In November, Megan
Thomas moved into Flat 4 of East Cliff Lodge, after it was hastily vacated by
Emily Waugh who was reconciled with her ex-husband, and moved back in with him.
Megan was an only
child and had spent all of her adult life nursing her invalid mother.
It was a thankless
task, for her mother Edith was a bitter and demanding woman who put her timid
daughter through the proverbial ringer.
When Edith finally
shuffled off this mortal coil the overwhelming feeling that Megan had was one
of relief.
At the funeral she
looked every bit like a mournful daughter, but she was not grieving, it was
just that life with Edith had drained her with the result that she was pale and
drawn and she looked five years older than her 47 years.
Not that she ever had
a lot of flesh on her bones, the years of being her mother’s skivvy had kept
her thin and left her with a gaunt expression.
After the funeral and
the reading of Edith’s last will and testament, Megan decided it was time for
her to take stock of her life.
Although her mother
had left her comfortably off in the financial sense but she was left with no
family, no friends, no profession and most of all with no discernible purpose.
It took Megan several
weeks to come to terms with her situation and to decide what path she should
follow with her new found freedom.
Her mother Edith was a
tyrant who imposed all of her draconian rules and Victorian prejudices on her
dutiful brow beaten daughter.
Her mother hated the
country so they lived in the city, Edith hated dogs so Megan wasn’t allowed a
dog, and she didn’t like Television so TV’s weren’t allowed in the house.
She decided what books
she shouldn’t read, what clothes she should wear, and what thoughts should
occupy her mind.
And over the years of
her servitude there were a million other petty little dictates and prejudices
Megan had to adhere to and Edith revelled in them.
One of Edith’s
prejudices was driving, Megan didn’t drive, because
her mother thought car drivers in general were vulgar, and for women she didn’t
think it was ladylike.
The day
after the funeral Megan had her first driving lesson.
Finally three months
after she had buried her mother Megan made a life changing decision, the first
of many, the house that Edith called home and Megan called a prison was put on
the market.
It sold within a week.
Megan’s next decision
was to fulfil a lifelong dream of living in the country but she lacked the
knowledge of how to proceed, her new found freedom was in the hands of someone
not equipped to use it, yet.
So she spoke to the
family solicitors, Stanislas, Boivin and Champeaux
and instructed them to find her somewhere to live in the country.
As luck would have it
her Solicitors also administered the Lakeside estate, in Shallowfield and the
Dancingdean Forest which was how Megan Thomas came to move to Teardrop Lake.
Once she had moved in
to her new home, her first action was to buy a dog.
She didn’t know what
sort of dog she wanted other than the size.
The dog couldn’t be so
big that it took her for a walk and nor could it be one of those ridiculous
creatures that celebrities carried around in their handbags, other than that
she was open to anything.
She read through the
advertisement in the Shallowfield and Childean
Chronicle and there were a number of dogs for sale but the one that caught her
eye was placed by Erica Pritchard, an elderly lady who lived in a bungalow on
the Childean Road in Shallowfield.
The advert
stated that the lady was not looking to sell the dog but she did have to meet
the potential recipients before she let him go.
When she
realised it was an elderly lady it did put her off somewhat.
She had
had enough of cranky old women to last her a life time.
But Megan
phoned the number anyway and arranged a mutually convenient time for her to go
round.
Even
though Megan could now drive she decided she would walk to Mrs Pritchard’s
bungalow, which took her about 35 minutes.
Any
misgivings she may have had about elderly ladies were immediately dispelled
when she met Erica.
She
couldn’t have been any more different to her cantankerous mother.
Erica was
lovely and so was the dog, it was a honey
coloured American Cocker Spaniel called Skipper, wagged his stump of a tail
frantically as Megan made a fuss of him.
“Well I
can see he’s made up his mind about you already”
“He’s
adorable” Megan said “How can you bare to part with him”
“Well I
have to admit it’s not through choice” she replied
“I’ve
reached the point where I’m struggling to look after myself let alone that
little fella” she explained
“So I’m
moving into sheltered accommodation, and unfortunately he’s not allowed”
“That’s
really sad” Megan said
Erica made
up her mind within a few minutes that Megan was the right person to take on
Skipper.
But they still sat
talking for over an hour before Megan took her leave.
Megan wrote down her
phone number and handed it to Erica
“If you let me know
your address I can bring him to visit you”
“Would you dear?”
Erica said “That would be lovely”
Megan thought Erica
was crying as she waved them off but she just returned her wave and carried on.
The next thing she got
herself was a Television, but she didn’t like it, a lot of the programs were
quite distasteful and the language was appalling.
Her Mother Edith
didn’t like Television, and Megan had to admit she had a point.
Edith also thought
everyone on TV was a degenerate but Megan thought that was stretching the
point.
Over the years of her
servitude her only friends were the books she read because although her mother
sanctioned what books she could read she was unable to actually influence her
choices.
Megan just got
whatever books from the library she fancied.
Those books and there
wonderful characters would always be her friends and when she discovered
something called a Kindle her circle of friends grew exponentially.
So after she moved
into her flat that was how she filled her days reading books and taking Skipper
for long walks in the woods.
And the effect on her
was startling, she had lost her unhealthy pallor and gaunt appearance and her
skin had a healthy lustre to it.
And even her copper
coloured hair had body and vitality, her new life on Teardrop Lake certainly
seemed to agree with her.
It was on one such
walk on a cold and damp November morning two weeks or so after her life began,
that Megan and Skipper went up to Coopers Folly.
According
to Wikipedia there were two Folly’s in the area around the Lake the first one
was built in the early 19th century by the local Nobleman, the 8th
Earl of Dancingdean who had it built for himself, in the style of a Castle
Keep.
He was an
exceptionally vain man and so he had the an area of Forest cleared on top of a
hill and had the Folly built there and then so everyone around the lake would
know whose it was he hoisted his standard high above the turret.
Wikipedia
went on to say that second was erected as an act of retaliation by Ezekiel
Cooper who lived on the opposite side of the Lake.
Ezekiel
was not of the nobility, he was a self-made man and he made his money in the
cotton Mills of Lancashire, and he despised the Nobles and the way they looked
down on him.
So in
response to the Earl’s construction he had built an even gaudier Folly of his
own in the Victorian Gothic style.
Like his
noble adversary he built his atop a deforested hill and had his standard
flying.
Megan took Skipper to
see the latter building, she hadn’t seen it before and she wasn’t sure she liked
what she saw.
“It’s hideous isn’t
it?” a voice behind her said
Megan turned around to
see a tall slim woman close to her own age with Slavic features.
“It is rather” Megan
agreed
“I am Angelika” the
woman said with the hint of an accent
“And this fellow is
Paris”
Paris was a chocolate coloured Labrador
“Megan” she said and
shook her hand “and this is Skipper”
“That’s a lovely name”
She said
“It’s short for
“Golden Skipper Delight”” Megan said and Angelika roared with laughter
“No I meant Megan is a
lovely name”
“Oh I see” she said
and laughed “I always thought it was rather a dull name”
“Nonsense it’s an
Anglo Saxon name which means “Little Pearl”” Angelika explained
“Really? I didn’t know
that” Megan responded
“I have seen you
before from a distance I think” Angelika said
“That’s right” Megan
said “but I haven’t been up here before, we’re new so we are still exploring”
“There is a lot to
explore” Angelika agreed “perhaps we will meet again sometime on one of your
explorations”
“I hope so” Megan said
and then they went their separate ways
Angelika Schmeltz was
not, like Megan, a newcomer to Teardrop Lake she had lived in Coopers Hill
Cottage, on a hill high above the Southern Perimeter road, just a stone’s throw
from the Folly, for 30 years.
She was only 18 when
she left her native Netherlands and moved in with her lover and she had never
regretted it for a moment but death visited them five years earlier and she
still hurt.
She was an elegant
looking woman with striking looks and mesmeric green eyes full of sadness.
Her short strawberry
blonde hair was now streaked with grey.
Like Megan, Angelika
had also been left comfortable after her bereavement but unlike Megan she did
grieve and still grieved.
She filled her days
reading old detective fiction, watching old movies, doing jigsaw puzzles and
missing Charlie.
Angelika was not made
to live alone, she needed company, but nor was she a natural mixer and she
didn’t form attachments easily.
Her first impression
of the lady at the Folly was a favourable one and she hoped she might bump into
her again.
A mutually beneficial
friendship might well develop if they could find some common ground.
They were both soppy
about their dogs so that was a start.
The next morning Megan
went to St Mary’s Church in Shallowfield.
A strong Christian
faith was the only common ground between her and her mother and they maintained
a regular attendance.
She was a little
nervous as she walked in, she was quite self-conscious being the newcomer, but
she was made very welcome, firstly by the Ben Shenton, the vicar, and then by
his wife Olivia, who took her under her wing and introduced her to some of the
congregation.
During the service
Megan looked around to see if the lady with the chocolate Lab was there but she
couldn’t see her.
And there was a very
good reason why Megan couldn’t see Angelika at St Marys because Angelika hadn’t
been to Church since Charlie passed.
She was angry with God
for taking the love of her life and she was very unforgiving.
It was a week after
their first meeting, on a crisp frosty autumn morning, when they met again.
The sky was a
brilliant blue and the leaves crunched underfoot and the air was the freshest
she had ever known.
It was the dogs who
spotted each other first.
Megan and Skipper had
just left East Cliff Lodge and were on the road about to head down the hill,
Angelika and Paris
were coming the other way the latter considerable faster than the former.
“Good morning” Megan
called brightly, she was hoping to run into her again at some time.
“Morning” Angelika
said breathlessly “That dog will be the death of me”
“He’s hardly panting
at all” Megan pointed out and laughed
Angelika would have
laughed if she’d had the breath for it she just about had enough breath to say
“Well he’s a lot
younger than me”
When she had
completely got her wind back she asked
“So where are you off
to?”
“Nowhere
special we’re still exploring” Megan replied
“We’re off
to Lovers Leap” she said
“Lovers
Leap?” Megan repeated “I didn’t know there was one”
“Yes it’s
a rocky outcrop above the cliffs, on a day like today the view is spectacular”
she enthused
“Would you
mind if we tagged along?” Megan asked hopefully
“Not at
all, I would appreciate the company” Angelika replied and smiled
The cliffs
that Angelika mentioned were an extension of those that formed part of the
northern side of Teardrop Lake and formed the natural border between the
Teardrop estate and the Dancingdean Forest proper.
Lovers
Leap was so called because it was where desperate and broken hearted lovers
would leap to their deaths although there was no evidence that anyone actually
had but it made a good story.
It wasn’t
a long walk from where they met but it wasn’t an easy one either.
The dogs
reached the top first and then Angelika and some distance behind was Megan who
was extremely out of breath.
“I thought
you had decided not to come” Angelika said jovially
“You must
have the constitution of a mounting goat” Megan retorted
“The legs
certainly” she agreed and laughed
By the time they
reached Lovers Leap Megan was panting worse than the dogs and as she walked
onto the shelf that was “Lovers Leap” and took in the vista it took away what
little breath she had remaining.
“Wow” she said as she
looked out across the russet hues of the deciduous Dancingdean Forest
stretching into the distance and they sat down on the rocky shelf.
“This is my favourite
place” Angelika said “Charlie and me used to come here often”
“I can see why” Megan
said
Angelika almost cried
but managed to stop herself.
“It’s different every
time I come here, but it’s always special”
The walk back down
wasn’t much easier on the legs than the one up was.
And when they reached
the road Megan said
“Gosh I’m pooped, I
could do with a cup of tea”
Megan was unaccustomed
to social etiquette so she just added
“Why don’t you join
me?”
“I’d love to” Angelika
said pleased that she appeared to have found the friend she was looking for.
Megan on the other
hand hadn’t had a friend since she left school so she was particularly pleased
to have found a kindred spirit.
The yomp up to Lovers
Leap was the first of many walks the four of them took in the forest, all of
them ending in Tea or Coffee at whoever’s home they finished up nearest to.
On the first of
December they had walked up to the Tower which was at the Southwest corner of
the Lake.
The Watch Tower was
reputed to date back to the time of the Armada but the truth of that had been
disputed and in truth nobody actually knew even Wikipedia was vague on the
subject.
But when they got
there Megan found it a bit disappointing, it was not dissimilar to the towers
you see dotted all over the Mediterranean, not that she’d ever seen one other
than in a book.
While they were there
the heavens opened so they beat a hasty retreat back to Coopers Hill Cottage.
Angelica opened the
door and they both kicked off their boots in the lobby and discarded their
coats.
And when they went
deeper inside Megan was staggered to see the difference in the place since her
last visit two day earlier.
There were coloured
lights, garlands and baubles everywhere.
“Goodness me” she
exclaimed
“Charlie always went
overboard with the decks at Christmas so I’ve kept up the tradition” she said
wistfully
“Have you not put
yours up yet then?”
“I don’t have any”
Megan confessed “Mother didn’t like decorations”
“Well “mother” can’t
spoil your fun anymore” Angelika said “So tomorrow morning I’m going to take
you to Shallowfield Garden Centre, they really know how to do Christmas”
Angelika would accept
no argument and picked her up in her old Mondeo Estate and drove her to the
Garden Centre.
Once inside Megan was
like a child in a sweetshop at the end of rationing.
She didn’t know where
to look first, Angelika had to rein her in a bit at times otherwise she would
have bought the whole shop.
By mid-afternoon with
Angelika’s help Megan’s flat was every bit as generously decorated as
Angelika’s Cottage was.
Megan was absolutely
thrilled, her mother would have hated it.
She had never done
Christmas to any degree, other than the religious aspect.
There were never any
festivities, no decorations, no presents, not even Christmas cards and very
definitely no fun.
So this new experience
made her tingle all over and with Angelika she felt a real sense of family.
Over the next week or
so the walks were foreshortened by the weather which was not conducive to
prolonged country walks, but the dogs had to be exercised so some exposure to
the elements was necessary.
When there was finally
a break in the weather the dogs were given a thorough walking and at the end of
it the four of them where shattered.
As they were on the
south side of the lake Angelika said
“Let’s go back to mine
for lunch and then we can watch “It’s a Wonderful Life””
“What’s that?” Megan
asked
“What’s what?”
Angelika replied
“It’s a wonderful
something” she said
“It’s a Wonderful
Life?” Asked Angelika
“Yes?”
“It’s a Classic”
Angelika said
“A Classic what?”
“Movie, James Stewart,
Donna Reed, Clarence the angel?” Angelika said but Megan looked at her blankly
and responded
“I’ve never seen “It’s
a Wonderful Life””
“Then you my dear are
in for an absolute treat” she said and put her arm through Megan’s and they
pressed on to the cottage.
At the end of the film
both women were in tears
“That was brilliant”
Megan said dabbing at her eyes with her hankie
“I can’t believe
you’ve never seen it before” Angelika stated
“I’ve never seen a
film before” she said
“Not one film?”
Angelika asked incredulously
“No”
“Well you’ve started
with a corker” she said
“I will have to
introduce you to some more films”
“Will they be as good
as that one?” Megan asked
“Some of them will be
even better” Angelika replied
“Then I can’t wait”
she admitted
After that they spent
every afternoon in either the flat or the cottage watching classic movies, and
Megan loved them all.
For Angelika watching
Megan experiencing Clarke Gable and Claudette Colbert in “It happened one
night” or James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan in “Shop around the Corner” was
almost as special as the movies.
One day when she was
on her way home from Angelika’s, Megan had to pinch herself to make sure she
wasn’t dreaming that she was happy or that she was just remembering the plot of
book she once enjoyed, because she was enjoying her new life and her new
friendship so much.
Megan had been so
unhappy for so long she didn’t realise just how unhappy she was until it was
over.
It was only six months
since her mother Edith had passed away but it seemed like a lifetime and in
those six short months she had begun to live.
She never in her
wildest dreams imagined she could ever be happier than she was at that moment.
A few days after they
watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” together Megan and
Skipper were just leaving Angelika’s to go home and as she was planning to go
to the Carol Service at St Mary’s that night so she decided to ask Angelika if
she’d go with her and her response surprised her.
“No, no” Angelika said adamantly “I
haven’t set foot inside a Church since Charlie passed”
“But it’s only Carols” Megan said
“No! I am still too angry with God for taking my Charlie” she said
“Well if you’re sure” Megan said brightly
“Quite sure”
“Ok then I’ll see you
tomorrow” she said and left it at that, Megan didn’t want to push her too hard
because she didn’t want to risk upsetting her, their friendship was too
important to her than that.
And as Angelika closed
the cottage door she hoped she hadn’t been too blunt with her, the last thing
she wanted to do was hurt Megan in anyway, but she wasn’t ready yet to forgive
God.
Megan went to the
Carol service alone and thoroughly enjoyed it and she went to the Sunday
service a few days later but she didn’t ask Angelika on that occasion though
she hadn’t given up on her, she would bide her time.
The day after it was a
foggy day, one of those days when the fog clung on all day.
They took the dogs out
in the morning but the freezing fog got into their bones so they cut the walk
short and went back to the cottage.
Just before lunchtime
Coleman Bowers knocked loudly on the door.
He was a proper old
country boy in his late fifties with white receding hair and a matching wiry
beard.
He worked at the Shallowfield
Lodge Hotel as an odd job/handyman and part of his duties was to take his Skiff
around the lake twice a week delivering the mail and small parcels.
But that day he was in
a van because he was delivering Door Wreathes, Holly boughs and sprigs of Mistletoe.
The Shallowfield Lodge
Hotel took advance orders for them and then Coleman delivered them on his
rounds.
“I’ve already
delivered your’n to the flat” he said to Megan
“Thanks Coleman” she
replied
“Can you hang this
sprig on that nail?” Angelika asked pointing up at the beam.
“Yes’m” he replied and
adopted a broad stance before reaching up.
At which point they
both kissed him beneath the mistletoe, just a peck on each cheek, but that was
enough to make him turn beetroot red, and leave the cottage unceremoniously.
Both of them fell
about laughing at his reaction and then Angelika held the mistletoe above
Megan’s head as she adopted Coleman’s distinct stance and she kissed her, but
unlike with Coleman it didn’t stop at a peck, in fact it didn’t stop at all,
and the recipient didn’t run away red faced into the fog.
