked up the gauntlet and they and various other members of the family pitched up the next day and got straight down to it and by the end of the second day they had made great progress and as they sat down to an end of day pint Steve asked

“How’s it going?”

He hadn’t anticipated it would take that long with such a large crew and his bean counters brain was doing cartwheels

“Another day clearing” Kenny Beaumont said “But you can at least get down to the River now”

“River?” he said, “What river?”

“The Trott” Old George replied

Just at that moment Holly stepped out from the Conservatory

“Did you know the garden backed onto a River?” Steve asked

“No” she replied with surprise

“Well it’s there Missy” Old George said and chuckled

“Well we’d better go and have a look then” She said to Steve and took his hand, pulling him to his feet.

It was a much longer walk than they anticipated, the pub garden which they thought was huge to begin with was almost three times bigger than it appeared to be before the Beaumont’s got to work.

In fact, it was bigger than either of them had anticipated and the great bonus was that the garden led down to a section of the river Trott, only accessible from the pub garden.

Holly and Steve didn’t even realise they were that close to the river

“Wow” Holly said as they stood on the bank

“Ka-ching” Steve responded

“Spoken like a true bean counter” Holly said and laughed

 

It was Easter Sunday and the first major occasion since the refurb was completed.

When the Beaumont’s had finished clearing the pub garden there were quite a few large areas of bare earth which needed to be turfed in order for them to make the best use of the garden and the newfound view of the river.

And a month later it had taken sufficiently to take a light cut and the overall effect wasn’t bad at all, viewed from the patio.

The improvements to the beer garden would bring great rewards with summer just around the corner.

 

It wasn’t quite an uninterrupted view of the river, as they thought it expedient to have a small wicket fence put up to separate the garden from the running water and thus prevent small children venturing to close and being washed away.

Holly had arranged an Easter Egg hunt straight after church, they had invited the children from the local area via Sunday Schools, cubs, brownies and primary schools, the idea being the children would come along for the egg hunt and their parents would spend over the bar and buy from the BBQ.

Holly and the other girls had been out that morning and hidden the cream eggs and every child who took part would get a ticket for the Easter Egg raffle.

It was an excellent turn out in the April sunshine and there were so many children they had to go out in groups, the youngest went first.

“Ok Children, only six eggs each” Holly said dressed in a pink puffy dress and a flowered Easter bonnet. “One…Two…Three…Go”

And off they went in all directions like marbles in a game.

Steve was down by the fence making sure none of them reached the water’s edge and he watched the beautiful girl in the Easter dress amidst the mayhem laughing as the children raced around her, and he knew at that moment without any shadow of doubt that he was in love with her.

 

When all the children had their eggs everyone repaired inside for the big draw, this was tactically delayed to allow the adult’s time to recharge their glasses and it was in the bar after the last prize was won and presented that Steve stepped forward and called.

“Could I just have your attention for a moment?”

The assembled crowd hushed and turned their gaze on him, and he continued

“I would just like to take this opportunity to thank our lovely hostess Holly for putting on such a fun activity today”

A round of applause rippled around in response.

“And I would like to present her with this special gift”

And Steve handed her with great aplomb, a handmade Easter egg which she quickly unwrapped

“It’s lovely” she said, “Thank you” and then she kissed him.

“Read the instructions” he instructed

On the egg was a handwritten card which read

“Must be opened upon receipt”

So, Holly placed the egg on the table and obediently untied the ribbon holding the two halves of the egg together, and as they separated it revealed inside, where the handmade chocolates should have been, a small square box.

She handed the egg to Steve and opened the box to reveal that it contained a small Ceylon sapphire ring that he had bought in a local antique shop.

“Does this mean what I think it means?” she asked quietly

“I don’t know, do you think it means I want to marry you?” Steve said

“Yes” she said

“Good because that’s exactly what it means” he replied

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” she screamed and the whole place was in uproar.

Snippets of Downshire Life – Holy Week – Good Friday

The Finchbottom Vale nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, and to the east 15 miles inland from Sharpington-By-Sea, equidistant between the seaside resort and Pepperstock Green was the rambling village of Brookley and at its heart was St Mildred’s Church.

The villager’s spiritual needs were met by its vicar Rev Cecil Payne who lived at the adjacent vicarage with his wife Lily and their six unmarried daughters, Chrissie, Daniela, Hazel, Heather, Katie and Elise.

Cecil and Lily loved their children very much but as they reached the time in their lives when they were nearing their sixties and they had expectations for their daughters.

For Lily her hopes involved the grandchildren that were not forthcoming whereas Cecil just wanted them to spread their wings, but as Easter loomed, there was no sign of either of them getting their wish, but the power of prayer was a wonderful thing and both parents prayed for their daughters. 

They would perhaps have been slightly encouraged by the fact that the second eldest of the brood, Daniela, already had someone in her sights, and that was George Parnait, the verger.

She had been carrying a torch for him since Christmas, but she hadn’t made any progress, despite the fact that she had volunteered for every church event, meeting and service that she knew he would be at.

Daniela was well placed to do that because she was employed by the church in an administration role and one of her duties was to manage the schedules and rotas and she cherry picked the dates to match those of George, it was unethical and unprofessional, but she reconciled it that with the fact that it was in a good cause.

 

On Good Friday they were to be working together preparing for the service.

It was an important day in the church calendar and could either be at noon or in the evening but at St Mildred’s it was the latter.

Which meant they had all day to get ready and she had arranged it that way as it was important for her to have him to herself for most of it.

 

On the morning of Good Friday, she was in the family bathroom at the vicarage making the final adjustments to her appearance and she was at the mirror pinning the final errant strands of hair into place.

Her straight honey blonde hair was tied in bun at the back, but she always wore a fringe.

When she worked in the office she normally often wore gold rimmed half-moon spectacles, but they were only for reading and she often just peered over the top of them rather than keep taking them off.

But there was no need for them in the church so as she stood before the mirror there was nothing obscuring her pleasant unblemished face, a face that turned to pretty when she smiled.

Daniela stepped backwards so she could get a better look at the rest of her.

The Blue patterned dress with contrasting navy collar and cuffs was tailored to fit and defined her figure exquisitely.

She turned sideways to get another view and scanned herself from top to bottom.

She was not unhappy with the overall appearance, she was a little broader in the beam than she would have liked, her legs were good, she liked her legs even in thick black tights and sensible shoes they were nice.

“Not bad” she said and nodded at her reflection to acknowledge she had passed muster.

  

“Not a bad looking woman eh?” she was thinking as she walked across to church, then she frowned, “so why am I still living at home?”

She often wondered that, the problem was when she worked at the church and worked so hard in the Church community she found it difficult to have a social life and meet new people who weren’t already part of her church family.

But though she often wondered why she was alone she wasn’t unhappy, she didn’t feel diminished by her circumstances, and would have remained content had it not been for the arrival in the village of the new Verger.

However, her mother was not content with her and her sisters remaining unattached and unwed and kept telling her and her older sister that their biological clocks were ticking.

 

But she was not interested in George Parnait because of her mother’s nagging or a feeling that she was in a race against time she really wanted him, and she hadn’t felt like that since she was still at school.

So, she had woken that morning in a particularly determined frame of mind, so she said to herself

“Well if you’re going to do something, do it today”

 

As she entered the Church the just after 8 am she found it was a hive of industry, with a team of parishioners, among other things, dusting, polishing and mopping, 

Emily Sanders, who she worked with in the office gestured her over

“Morning” she said

“Hi Emily” she said and handed her a folder “here is the list of who’s doing what, I’m going to work with George to unpack the paraments”

“I thought you might be” Emily said and giggled which made Daniela blush and made Emily giggle again.

 

 

 

 

All though Daniela had mentioned paraments specifically, on Good Friday it is preferable that there are no paraments, banners, flowers, or decorations except, for a representation of the way of the cross.

The Lord's table, pulpit, and other furnishings, normally adorned, were to be bare of cloth, candles, and anything not actually used in the service.

Her next move was to win George over with her carefully rehearsed charm offensive and she found him standing by the dais, he was a tall upright man a few years her senior with slightly thinning hair and the beginnings of a paunch, and when he turned around she noticed that in his arms he carried, the baby Jesus.

And her charm offensive fell at the first hurdle when she exclaimed

“Why are you holding the Christ child? We are supposed to be depicting the way to Golgotha, not the nativity”

“We have the wrong boxes or at least one wrong box” he replied

“Oh no” Daniela winced “What are we missing?”

“The cloths” he replied

The cloths were crucial to the Good Friday service, as the cross was to remain visible, but the figure on it and all the other permanently fixed images of Christ had to be veiled by scarlet coloured cloth as by partly concealing the cross, the veil also calls attention to it.

“Well that won’t do” she said and took out her mobile phone and walked to one side.

She was phoning Wellham Farm, where the church rented one of the Wellham Barns as a storage facility.

It was about four miles from the village and they stored a variety of things there, Santa’s Grotto, all the stalls for Fete’s and Bazaars, processional items, the nativity scene and costumes of all shapes sizes and uses.

 

Five minutes later she returned to find George still cradling the divine infant.

“They’ve found the missing box” she announced and smiled when she noticed he was still holding the babe “it’s at Wellham Barns”.

“Great give me directions and I’ll go and get it”

Daniela was about to agree and then she remembered the other item on her agenda, so she relied

“You’ll never find it with my directions, we’ll both go, you can drive and I’ll nav”

“Suits me”

“That’s settled then, now pop the little fella back in his box, and well return him to the stable” she said and laughed at her joke

 

The journey to the farm was a quiet one, on Georges part because he was trying to take in as many landmarks as he could which he would remember for next time and for Daniela because her mind went blank.

Once they reached the farm George got the errant box from the boot while she went in search of its replacement.

 

Sam Wellham, who managed the storage side of the farms business handed Daniela the advice notes, one for the box that they were taking and one for the box they had returned, then she handed it back and said goodbye as she got back into the car.

 

On the return journey she was struggling to find a way to start the conversation which she hoped would lead to him asking her out, but she drew a blank but then George suddenly asked.

“So, are you involved in the Holy Saturday Vigil?”

“No, no I’m not” she replied with relief and added hopefully “I’m free all day”

“What about you?” she added already knowing the answer as she had made sure they were both off.

“No, I’m spending the day with my son” he replied proudly

“Your son?”

“Yes, Kevin”

“I didn’t know you had a son, how old?” she asked

“He’s eleven”

“He doesn’t live with you then?” she said

“No, he’s staying with my Parents in Purplemere” he explained

“Not with his mum?” she asked wondering where she might be lurking

“His mum died last year” he replied sadly “A car accident”

“I’m sorry” she said and then waited for him to unburdened himself with the tale about the accident.

She had been for a birthday treat to Tipton Spa with her sister and were on the way home.

The accident happened just as the sun was setting behind them and a car came around the bend on the wrong side of the road and hit them head on.

The car rolled several times and ended up on its side in a ditch.

“That’s awful” she said

“The two of them and the other driver died instantly” he said and after a brief pause he added

“I blame myself of course”

“That’s silly” she said

“Is it?” George contradicted her “I bought her that Spa break”

“You feel guilty because you lived, but that isn’t the same thing as blame” she insisted

“Just guilt then?” he asked
“Yes” she said “and that’s in the past, you have your son and he is the present and the future”

“What kind of future without his mother?” he said bitterly

“The future has infinite possibilities, but the past is only ever the past” Daniela said

“That’s very profound” he said

“What for a Vicars daughter you mean?” she said

“No, I mean it, it was very profound” he said and gave the weakest of smiles

“Well I’m very deep” she said

“So why is he living with your parents?” she asked “He must miss you”

“I miss him too, but we thought it best if he stayed at the same school with all his friends until they break for the summer holidays then he’ll be starting big school and he’ll be the new boy along with everybody else”

“Do you talk to him about his mum?” she asked, and he nodded

“All the time”

“That’s precious”

“Yes, it is” he responded positively

“You’re a very positive person Daniela” he said

“Well I do always look for a positive in any situation” she said, and he thought for a moment before he responded

“Well if it hadn’t been for the wrong box being delivered to the church and our having to drive to Wellham to swap it we wouldn’t have had this chance to talk, so that’s something of a positive”

“There you are then” Daniella said

 

When they got to the St Mildred’s he parked the car and retrieved the box from the boot but before they reached the Church steps he said

“I really enjoyed our little mission today, and as I’m not driving to Purplemere until the morning, I was wondering if you’d like to go for a meal after the service, if you don’t have already have plans that is”  

“I’d like that very much” she replied “I’ll have to go home and change first, but yes that would be lovely”

 

Well the operation hadn’t gone according to plan in anyway shape or form, but the outcome was much better than she could possibly have imagined

“Thank you, God, for your divine intervention” she said to herself and smiled.