WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING

 

We are at the beginning

We are barely on our way

Love is still new and fresh

But I would just like to say

I want to grow old with you

Till we are both old and grey

I want us both to be together

Until our far off dying day

Mornington-By-Mere – (23) Tooke, Line and Sinker

 

Mornington-By-Mere was not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it was the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale.

And although the village was the hub it was the surrounding farms and hamlets that were its life blood.

One such Farm was Mereside on the Southern side of the village.

The Hoddinott family had farmed the land at Mereside Farm for five generation and with fair winds and following seas they would do so for the next five.

The head of the Hoddinott’s was Clive, at least that was what his wife Suzanne allowed him think.

But they were in their mid-fifties and were looking forward to be able to hand the reins’ on to their offspring.

There were three children the eldest was Robert Hoddinott 27 who they knew they could safely rely on to take over the running of the farm to such an extent that the handover would be seamless but they were less sure he would pass on the family name, as he appeared to have no inclination in finding himself a wife.

The second child was Amy who was 24 years old and had no interest whatsoever in becoming a farmer or a farmer’s wife for that matter, not that she hated the farm or indeed farming but she just loved her chosen path more which was teaching and she was a Teacher at the village school and the youngest was 21 year old April who wasn’t a natural farmer but she had other strengths and had worked together from autumn to Spring renovation a cottage on the farm with Calvin Chance and the pair had fallen hard for each other from the moment they met but were unable to show their feelings

Both families tried their hardest to get them together and Amy played her part but without any luck but they eventually went on their first date when they job was over.

 

Her mother Suzanne was greatly relieved because she feared her tomboy daughter would never find someone and her father was happy that they had finished the cottage which meant they might get a full seasons let.

 

The first guest took up residence in the cottage at the beginning of May and following the initial guest there were back to back bookings right through the summer. 

 

It was quite fortuitous that there were a limited number of cottage lets in the Mornington area.

So they had a little gold mine in the cottage, the Finchbottom Vale was a very popular destination during the summer months as well as out of season, for rambling, birding or fishing.

The village itself as well as the surrounding country side proved to be a popular attraction.

 

Everyone on the farm had to do their bit, including Amy and the kind of tasks she had to perform were far removed from her normal professional life as a teacher but she never complained and although she would never admit it to her parents or siblings she sometimes welcomed the time she spent working on the farm to think.

 

One of the tasks which fell to Amy more often than not was the management of the cottage, advertising, bookings and when necessary the housekeeping.

And it was when she was cleaning the cottage after a two week long let to a newlywed couple that Amy got her first pangs of regret at having no one special in her life, her tomboy sister had manage to get herself a man, eventually, so why couldn’t she.

 

Twenty four year old Amy and her younger sister April, although almost three years apart, could easily have passed for twins.

Though they didn’t resemble their brother Robert in the slightest he was his father’s son and they took after their mum.

They were smaller than their brother, leaner and wiry.

Like their mum they had the fine strawberry blonde hair that all of their mums side of the family possessed, as well as her cool blue eyes.

 

Where Amy and April differed from each other however was that Amy had always been a proper girlie girl since the moment she could walk whereas her sister had always been a tomboy.

When they were children she was always indoors playing with dolls while April would be out playing football with the village boys but Amy had no interest in football although she was interested in boys.

 

But being interested in boys hadn’t really got her anywhere as she hadn’t found her prince and had remained single despite her kissing a number of frogs.

She had not had any major disasters but nor had she found “the one” and in all honesty she was in no real hurry.

 

Her sister April had appeared to share Amy’s reluctance to find a partner.

That was until after working with Calvin Chance from autumn to Spring renovating the cottage they finally shared their feelings and from that moment on it became a whirlwind affair after that and they Married at Finchbottom Registry in June.

 

But that wasn’t the only wedding that summer because in September when Jenna Newman and Harry Topliss tied the knot at St Winnifred’s. 

But more significant for Amy was the reception afterwards when her headmistress Cynthia Sharp introduced the new teachers, Teresa and Martin O’Sullivan to her existing teaching staff, Debbie Dunlop, her deputy, Mark Foreman and Amy Hoddinott.

Which was significant for her because she wasn’t the new girl anymore.

 

The reason the school was increasing the teaching staff was that Mornington Field had come back under the steward ship of the Mornington Estate.

When they exercised its option to purchase it back from the MOD it also acquired all the buildings and infrastructure on the airfield itself as well as 29 houses in the village formally used as quarters for military personnel.

The property was formally handed over on the 1^st of June and the additional houses meant additional families with additional children.

And when the infrastructure on the airfield was converted to commercial and residential the school would grow even more.  

 

So 2014 had been a momentous year in Mornington for all concerned and Amy and the Hoddinott’s were no exceptions but the year was my no means over.

Because at the beginning of October, April announced she was pregnant which sparked spectacular celebrations at Mereside Farm.

But there was still a lot of the year left and a new tenant was due to stay at the cottage.

 

It was the 4^th of October and the inhabitants of Mereside farm were slow to rise after the celebrations the day before drinking to April’s bump.

The only reason Amy was up, showered and dressed by 8 o’clock was because a new tenant was arriving to stay at the cottage and she wanted to make sure everything was neat and tidy.

 

The tenant to be, was a man by the name of Mike Tooke, who wanted a change of scene to somewhere quiet and out of the way for a couple of weeks.

He wasn’t due until after lunch so she had all morning to get the cottage spick and span.

 

It was just after lunch when Amy saw, through the Farmhouse

Kitchen window, an unfamiliar liveried white van drive into the farmyard.

“That must be him” she said to herself and as she went to the kitchen door and picked the key off the hook and then she went outside.

“Mr Tooke?” she called as he got out of the van.

“That’s me” he replied and Amy got her first proper look at him and she liked what she saw.

He was a few years older than she was with a rugged face and thick dark curly hair.

He was a few inches over six feet, Amy liked tall, and he was big, not fat but solid, she liked well-made men as well because they were big and cuddly.

“For goodness sake get a grip” she said to herself as he walked towards her and was momentarily transfixed by the sun setting her red hair aflame and when the sun went behind a cloud he offered his hand and said

“Mike Tooke”

“Amy Hoddinott” she said taking his hand

“Everything is ready for you”

“Excellent” he said

“Leave your van there and I’ll walk you down to the cottage”

“Fine” he agreed “I could do with stretching my legs”

Amy led the way and he followed and after a few minutes she said

“So you’re from Pepperstock”

“That’s right” he said “but I’ve escaped to the country”

“So what made you choose Mornington?” 

“Fishing” he replied “Someone recommended the fishing”

“I see” she said “That’s one of our best kept secret”

“So I understand”

“You won’t be disappointed” She promised

“I’m not so far” he said but he was looking at her bum at the time.

“Here we are” she said and walked up the front path and unlocked the front door.

The door of the cottage opened and she showed him in and gave him a brief tour.

“This is perfect” he said when she finished showing him round.

“So what are you escaping?” she asked

“Excuse me?”

“You said you were escaping to the country, so what are you escaping from?” she asked

“Oh work”

“And what do you do?” she asked

“I’m an LED Lighting specialist” he said

“That sounds interesting” Amy lied then she remembered the livery on the side of the van.

“So “Light and Day” is that who you work for?”

“Sort of” he said “It’s the family business”

“Your family?” she enquired

“Yes” he replied “Though it’s just me and Maggie now”

“It that your wife?” She asked

“No” he replied and laughed

“Girlfriend then?” she asked bracing herself for the answer 

“No, Maggie is my sister” he explained

“Excellent” she said inside her head which surprised her because she didn’t believe in instant attraction, so why should she care about his marital status.

“Oh your sister” she said out loud “Is she older or younger?”

“Three years older” he replied “Although the way she acts you’d think she was my mother”

“She’s very special to you isn’t she” Amy said

“Yes” he admitted “she’s an amazing person, I was only 16 when our parents died so she gave up university to be guardian to me”

“Does she have a family of her own now?” she asked

“No she’s single, I suspect she’s waiting until she gets me settled before she’ll think of herself, she’ll be down to check up on me at some point to make sure I’m eating properly and having regular bowel movements” Mike said and they both laughed.

“I look forward to meeting her” she said genuinely

“That was a kind thing to say” Mike said to himself “maybe there’s more to her than glorious hair and a nice bum”

“This really is perfect” he said

“Great, well I’ll walk you back up to your van and I’ll leave you to it”

 

They walked back to the car in silence but only because her hair was ablaze again, which was the only thing that stopped him from staring at her bum the entire way.

When they reached his van she said

“Well if there’s anything you need just come up to the house”

“I will”

“Goodbye then” she said but only managed a couple of steps before she turned around and said.

“If you want someone to show you the village them I’m around all weekend”

“I’d like that” he said “Maybe when I’ve unpacked my stuff”

“Ok just come up to the house when you’re ready” she said and turned towards the house

“Well that was bold” she said to herself “And you don’t even know if he likes you.

When she reached the kitchen door she glanced back and then said quietly

“Well he certainly likes my bum, so I’d better wear something that shows it off”

 

“Is everything alright with the new guest love?” Her mum asked as she entered the kitchen

“Definitely” she replied which wasn’t the answer her mum was quite expecting.

So with her curiosity aroused she added

“Sit down and have a drink and tell me what he’s like”

“I’ll tell you later I’m going to go and change” Amy responded

“Why do you need to change?”

“I’m going to show Mike the village” she replied

“Mike?”

“Mr Tooke, the new guest” she said and left the room.

“Well that was interesting” Suzanne said to herself and smiled

 

Amy reappeared in the kitchen wearing a very snug fitting pair of pale blue jeggings.

“I thought you were going to show him the places of interest in the village?”

“I am”

“I don’t think he’ll be noticing anything other than your places of interest” her mum said

“That was the whole point” Amy said and sat down at the table looking very nervous.

 

It was mid-afternoon and the glorious Indian summer sunshine streamed in through the window.

Amy and her mum were sat in the kitchen drinking coffee when there was a knock on the door.

Amy shifted in her seat and was about to rise from it when her mum said

“I’ll get it, the poor man might strain something if he sees you dressed like that without any warning”

She opened the door and was met by the tall, dark and ruggedly handsome newly arrived tenant.

“You must be Mrs Hoddinott” Mike said but to himself he added

“I can see where your daughter gets her looks from”

“Call me Suzanne” she said but was thinking “I can see why my daughter likes you”

“I’m Mike”

“Well I’m pleased to meet you Mike, Amy has been awaiting your arrival with baited breath”

“Mother, you are so embarrassing” Amy said and stood up

“Wow” Mike exclaimed not realising he had said it aloud until he noticed Amy blush.

 

As they left the farm house Amy smiled to herself when she noticed that Mike had changed too.

They exchanged small talk as they walked unhurriedly out through the gate and onto Windmill Lane.

They followed the lane when it bore to the right and continued along it passing the four Windmill Cottages on the left with the Old East Mill ahead of them.

When they reached the bridge Amy stopped abruptly and said

“The best fishing on the River Brooke starts about half a mile in that direction” She said pointing upstream beyond the Old East Mill “and as far as the Dulcets in the other direction, beyond that and there’s too much River traffic”

“I don’t think I shall be going that far afield” he said

“Personally I would recommend the Mere” She added “I should have taken you there first, but no matter”

“That’s ok I’m in no rush” he said affably and smiled

“Ok then, we’ll go along the River Path” she said and once again passed by the Windmill Cottages but this time along the path that separated them from the river and followed it down until they reached the Church.

“What a beautiful Church” he said standing still to admire its magnificence

“Yes its 12^th Century” Amy added proudly

“It’s the best one in the whole of the Vale, if not all of Downshire”

After pointing out the Vicarage, Manor Wood and the Brewery she led him up the path and away from the church, passing Mornington Manor and ended up looking out across the Mere.

“This is beautiful too” he said

“It’s not bad is it?” Amy agreed

“Does the path go all the way around?” he asked

“Yes” she replied “Shall we follow it?”

“Yes that would be lovely”

 

As they strolled around the water’s edge Amy asked

“Why did you really come to Mornington?”

“I told you, to fish” he replied

“Look Mike you probably already noticed that I am very proud of my village” she said “and the fishing around here isn’t bad but there are better places to fish in Downshire than here, in fact there are better places in Pepperstock than here”

“Are you the local sheriff?” he asked with a wry smile

“No I’m a School teacher” she retorted “So I’m trained to spot falsehoods”

 

As they strolled around the water’s edge Amy asked

“Why did you really come to Mornington?”

“I told you, to fish” he replied

“Look Mike you probably already noticed that I am very proud of my village” she said “and the fishing around here isn’t bad but there are better places to fish in Downshire than here, in fact there are better places in Pepperstock than here”

“Are you the local sheriff?” he asked with a wry smile

“No I’m a School teacher” she retorted “So I’m trained to spot falsehoods”

“Well it wasn’t really a falsehood I did want to do some fishing but you’re right I chose Mornington for a different reason” he confessed

“And?”

“You really are the local sheriff aren’t you?” he said

“Come on then spill the beans” she urged him 

“I came over to have a look at Mornington Field” he confessed

“The lease is due to expire on one of our premises in Pepperstock, so next year I’m going to have to move my workshop and I wanted to know if Mornington is a viable option”

“So what do you think of it so far?” she asked

“I can definitely see the attraction” he replied

Unfortunately the romantic promise of the moment was lost when a young local Angler, Nick Legg came hurrying noisily along the path.

“Hi Amy” he said and was gone almost as quickly as he arrived

“Hi Nick” Amy said as he disappeared

However along with the Nick Legg went the romantic possibilities of the moment.

 

As they continued on their walk around the Mere after their romantic near miss Amy offered her services in regard to Mornington Field.

“Well it’s too late now because it will be dark by the time we get there” she said “But I can take you up to the Field tomorrow if you like”

“That would be great”

“It will have to be after Church though” she added

“You go to Church?” he asked and Amy thought

“Here we go, I knew he was too good to be true, he’s going to mock me for my faith”

“Yes we’re regulars at St Winifred’s” she replied

“Would you mind if I tagged along?” he asked

“What?” she asked disbelievingly

“I won’t be offended if you say no”

“Why would I say no?” Amy said just as they finished their circuit of the Mere just as the sun was setting so Amy took them on a short cut back to the farm.

 

On Sunday morning Mike walked up to the farmhouse and arrived just as Amy and her mum emerged followed by a slightly younger version of Amy who turned out to be the younger sister and behind her was her husband and a great bear of a man in his mid-fifties who was introduced as Clive, Amy’s father.

After introductions and handshakes Suzanne explained the absence of her son.

“Robert would be joining us but at present as one of the cows is sick he’s waiting for the vet and hopefully he’ll join us later”.

It was another unseasonably warm day as they headed toward church and just as they were leaving the vet Hayley Gwillym drove up the lane.

“Hi Hayley” Clive said “You’ll find him in the cowshed”

“Ok thanks” she responded and drove off

 

Amy had been really surprised when Mike had said

“Would you mind if I tagged along?”

Because she was expecting him to make some jibe about her being a god botherer or something equally crass.

Which was why she responded “What?”

Instead of “Of course you can”

Mike and his sister Margaret had been raised as Christian’s and although Margaret lost her faith briefly after their parents passed, when she had to abandon University to be Mikes Guardian, she had returned to the fold.

 

So he had grown up in faith and from the moment he first stepped through the doors at St Winifred’s with the Hoddinott’s he felt at peace.

So if he was to move his workshops the first thing he would do would be to attend a service in Mornington with his sister Maggie because he felt so immediately at home.

 

As they sat together at St Winifred’s during the service Amy was really pleased that Mike had asked to go with her.

She was still a little disappointed that their romantic moment by the Mere had been shattered by Nick Legg and she was still a little angry with him for that and would have gladly pushed him in.

But she offered up a little prayer to beg forgiveness for her anger and asked for no interruption’s next time.

And then offered up another prayer to beg that there would be a next time.

 

Afterwards Mike chatted briefly with Reverend Cockcroft and it was obvious that Mike was not the “hatches, matches and dispatches” type of Christian and he was the real deal.

 

They walked back up to the farm together ahead of the others and as they walked she asked

“So how did you like St Winifred’s?”

“I felt really at home” Mike replied

“Good” she remarked

“Thank you for this morning” he said when they reached the farm

“No problem” Amy responded

“And I’ll see you later” he added

“Hold on, where do you think you’re going?”

“Back to the cottage of course”

“Oh no you’re not, you’re staying for lunch”

“I couldn’t possibly” he said just as the rest of the family arrived

“Are you two alright?” Suzanne asked

“We have a mutineer mum” she said

“Well we can’t have that” mum said “Clive! Get your shot gun”

“Alright I surrender” Mike said

“Good choice” Amy whispered “but he wouldn’t really have shot you”

 

“That was an epic lunch” he said as they set off towards Mornington Field

“Mum’s a great cook isn’t she?”

“Brilliant I would say, what about you?” he asked

“What do you mean?”

“Are you a good cook?” he asked

“Me? No, I could burn water” she replied

“I find that hard to believe”

“I kid you not” she said “Just ask my mum”

 

They went up to Mornington Field after lunch and they managed to find a gap through the security fences and wandered up and down between the buildings for about an hour until the October sunshine gave way to more seasonal rain.

“So what do you think?” she asked

“I think this would be a brilliant place to work”

“Excellent, you’ll be needing this then” she said handing him Victoria Johnson Higham’s business card.

Victoria was from Lyndon-Sanders Properties, who were tasked with finding tenants for the commercial properties.

“Where did you get this?” he asked

“I bumped into Vicki at church this morning” she explained

“Thank you” he said and hugged her before he kissed her cheek.

Both of them were reluctant to end the hug and hoped it would lead to a kiss and just at the instant it was about to happen the moment was shattered by a loud clap of thunder.

“Not helpful God, not helpful at all” she muttered as they ran for cover.

 

On the walk back to the farm Amy decided she would tackle him again when they got back to Mereside and everything was going to plan as they stood by the farmhouse gate and their lips were only inches away when the heavens opened and they both ran their separate ways.

“You are really not helping God” she said as she ran for the farmhouse door.

 

On Monday morning Amy looked wistfully towards the cottage as she left home on her way to school not realizing Mike wasn’t there.

He had had a very disturbed night and rose early and was sat on the riverbank by the East Bridge at 7 o’clock.

Amy on the other hand slept very well but the morning began in dreamy snoozing, and it was Mike who filled her dreams.   

 

She was halfway across the East Bridge when she just happened to look towards the church and she was recalling the time she had spent with Mike the day before when she spotted him sitting on a folding chair on the riverbank, though she did do a double take, it was clearly him.     

She looked at her watch and cursed because she was running late.

“Shit” she said “It’s now or ever”  

Amy turned around and hurried back the way she’d come and as she stepped off the bridge, she turned right onto the riverbank path.

When she reached the angler in the folding chair she stopped and crouched down beside him.

“Oh hello…” he began when he noticed her, but he was prevented from finishing his sentence by Amy passionately kissing him on the mouth.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all weekend” she said looked at her watch and added “I have to go”

“Where are you going?” he asked as she turned away

“You can’t go now”

“I’m late for work” she called “You can take me to dinner tonight though, pick me up at 8”

As she crossed the bridge again, she looked to the heavens and quietly said

“Now that wasn’t too difficult, was it?”

Then she turned and waved to Mike before she hurried off to work with a broad smile on her face.

OUR LOVE IS NEW LOVE

 

Our love is new love

Our love is true love

Don’t be blue love

Because I love you love

 

Our love is new love

My love is true love

I won’t be blue love

Because I love you love

 

Our love is new love

Is your love a true love?

Don’t make me blue love

Say I love you too love

Mornington-By-Mere – (22) Destiny

Twenty-three-year-old Lisa Kincaid-Smith lived at number 4, Windmill Cottages in Mornington-By-Mere with her parents and two older siblings.

She was five foot eight with luscious thick ginger curls tumbling down onto her shoulders and mesmerizing green eyes, a curvaceous and perfectly proportioned figure.

Lisa also had a heart as big as a house and felt blessed to have 4 particularly good and longstanding friends.

         

Apart from the fact they all lived in Mornington and were all 23 years old, the five girls also went to Abbottsford University together.

And it was while they were at University that Lisa Kincaid-Smith, Megan Murray, Carina Crockford and twin sisters Cordelia and Corliss St George performed as the Jackson 5 for the first time.

It was during rag week on their first week when they donned gold lame flares and black wigs and sang “I want you back” and from that moment it became their party piece and one that had been repeated on many occasions since.

So when they signed up for the Sharpington Day Parade on Bank Holiday Monday, a Charity event which raised tens of thousands of pounds every year, much of which was collected by volunteers rattling tins along the route whilst in fancy dress, it was a forgone conclusion who they would dress up as.

Sharpington-by-Sea was a traditional seaside resort complete with a Victorian Pier, seafront hotels, crazy golf, ballroom, well maintained gardens, promenade, theatre and illuminations, all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside, as well as amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.

Which was the first purpose built amusement park to open in Britain, which had an assortment of rides, like the Rotor and the tame compared to a 21^st century roller coaster but still fun.

But on the August Bank Holiday Monday it wasn’t the Fun Park people were interested in.

It was the parade that attracted people from all over Downshire and beyond and Carina had an idea to make their Jackson 5 homage even better by having all the girls professionally made up to match Megan Murray’s skin colour which was dark caramel due to her mixed race heritage.

However much to her consternation her suggestion wasn’t greeted with universal approval.

That was mainly due to the fact that the St George girls were very white with pale skin and blue eyes and Lisa was a proper ginger who actually ended up paler when she went out in the sun.

Although their concerns centred more on not wishing to look ridiculous rather than the fear of any offence they might cause.

 

However their fears were soon put at ease when Carina explained what she had in mind. 

Since leaving University Carina Crockford had worked in the makeup department at the Purplemere Studio’s and it was there where she had charge of a group of trainee make-up artists and among them were Karen Cooper and Ivana Holubova, and it was they who Carina had persuaded to make the girls up.

Also she had co-opted the help of Sue Moss and Lisa Mendez from the costume department.

As a result the girls reluctantly agreed to go along with it but reserved judgement on whether they would allow themselves to be seen in public made up and costumed.

 

As it turned out the makeup and costumes were so good that on the day of the parade no one realised that only one of the Jackson 5 was actually black.

It was only at the very end of the day as they were getting into the car when Lisa’s wig fell off to reveal her ginger hair that a member of the public realised something was amiss.

There was however no public outcry though they got a mention in the Sharpington Courier and there was talk of a Police investigation but nothing came of it and the tale of the Jackson 5 passed into modern folklore.

 

After Lisa Kincaid-Smith left University with her degree she took a job as Trainee Accountant at the Mornington Brewery.

She could have done better financially had she gone to a bigger company in Purplemere or Finchbottom but she had no desire to leave the village that she had lived in all of her life and saw no reason to do so merely for a larger pay check.

 

The job at the brewery however came at a price, because she was straight out of University she needed to gain some actual experience in a much busier office than the Mornington Brewery could offer.

So a 3 year placement was arranged with Curtis and Scott in Purplemere, which was only a relatively short drive from Mornington.

She would also sit additional exams over that time and at the end of the three years she would work full time at the Brewery.    

  

Paul Douglass had spent years looking for “the one” but consistently failed to locate her.

Even years of running the gauntlet of well-meaning friends, throwing what they considered to be suitable candidates in his path, had not paid dividends.

The problem was that he was too fussy, apart from her needing to be a tall redhead, “the one” also needed to meet his usual criteria, attractive, kind, loving and have a true heart.

But in addition he was searching for someone with a moral compass, a practicing Christian preferably, a church goer at least, though not someone permanently on their knees, a devout girl but not a pious one.

He wanted a girl who was sexy but not tarty, attractive but not vain, feminine and possessed of modesty.

A girl with good dress sense, free of tattoos and body piercings, well mannered, and lady like, definitely not someone who drank from a bottle.

However with every passing day Paul had become convinced he was looking for someone who didn’t really exist.

 

Lisa Kincaid-Smith met most, if not all, of Paul’s criteria, she was blessed with great kindness, a quality in his opinion unfailingly underappreciated in the modern world, a shining girl, intelligent and academically bright, and inclined towards an unquenchable work ethic.

Attractive but not showily so, Lisa was certainly feminine, red haired and tall.

But there was something else in her nature, just simple goodness perhaps, which was a quality that Paul had not bargained for nor included in his wish list.

Lisa believed in goodness and everlasting life and of course good and evil.

Lisa too was searching, she was searching for a man who shared her faith and who put others before himself, a good man, a dependable man and she had sought him all of her life.

 

So you would have thought that, considering they were in reality searching for each other, and that they were actually perfect for each other, they might have realised by that point that the other actually existed.

The fact that they didn’t was all the more surprising when you consider that they worked in the same building for the same company even if it was only for only two days a week.

 

Paul had worked for Curtis and Scott, in Abbottsford, since he left school aged sixteen.

He started in the yard, fetching and carrying, loading and unloading, but that was almost 10 years ago.

Now he was assistant manager and ordered others to fetch and carry, leading him ultimately to spend more and more time behind a desk and glued to the phone.   

He was more accustomed to working on the shop floor and in the yard amongst hard working, hard living, and hard talking men and was all too familiar with their baser natures.

But somehow he had always managed to raise himself above the mire and walked the Christian path.

Yet he had always had to walk that righteous path alone.  

 

Lisa worked for Curtis and Scott two days a week as part of her Accountancy training, she spent the first year of her placement in the smaller Purplemere office.

But when the recession hit, the company had to rationalise and the Purplemere office closed.

There were redundancies as well, in both towns but Lisa was lucky enough to be able to transfer her placement to the head office.  

 

The recession also hit Paul pretty badly, he had to watch a lot of good people made redundant, and his workload had to increase to make up the short fall in manpower.  

This also meant that what little free time he had previously was as a result greatly reduced. 

 

Lisa was not wholly happy with her situation either, when it first happened she was sad because she had made some good friends in the Purplemere office, and then she’d had to travel much further to get to work in Abbottsford in an office where she knew nobody.    

But it was only two days a week and she decided to stay at a motel for one night to minimise the travel but that wasn’t the worst of it.

She was placed in a busy office on the Finance and Admin floor, among a gaggle of chattering young girls, she thought they were girls even though they were older than she was.

She thought they were girls compared to her as they were younger in outlook and very immature.

Lisa was instantly unpopular with them, firstly because she was replacing someone they liked, someone nearer their own age, someone equally vacuous and with equally loose morals who let them skive and secondly because she was a grownup in comparison who was good at her job.

Lisa was instantly at odds with the silly tarty girls in their short skirts and low cut tops, loudly sharing the intimate details of their latest indiscretions with anyone in earshot.

“Look at me, look at me” they seemed to scream “everybody look at me”

She thought they were the type of girls who ended up drunk in the gutter showing the world their manicured intimate parts.

She despised them for their baseness and they despised her for her quiet efficiency and mocked her for her diligence, in fact they openly mocked her to her face.

They also called her names behind her back, steel draws, the nun, little miss cherry and Mary, as in the Virgin Mary.

However all of this was water off a ducks back to her, she just ignored them and got on with her job, and her diligence didn’t go unnoticed.

 

She was always the go to girl when there was something important to be done because of her work ethic.

Lisa didn’t mind being the odd one out or being the butt of her colleague’s jokes, she was happy with her life choices and knew that brash tarty girls come and go and in the 18 months she was in Abbottsford, she was a constant and she now had the experience and the qualifications were not far away.

She looked forward to a time when she would share her work place with people of like mind and her life choices would be the norm, which she knew she had waiting for her at the Brewery.

As for the men in the building they all seemed perfectly happy with empty headed tarts, in fact the tartier the better seemed to make them most content.  

 

Paul worked on the fifth floor in the logistics department but he occasionally had to go down to Finance and Admin on the third floor, to discuss invoices or purchase orders but he only ever noticed the tarty girls he never saw Lisa working diligently at her desk with her head down. 

He treated all the women on the third floor with equal contempt and he tarred them all with the same brush.

 

For 18 months Paul Douglass and Lisa Kincaid-Smith worked in the same building, if only for two days a week, and they never met until one Friday evening in October.

Paul had been working late again and got in the lift on the fifth floor at 7.55pm.

He was not in the best of moods as he had not intended to work that late, he had somewhere to be, and he didn’t want to be late.

Lisa had worked later than planned as well, as it was Friday the lazy little princesses had all finished early in order to go out and get drunk to point of unconsciousness, or shit faced to use the modern parlance, before having a knee trembler in a bus shelter, or behind the bins.

But whatever state they would end up in they had left her to do all the reports.

She stayed as late as possible but then she had to go, so she packed up and grabbed some folders and headed towards the lift.

Lisa would ordinarily take the stairs but with her arms full of homework for the weekend she decided to take the lift.

She pressed the button and a moment later the doors opened and she stepped in.

The lift wasn’t empty, a man that she vaguely recognised was in there already and he had a bundle of files under his arm too, she gave him a cursory glance, he definitely wasn’t one of the dogs that sniffed around her office but she must have seen him somewhere.

 

When the doors opened and Lisa stepped in, his heart sank but then on closer inspection he thought that she wasn’t dressed like one of the third floor sluts and she didn’t smell like a tarts handbag either so he thought he could cope.

It was a shame really because physically she ticked all his boxes, it was just a shame she was from the 3^rd floor.

“At least there’s only one of them” he thought to himself “and its only three floors”

The doors closed and the lift started to descend, but after a few seconds the car came to a juddering halt.

 

The doors closed and the lift started to descend, but after a few seconds the car came to a juddering halt.

“Oh no” Lisa said “Why today?”

She said it without anger or fear and that impressed Paul it was said more out of exasperation.

“Somewhere to be?” Paul asked and pressed the alarm

“Yes” she replied and put her things on the floor but didn’t elaborate.

He supposed she was going clubbing or something equally frivolous.

“How many of you are there?” A voice asked

“Two” Paul replied

“Ok, we’ll have you out as soon as possible”

It was Paul’s turn to put his things on the floor and then he sat down beside them. 

“I hope it won’t be too long” he said

“Why? Do you have somewhere to be?” she asked and also sat down

“Yes I do” he replied “and I particularly wanted to be there on time”

“Oh yes? What is it a new restaurant?” she asked

“Of a sort” he replied

“What about you?” Paul asked “are you off clubbing?”

“Certainly not” she said with disgust “I have more important things to do with my time”

Paul was just digesting her answer and considering his next question when the lift came to life again and continued its descent.

“Excellent” He said and stood up, then he offered his hand to Lisa

“Quite so” she agreed and took his hand “Thank you”

“My pleasure” he said

And by the time they had gathered their things together the lift had reached the ground floor and the door opened.

Paul stood aside and let her exit first which he thought she would probably consider an act of sexism.

“Thank you” she said appreciating the gentlemanly gesture and added  

“I hope you make it on time”

“You too” he replied  

 

They quickly got to their respective cars and headed in opposite directions.

Lisa lived the closest or at least the motel was the closest and she was fed, showered, changed and on her way out the door before Paul had even reached his front door.

Ordinarily she only stayed at the motel on Thursday night but because she had something on that night which she knew would finish late, she stayed an extra night.    

 

When Paul got home, he closed the door behind him and went straight to the kitchen and made himself a sandwich.

He ate it far too quickly to be healthy and was still chewing as he stepped into the shower and he knew he would have heartburn for the rest of the night.

He dried himself and dressed in warm clothes and was then on his way.

Paul parked the car in Church Street and checked his watch as he hurriedly walked toward his destination, and he was twenty minutes late.  

He looked through the window and saw it was quite busy and a queue had formed.

Paul walked around to the side door and walked in and undid his coat as he did so

“I’m terribly sorry I’m so late” he said “I got stuck in a lift”

“Well they all say that” she said as she turned around and Paul saw that it was the girl from the lift.

They stood smiling at each other for a moment as they realised that their mutual life long search for “the one” had come to an end at the South Abbottsford soup kitchen.

ANGEL IN MY BED

 

There is an angel in my bed

Asleep beneath the sheets

Her angelic countenance

Exuding heavenly serenity

But I can safely say

The angel that I can see

Asleep beneath the sheets

The angel lying in my bed

After what we did before

Is not an angel anymore

AS WE LAY UNDER THE STARS

 

As we lay under the stars

I had the perfect trinity

Music in my soul

Love in my heart

And you in my arms

ANGEL IN MY BED

 

There is an angel in my bed

Asleep beneath the sheets

Her angelic countenance

Exuding heavenly serenity

But I can safely say

The angel that I can see

Asleep beneath the sheets

The angel lying in my bed

After what we did before

Is not an angel anymore