You have awoken the sleeping beast
That was my heart of
black
You have awakened the
feelings
That died in me a long
time back
You have made my
senses tingle
You have made my
pulses race
You have filled me
with a glow
And brought a smile
back to my face
Now the sleeping beast
has awoken
I just thought you
should know
You have given me new
life
And I will always love
you so
Mornington-By-Mere is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
It is a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate
box picturesque idyll, with a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a
Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
But Mornington-By-Mere
was not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it was the beating heart of
the Finchbottom Vale and there were a
number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road and Dulcets Lane
which formed the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside and 41 year old
Rhonda Kane lived on Dulcets Road at Marigold Cottage.
She was a solicitor with Bramstock, Goodman,
Crossfield and Bushe in Abbottsford.
Normally she
lived alone but at that time her younger brother Brian was staying with her
following his divorce.
Brian was a 39 years old Accountant with Brady and Clare, in
Abbeyvale, although in the six months since the divorce he had been working out
of the Sharpington office.
But on a bright Wednesday morning in May he had the day off and decided
to take a walk into the village.
He walked
past the brewery and then through Manor wood and then crossed the bridge into
the village.
He wanted to
cook his sister something special for dinner as a thank you for putting up with
him.
He went to
the Legg’s Farm shop first and bought some eggs and fresh vegetables, then
Norman’s General Store for some wine, Boddingtons Butchers for some bacon and a
nice bit of liver and finally he headed for Addison’s Bakery to get a French
stick.
Just as he
stepped inside the door he heard Chloe Addison call
“Happy
Birthday Kate”
And a tall
dark haired woman replied
“Thank you”
and not looking where she was going she walked straight into Brian as she was
leaving the shop, dropping some of her bags.
Kate Pottinger was a local girl and also lived in Manorside at number
5 Brooke Side Cottages with her brother
Gary.
And apart
from living together they also worked together as tree surgeons, who like their
father and uncles before them, worked exclusively for the Mornington Estate
which kept them busy enough tending to the health and welfare of upwards of 25
thousand trees.
Kate was in
the village to do a bit of shopping while her brother was at the doctors and then Gary was
taking her for lunch at the Old Mill Inn for her 38th birthday.
“I’m so
sorry” Brian said gallantly even though it wasn’t his fault
“Don’t be
silly” she said to the tall, slim, good looking man with neat black hair, more than a little flustered.
“Are you
ok?” he asked as she gathered herself
“I’m
alright, but I think you squashed my baps”
She said and
realising what she’d said she burst out laughing which set him off.
Kate
Pottinger and Brian Kane stood outside Addison’s Bakery laughing and flirting
for about 10 minutes.
Working
outdoors in a physical occupation Kate was well tanned well-toned but
despite that was well groomed.
She was not as tall as Brian, which she liked, she
stood five foot eight, a full inch and a three quarters taller than her brother,
which was something she never let him forget and always referred to him as her
“little brother”.
Despite the height difference they were alike in
almost every other way blue eyes, chestnut coloured hair, broad smiles and
infectious laughs.
And Kate was exercising that laugh to great effect
that morning.
She could see over Brian’s shoulders when Gary left
the surgery and she could also see he was looking flushed, though at that time
she didn’t know why.
Gary spotted his sister outside Addison’s Bakery where he could see she was
still laughing and joking.
He crossed the road and approached the laughing pair.
“Hi Kate are you ready for that lunch” he said and the
man looked a little crestfallen.
“Hi Gary” she said “I just need to get some stamps
from Norman’s”
“This is my brother Gary” she said and the man’s
expression lifted
“Gary this is…”
“Brian” he responded and shook Gary’s hand “Pleased to
meet you”
“Likewise”
“Well enjoy your lunch and the rest of your birthday”
Brian said and shook her hand and it was long and lingering.
“Thank you, goodbye” she said and headed towards the Post Office & General Store to buy stamps but Gary
noticed she kept glancing over her shoulder.
Brian watched the Pottinger’s walk away although in
truth it was only the taller half that he was really interested in.
He had sworn off the opposite sex when he first split
with his wife and that morning was the first time he had met a woman that he
wanted to do more than pass the time of day with.
And as he walked back home after buying his bread he
wished that it was he that was taking her for her birthday lunch instead of
going back to his sisters to make her liver and bacon.
They sat at a table in the Old Mill Inn and he said
“He seemed nice”
“He was alright I suppose” she replied coyly
“Only alright, you were flirting with him like it was
an Olympic sport”
“No I wasn’t” she retorted
“And he was flirting back” Gary said
“He was not” she said “Was he?”
He smiled and made her blush and then she changed the
subject
“So how did you get on at the doctors?”
“Excellent” he replied “A clean bill of health”
“That’s great news” Kate said “They must have really
put you through your paces, you looked very flushed when you came out”
“Ah there’s a very good reason for that” Gary said and
then he went on to tell her all about the attractive doctor and his
embarrassing arousal and she roared with laughter.
Gary and Kate sat at a table in the Old Mill Inn and
he said
“He seemed nice”
“He was alright I suppose” she replied coyly
“Only alright, you were flirting with him like it was
an Olympic sport”
“No I wasn’t” she retorted
“And he was flirting back” Gary said
“He was not” she said “Was he?”
He smiled and made her blush and then she changed the
subject
“So how did you get on at the doctors?”
“Excellent” he replied “A clean bill of health”
“That’s great news” Kate said “They must have really
put you through your paces, you looked very flushed when you came out”
“Ah there’s a very good reason for that” Gary said and
then he went on to tell her all about the very attractive doctor and a
combination of very exotic perfume and a glimpse of expensive pink lingerie
made him behave in such a way that he had experience since he was a teenager.
And the resulting arousal had been responsible for his
looking flushed.
On hearing his full uncensored account of his embarrassing
arousal she roared with laughter.
It was the first Friday in June and Kate and Gary were
going up to Abbottsford for a few days.
They had a big family christening on Sunday at St
Dunstan’s Church when their cousins triplets were being baptized.
So it was one not to miss, but as it was at the 9.30
service and they didn’t want the hassle of traveling up on the day so they
decided to put up at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel the night before.
However Gary was then given a ticket to the Downshire versus Surrey
one day match at the Abbottsfield cricket ground so he suggested going on
Friday and staying two nights so they would have the whole of Saturday in town
so he could go to the match and Kate could go shopping at the Phoenix Shopping
Centre and she jumped at the chance, but not to spend the day at the shopping mall.
What she wanted to do was to visit the Castle Hill
Museum and Art Gallery.
Gary and Kate were not the only Mornington residents
planning a weekend away, the Goman-Smiths and the Kane’s were also going to be
in Abbottsford for the whole weekend though not all for the same reasons.
So when the Pottinger’s set off after work on Friday
evening their fellow villagers were already there.
Brian Kane travelled up to Abbottsford early on Friday
with his sister, he had an important meeting with a client and then he was
meeting Rhonda for lunch.
Because of the importance of the meeting he had
allowed a three hour window but as it turned out it was concluded in under two.
So he went for a ridiculously expensive coffee at the Espresso
Phoenix to kill some time and then made his way to Bramstock, Goodman, Crossfield
and Bushe to meet his sister.
He walked into reception and exchanged pleasantries
with Sandra, the receptionist, and then took a seat and a few minutes later
Sandra delivered him a coffee.
He sat there about half an hour reading a magazine
when he heard Rhonda’s voice which grew progressively louder as she got closer.
He looked to his left and he could see her talking to
a male client who had his back to him as they shook hands
“I will be
in touch in due course” she said
“Thank you
Ms Kane” the man said
“Please call
me Rhonda”
“Call me
Rhonda?” Brian said to himself “She never lets her clients call her Rhonda, this
one must be important”
But when the man turned around he saw that he knew him
and said
“Daniel”
“Hello Brian, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to take my sister to lunch” he replied as
the two men shook hands.
“Kane, der, I didn’t make the connection”
Meanwhile Rhonda, who had turned to go back to her
office turned on her heels and joined them.
“You two know each other?” she asked
“Yes we were at University together” Brian said
“Are you a bean counter as well then?” Rhonda asked
with a smile
“No I’m a Doctor” he replied
The following few minutes of the conversation
completely excluded Brian who just looked on in from the sidelines in amusement.
In fact it only came to an end when the receptionist,
Sandra, interrupted with a message.
“Mr. Bishop phoned to say he can’t make his
appointment but can you squeeze him in at 2 o’clock”
Rhonda looked at her watch and replied
“Yes that’s fine”
After Sandra had left them she said
“We will have to make it an early lunch Brian”
“That’s fine with me”
“And perhaps Daniel would like to join us” she added
“I’d love to” he replied to her
They had lunch at an Italian Restaurant called
Roberto’s just around the corner from her office.
“So was it just Rhonda that brought you too
Abbottsford?” Brian asked
“No it wasn’t, but I would have made the trip just to
see her” he thought but out loud he said
“No I’m in town for the weekend, at the Regent’s,
Sarah and I are going to the cricket tomorrow”
“We’re putting up at the Regents as well” Brian said
“Never mind that who the hell is Sarah?” Rhonda asked
herself and then as if he had heard her internal question Brian explained
“Sarah is Daniels ex-wife, but they’re still friends,
in fact they still share a house, how odd is that?”
“I think it’s quite nice” she said
The food at Roberto’s was excellent but the lunchtime
service was very slow and unfortunately Rhonda had to excuse herself before
desert.
“I’m sorry but I have to go” she said “I really love
the desert’s here as well”
“Perhaps we might run into each other over the
weekend” he said
“I hope so, that would be nice” she said then she said
goodbye to her brother and left.
“Are you going to talk to me now?” Brian asked and
laughed but Daniels thoughts were elsewhere.
After leaving the restaurant Brian and Daniel went
their separate ways but arrived at the Hotel within ten minutes of each other.
The Pottinger’s got stuck in the Friday night traffic
and finally arrived at the Hotel at 9 o’clock by which time the Kane’s and the
Goman-Smiths had already gone out for the evening.
Brian and
Rhonda were dining at a trendy nouvelle cuisine restaurant off Castle Street
called The Wooden Slipper which served high flavour, low-calorie, and substance
lacking dishes, where minor celebrities are known to dine.
The food was good, if you like tiny artistic
arrangements the size of a Hors
d'oeuvre, on a slab of welsh slate but there wasn’t enough to live on.
So when it was time to leave they were almost hungrier
than when they arrived, so they went into town and shared a kebab.
The Doctors Goman-Smith meanwhile went to The Empire
Theatre to watch a revival on An Inspector Calls followed by a fish supper.
But back at the hotel, Gary and Kate ordered
sandwiches from room service and got an early night.
On Saturday
morning everyone was up early and availed themselves of the full English
breakfast but due to a miracle of timing all three couples managed to avoid each
other.
Gary was
ready to go far too early so left for the cricket ground on foot while the
Goman-Smith’s left an hour later in a cab.
Kate who
planned to spend much of the day in cultural pursuits had a measured start to
the day and as she was leaving the Hotel Brian Kane was just walking into the
gym with his sister Rhonda.
After a good
workout he had an hours swim and she had a sauna and then she spent the rest of
the day being pampered and preened, massaged, manicure, pedicure and hair in
fact you name it and she had it.
Brian though
had coffee and read the papers before he went out.
Brian Kane spent the first part of the day rummaging
in bookshops and antique shops of Abbottsford’s old town district and then he indulged
his penchant for ridiculously expensive coffees in the trendy coffee shops.
Kate spent the morning in and out of every museum in
Abbottsford and had lunch in one of the same coffee shops that Brian drank in
and they only missed each other by minutes and in the afternoon she headed for
the Art Gallery which housed one of the best collections of artwork outside of
the capital.
The bulk of the collection was made up of pieces
donated by the Trotwood Estate.
She paid deference to all the exhibits, even the
cubists which she didn’t really like, she was really just filling the time
until she got to the section she wanted to see the most, The French Impressionists.
She loved them all Camille
Pissarro, Emile Schuffenecker, Eugène Boudin, the Bracquemond’s, Caillebotte, Cézanne,
Forain, Stanislas Lépine, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac and her personal favorite
Frédéric Bazille.
It was when
she was sitting on a bench studying a lesser piece of Bazille’s when a tall, slim, good
looking man with neat black hair sat down next to her.
“Do you like
Bazille?” he asked
“Very much”
she replied and turned to look and a smile spread across her face as she
recognized his face.
“Hello
Brian” she said all at once unable to return her eyes to the art
“What a
lovely surprise”
“For me too
Kate” he said
They spent the rest of the afternoon together,
enjoying the art and each other’s company in equal measure and even revisited
the exhibits she’d already seen on her own and as they stood in front of a
magnificent renaissance canvas he said
“Are you free for dinner tonight?”
“I can be” she replied without hesitation and then she
added
“Could I choose the restaurant?”
“Of course”
At the end of the afternoon Kate and Brian went back
to the Hotel to change and met downstairs in reception again an hour later
where Brian made a phone call and Kate left a message at reception.
She chose the Pig and Whistle in Little Trottwood and
afterwards they took a walk in the countryside.
They left the village and headed towards Trottwood
Manor and they paused before crossing the bridge and turned to look across the
lake and they were amazed at how natural the scene was when considering that
little more than a 100 years earlier it was a boggy field.
That was before a Victorian industrialist named Josiah
Tiplady, who, having made his fortune amongst the smoking factory chimneys of
Lancashire, was seeking a country retreat in which to enjoy his fortune as well
as the considerably fresher air, so he purchased the old Trottwood Manor.
He famously said he chose the Trottwood Estate as it
had everything he was looking for, but not apparently a lake complete with
fountains and an island bird sanctuary.
But as they viewed the scene on that glorious June
evening it was clearly money well spent.
“This is really beautiful” she said
He agreed and then they turned and continued onto the
bridge and halfway across Brian paused and turned to face Kate and kissed her.
“And now it’s even more beautiful”
If I could, I would bring you such a gift
That would see your spirit’s
lift
And up to heaven you
would soar
So, I could be with
you once more
And I could tell you
to let go
Let all the bitter
tears flow
Like the late September
rain
So that you can learn
to love again
That is the gift that
I would give
Because I want to see
you live
On Christmas Eve Siobhan Chapman and Bryan Williams were
stood in the old wooden bus shelter on the Shallowfield road opposite the Old
East Windmill just after the last bus had gone in the depths of a passionate
kiss.
They both lived in the village of Mornington-By-Mere which is a small country village
lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest
and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
It is a quaint
picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with a Manor
House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an Old Forge,
a Schoolhouse, a River, a Mere and of course at least one bus shelter.
Siobhan and Bryan had only met recently at a mutual friends
18th birthday party at the end of November although they were not
strangers as they had both gone to the village school but at the age of 11
Bryan had gone to Shallowfield Grammar School.
Siobhan and Victoria
Crockford had been right through the school system together and had been
friends since forever.
Bryan on the other hand knew Victoria from University which
was why he got his invite to her party.
When Cass introduced them at the party they hit it off
from the very first second and from that night on they were virtually inseparable.
On Christmas Eve they had been at the Williams house for
the evening and it was as he was walking her home to Windmill Cottages that
they diverted into the seclusion of the bus shelter.
“I have a confession to make” Siobhan said a few minutes
after Bryan had un-cupped her breasts.
“What’s that?” he asked her without relinquishing his
hold on her pliant breasts.
“My uncle is the village policeman” she said
“Really?” he asked
“Really” she
confirmed
“Well it’s a
fair cop” he said and gave her breast a squeeze and then laughed uncontrollably
because he was copping a feel of the village Copper’s niece.
“So you think they’re fair do you?” she said
“Yes” he replied “I mean no, er I don’t know”
Inexplicably, to Bryan’s way of thinking, she put her
breasts away and slapped at his hand as he tried to free them again.
“They are better than fair” she said sharply “by a long
way”
“You’re absolutely right” he said grovelingly “They’re fabulous”
“Humph” she exclaimed and zipped up her coat
“Oh come on Siobhan” Bryan said “Don’t hide your lovely
boobs away”
And he tried again to regain access to her goodies but Siobhan
sidestepped his lunge and snapped a pink fluffy handcuff on his wrist.
“Bryan Williams I am arresting you for inappropriate
laughter during a sexual act”
Bryan’s reaction was to try and escape but Siobhan’s Uncle
had trained her in self-defense and restraint techniques and she applied the
latter on his wrist and almost made him cry out in pain.
“Ok, ok” he begged “I surrender”
“Good boy” she said patronizingly
“Where are you taking me?” Bryan asked
“To my house of course” she replied
“Can’t we stay here instead?” he asked
“No we can’t” she replied
“Why?” he simpered
“Because my Mum and Dad have gone to midnight mass so you
don’t need to be groping me in a bus shelter” Siobhan replied
“When you could be doing it in my bedroom”
“So why did you tell me about your uncle being a
policeman?” he asked
“Oh that was just to give me an excuse to use the
handcuffs” she replied with a giggle.
“So are you going to come quietly sir?” she asked and
kissed his cheek
“It depends on what you plan to do” he said hesitantly
“Well if I tell you it will spoil the surprise” Siobhan
said
“Ok I
promise that I won’t offer any resistance” he confessed
On Christmas Day Bryan and Siobhan woke up with more than
the normal joy of a Christmas morning after having made love for the first time
the night before.
Brian thought it was a very special night even though he
had to climb out of her bedroom window in the small hours and nearly broke his
neck in the process while Siobhan watched him all the way and giggled.
Christmas
morning began with a frosty glaze decorating the rooftops and lightly dusting
the evergreens and as the bells rang out to celebrate the birth of the Lord the
joyous faithful of the village arrived under a clear blue sky.
It was a
most glorious Christmas morning and Bryan’s spirits were high after the early exchange
of Christmas presents in Siobhan bedroom.
He was with
the rest of the Williams clan as the faithful answered the call of the bells,
but he waited outside the church while the others took their places until
Siobhan and the rest of the Chapman family arrived and he met Siobhan outside
St Winifred’s
“Happy
Christmas” he said
“Happy
Christmas” she replied and then the two of them just stood and looked at each
other with inane grins on their faces and then they were only brought back to
the moment by a shout from Siobhan’s Dad telling her to get a move on.
So Bryan
kissed her lovingly in the sunshine on the steps of the Church before they both
went inside to join the rest of their families.
It was an
excellent service with Peter Cockcroft on his very best form, but Bryan and
Siobhan didn’t really follow preceding’s very closely as their minds and eyes
were elsewhere.
Afterwards
it took some while for the Church to empty as everyone wanted to share their
best wishes with each other.
After they eventually
left the church Bryan walked with her to Windmill Bridge where they shared a
Christmas kiss, said their goodbyes before they
went their separate ways.
As they had
become inseparable in the weeks since they had first met, the days preceding
Christmas there had been much debate as to where the couple would spend
Christmas day but in the end they decided to have Christmas dinner at their
respective homes with their own families and met up at hers in the evening
although there was no repeat of the previous night’s excitements.
Instead they
ate too much and drank too much and when he left the Chapman’s it was quite
late.
On Boxing Day Siobhan and Bryan were once again in the
Shallowfield Road bus shelter sharing a kiss when she suddenly said
“I have a confession to make,”
“Not another one?” he said “I’ve still got the bruises
from the last one”
“No not that kind of confession” she said
“Oh, what then?” he asked her “You’re not married are
you?”
“Not that I remember” she replied “and I would hope if I
were married I wouldn’t be standing in a bus shelter kissing another man”
“No, that’s a very good point” he said
“And furthermore if I was married I don’t think I would
have handcuffed you to my bed on Christmas Eve, would I”
“No” he admitted and wondered what the confession might
be on that boxing.
They were on their way to the Old Mill Inn and the reason
they were on their way there was because they showed live football in the bar
and Abbottsford Town were playing Abbeyvale Borough and Bryan was an Abbottsford fan and not only was it a
derby match but it was important match because it was a top of the table clash.
Although to be honest it was always an important match
when Town played Borough.
But despite the importance of the game they still stopped
in the bus stop where she was making another confession.
Bryan was pleased that she wasn’t married, she could have
been married for all he knew, he hadn’t known her long and they’d only been
dating for a month so there was a lot he still didn’t know about her, but she
was only 17.
Her name was Siobhan Chapman and she was born and bred in the village,
he also knew where she went to school and who her parents and siblings were.
He knew that he liked the look of her from the first minute and asked
her out a minute later and he had seen her every day since.
So as they were on their way to the pub on Boxing Day to watch
the football and she suggested they stopped for an intimate interlude in the
bus shelter, how could he resist.
It was kind of an instant attraction thing, certainly for
her, and since the first attraction it had gradually deepened and now he was
head over heels in love with her.
“What then?” he asked still unaware what her confession
was.
“Oh God I’ve been dreading saying this” she said and he was really worried, she
may not have been married but she could still have been engaged or had a
boyfriend.
But as worried as he was he wasn’t sure if he really
wanted to know.
But Siobhan took a deep breath and he braced himself
“I’m an Abbeyvale supporter” she said and closed her eyes
and grimaced but it took a moment for the full implications of her statement to
sink in.
“I think I would have preferred it if you were married”
he said and Siobhan moved close in to him and asked
“Do you mean you would prefer it if a married woman was
in love with you rather than an Abbeyvale supporter?”
“She loves me” he said to himself and he wasn’t sure if
that shocked him more than the fact she supported Abbeyvale Borough.
“I'm sorry,”
she said “Not
much of a Christmas present for my new boyfriend I’m afraid”
But she couldn't have been more wrong about that it was the perfect Christmas
present.
Siobhan Chapman loved him and everything else paled into insignificance compared to that and he made sure she knew that.
We have lived our lives together
And we have reached
our Novembers
The once burning fires
of our lives
Have been reduced to
meagre embers
And yet we can still
look forward
To us both sharing our
Decembers
Twenty
eight year old Matthew Burnham lives alone in the
village of Mornington-By-Mere
which is a small country village lying in the Finchbottom Vale nestled between
the Ancient Dancingdean Forest and the rolling Pepperstock Hills.
It
is a quaint picturesque village, a proper chocolate box picturesque idyll, with
a Manor House, 12th Century Church, a Coaching Inn, Windmills, an
Old Forge, a Schoolhouse, a River and a Mere.
But Mornington-By-Mere is not just a quaint chocolate box English Village it
is the beating heart of the Finchbottom Vale and there were a number of cottages and small houses on the Purplemere road
and Dulcets Lane which form the part of Mornington Village known as Manorside
where Matthew lived in
a small two bedroom cottage in the row of West Gate Cottages on the banks of
the River Brooke.
He
had only lived there for around 9 months when he moved there from Purplemere.
Matthew
made the move because the company he worked for, Bespoke Furniture, had decided
to up sticks, so he decided to pick up sticks along with them because it was a well-paid
job and he was good at it, and he enjoyed working with his hands.
On
a Friday morning, at the end of November, he was staring out through the window,
he wasn’t watching anything in particular in the garden, leaves blowing across
the lawn, a squirrel on the bird table, that kind of thing, it was just
something to do as he sipped at his coffee.
But
he was soon snapped back to the moment when the phone rang and when he viewed
the caller ID he could see it was his mum.
“Hi
mum, what a lovely surprise” he said
“Hello
Matthew, you say that every time I phone you, and you still manage to sound insincere
even after all these years, and you really should be getting better at it, but
you’re not are you?” she chastised
“So
what have I done wrong?”
“You
say that every time I phone you as well” she said “I don’t just phone you when
you’ve done something wrong”
“So
you want me to do something for you then instead” he said
“You
make me sound awful” she chastised him and then she laughed
“So
you don’t want me to do something for you?”
“Well
on this occasion it just so happens that I do need a favour” she confessed
“Aha”
he said triumphantly “Go on then ask away”
“Ok
then I’ll get straight to the point” she said
She
liked getting straight to the point and then generally waffled on for an
eternity but on this occasion she did get straight to the point.
“Angela
Goodwin is back in the country” She said
“You
remember Angela?”
Angela
was an old family friend; she was actually the daughter of his mum’s best
friend Sharon.
“Yes
of course I do” he replied
“Angela
would like to know if you could put her up for a few days while she’s in the
area” Mum continued
“She
actually asked if she could stay here.” Matthew asked
“Well
no, I offered on your behalf” she admitted
“She’s
back from the missions for about a month, catching up with old friends before
she returns to China”
“Then
of course she can stay” he said
“I
seem to remember you were quite taken with her when you were younger” she
continued
“Yes
I was, but that was a very long time ago” he agreed
“You
will look after her though won’t you?” his mum said firmly
“She’s
one of the angels”
“I
will treat her like a princess” he said
“I
would rather you treated her like a nun” Mum commanded
“Angela
is a holy person”
“Message
received and understood” he said obediently
“I
will ring in the morning to say what train she will be on, can you meet her at Shallowfield
station?”
“Yes
of course”
“Well
thank you Matthew” she said “I knew I could rely on you”
His
family were very active in the church and it wasn’t unusual for him to put up
visitors.
He
was a Christian and a regular attendee but he wasn’t as active in “the good
works” area of the church as he would have liked to be but housing the
occasional stray was something he could do without it impacting his working life.
“I’ll
call tomorrow then, bye” his mum said and then she was gone and he released a
long slow exhale of breath.
“Well
that’s an interesting turn of events” he said to himself “Angela Goodwin is
coming to stay”
Angela
was his first crush and she was going to be staying under his roof and Angela had
a lot to answer for, Matthew got his first arousal thinking about her and furthermore
he had his first wet dream over Angela, well not exactly over her obviously,
but she was in his dream when he creamed his PJs.
Angela
was, is, six years older than him and he was smitten with her, and she with him,
from the first moment he saw her, but nothing happened, apart from a kiss, one
single solitary kiss that simply blew his mind.
However
Angela shied away after that moment of passion and the relationship was as a
result unresolved but whenever they were together the air was always thick with
sexual tension.
But
she thought it would be a sin and a betrayal if they did anything about the way
they felt.
He
was too young to know at the time exactly what her issue was with them kissing
but then he was only 16.
So
he used to track her around the house like a stalker hoping to catch just a glimpse
of her.
As
a 16 year old he had wanted her with every fiber of his being, not that he
would have known what to do with her one little bit, after all he was a naïve
and inexperience schoolboy, a callow youth, but he still wanted her what ever
that meant and he’d always wanted her
ever since.
“Well
now I might finally get my chance” he said to himself and his head was full of
very unchristian thoughts.
His
Mum phoned again on Saturday morning as promised, but as it turned out he
didn’t need to meet Angela’s train at Shallowfield station after all.
In
fact she didn’t even catch the train, the Christian fraternity had rallied
round, as they do, and a rather frumpy middle-aged woman called Lily Mumford delivered her to his
door in her Morris Minor.
Mathew
invited them in and the rather frosty Ms. Mumford cast an unsatisfactory and critical
eye over everything before coldly taking her leave.
He
had suspected that there would be a distinct awkwardness between him and Angela
after all the years that had passed because of the unresolved sexual tension
that had surrounded them, but he was pleasantly surprised.
He
got the distinct impression that she was just as surprised as he was and she
seemed equally as relaxed as he.
Angela
was still every bit as pretty as he remembered, a few more lines on her pretty face
perhaps, and she wore her hair shorter, but she had lost none of her beauty or
allure.
She
didn’t seem as tall as she had the last time he saw her, but that was merely
his memory playing tricks on him because she was 5ft 3 as she always was.
He
couldn’t really ascertain her physical dimensions, to see if they had altered
in anyway because of the loose and shapeless clothes she was wearing, but his extremely
vivid imagination filled in the blanks.
They
spent the rest of the day just talking, catching up and reminiscing.
Their
paths had been very different since they last met, hers had been one of pious
devotion in the missions and had taken her to the other side of the world while
his could best be summed up as cautious and unadventurous.
But
despite the differences the years had just seemed to have melted away.
“Its
very kind of you to put me up Matthew” she said “Thank you”
“No
problem at all” he said honestly “Are you hungry?”
“Yes
I am rather” she replied
“Well
let me give you a quick tour, which won’t take long, and I’ll show you where
everything is, settle you in to your room and while you’re freshening up I’ll
cook us something” Matthew suggested.
“That
would be really lovely” Angela said with conviction.
“Thank
you again”
After
he took her up he found himself behaving like his 16 year former self sneaking
around trying to catch her in intimate moments and get a glimpse of forbidden
flesh.
But he failed miserably, so he went back downstairs to the kitchen.
After
they had eaten, they sat and talked some more until after about an hour Angela
was suddenly overcome with tiredness and had to excuse herself.
“I’m
so sorry” she said “But my body clock is all over the place at the moment”
Matthew
had to admit he was quite tired himself and the only traveling he had done
recently was to Sharpington and back, so he decide to turn in as well.
Inconveniently
Matthew had to get up for a pee at about 3.00am and as he was just getting back
into his bed he thought he heard a noise downstairs so he slipped on his
bathrobe and cautiously crept down the stairs.
He
could definitely hear someone in the kitchen, so he gingerly crept to the
kitchen door, which was slightly ajar, and then he breathed a sigh of
relief.
The
source of the noise was Angela, who was standing by the counter making herself a
hot drink and she was wearing blue and white-stripped pajamas several sizes too
big, the old fashioned ones with a drawstring around the waist.
So
he still couldn’t ascertain her physical dimensions because of the loose
fitting PJ’s.
The
sight of her standing in his kitchen in her pajamas was such a delight to see
and all the deep seated and unfulfilled feelings of love and lust overwhelmed
him and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
How
often he had dreamed of her over the years in just such a pose of domesticity
around his house.
And
there she was in his kitchen in the wee small hours wearing old fashioned
pajamas.
Matt
stood in the hall spying through the crack in the door for a long time because he
knew that if he went into the kitchen right at that moment he wouldn’t be able
to stop himself from consuming her with his eyes.
But
he couldn’t stay out in the hall indefinitely and he couldn’t sneak back upstairs
in case she spotted him and he would have to explain why he hadn’t wanted to go
in the kitchen.
So
he took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
“Hey
Angela” he said “can’t sleep eh”
“No”
she replied, “like I said before my body clock is all askew”
The
way she looked up at him was cuteness personified so he focused his eyes on the
cupboards behind her head, and thought to himself
“I
must not look at her, I must not look at her”
“I
thought a hot drink might help” she continued as she checked the milk boiling
on the hob.
Matthew
wanted to look at her so badly, and as she turned back towards him he finally
gave in and stared at her beautiful face, but he must have stared more intently
than he imagined because she suddenly looked directly at him and she couldn’t
help but notice he was looking at her with acute longing and she blushed a
brilliant red.
“Oh”
she exclaimed in surprised
“I’m
so sorry” he said, apologizing for staring at her.
“I
thought you would have gotten over your crush after twelve years” she said pouring
hot milk into her mug
“It
was never a crush” Matt said
“Of
course it was” she said forcefully.
“I
really am sorry but I can’t help it” Matt said feebly
“Well
you need to learn” she snapped and bustled past him and went out the door.
“Oh
bugger” he said and sat down at the kitchen table “I’ve blown it”
It
was 4.00am and Matt was still sitting at the kitchen table having drunk two
mugs of Milo made with boiled milk and he was very wide awake and cursing his
behaviour.
“Why
couldn’t you just look away” he said to himself “This is going to make the
atmosphere very strained for the next two days”
As
he sat at the kitchen table it was apparent that Angela still couldn’t sleep
either as he could clearly hear her in the shower.
Matt
put his head in his hands and he couldn’t believe what had happened, he
couldn’t believe what he had done, he couldn’t believe he had been so stupid.
“You
are a total idiot” he said lifting his head from his hands momentarily.
Which
was when the kitchen door opened and as he looked up Angela walked in still
wearing the blue and white stripped pajamas.
She
was biting her lip and kept looking at the floor, he smiled at her and she gave
a weak smile back and then despite everything that had already happened he looked
at her and what was supposed to be a quick glance became more prolonged as his
gaze lingered and to his great surprise she held his gaze and although Angela
blushed a vivid scarlet she made no attempt to look away, in fact she continued
to look at him as she walked towards him and she sat at the table next to him
and said
“I’ve
never gotten over you either” and then she leant towards him and kissed him.
Matt
couldn’t recall the exact number of times, as a young man he had imagined that long
awaited second kiss and as it was happening and it was every bit as sensual as he
imagined it would be.
Angela’s
arms enveloped him as her embrace became more urgent and she slid off her chair
and on his lap.
It was early Sunday afternoon when Matthew awoke and Angela was still
asleep in bed beside him.
He leant over and kissed her neck and as she stirred he cuddled up
behind her and then he dozed off again pressed up close behind her and when he
woke again her shoulders were shaking,
“Are you crying” he asked
“Yes” she sobbed
“Why?” he asked “what’s wrong?”
“We did a terrible thing” she replied
“I thought we did a wonderful thing”
“But it was a sinful” she sobbed
“We did something we’ve wanted to do for 12 years” he pointed out “it’s
not like we rushed blindly into it”
“I know but I still feel guilty” Angela said “the guilt of falling from
grace”
“But it was born of love” he assured her “An enduring love, a love that
was meant to be”
“Do you truly love me?” she asked as she turned to face him
“Did I not make you feel loved?”
“Every second” Angela replied “But will I be forgiven?”
“Listen Angel, you have spent your whole life denying yourself, a life spent helping others, putting others
first, do you really think God would punish you, a good person, a godly person,
for one time in your good sweet life, putting your own feelings first”
Angela held him tightly and kissed his neck in the dark and then they
made love again.
After making love for the second time on that momentous Sunday, Matthew
and Angela drifted off to asleep again.
When they eventually awoke and they emerged from his bedroom they went
downstairs and he cooked them a fried breakfast, although technically it wasn’t
really breakfast but Matt called it that because he didn’t know what else to
call a fry up at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
Whatever the proper name for it was, they devoured it heartily and after
their repast Angela said she wanted them to attend the evening service at St
Winifred’s.
Matt agreed so Angela went up to have a bath while he cleared up in the
kitchen.
Matthew was sitting downstairs in the lounge wearing his Sunday best
when Angela walked in wearing her best “Sunday go to Meeting” outfit and he
thought she looked lovely.
“What do you think” she asked “Do I look suitably chaste like a
Christian Missionary should or more like a fallen woman with a satisfied look
on her face?”
“Oh I think you look like a Christian Missionary with a satisfied look
on her face” he replied
“That will have to suffice then” she said with a smile.
He had never attended the Sunday Evening service at St Winifred’s before
so he wasn’t sure what to expect but when they walked in there was a
surprisingly large congregation.
Matthew rather enjoyed it, there was no sermonizing it was all songs and
psalms.
Reverend Cockcroft asked Angela if she would do a reading and give a
brief testimony about her Missionary work, she agreed and held the congregation
captivated and at the end of the service the collection plate went around and
was greeted with generosity and was pledged to the Mission.
However just because the service had concluded it wasn’t the end of the
evening as it took her more than half an hour to leave because everyone wanted
to talk to her.
Once they got back to his house Angela was on cloud nine and having
reconnected with God at St Winifred’s she reconnected with the love of her
life.
The next morning they rose early, and it was time for a difficult
conversation.
Angela was only in the UK until the end of December and she had a fairly
hectic schedule taking her all-round the country giving talks to raise
awareness and hopefully some much needed funds but as much as she loved Matthew
she couldn’t stay with him.
“I can’t let people down” she sobbed
“I know angel” he said
“I’d like to see you again before I leave for the missions” she said
“You’d better” he said and kissed her before a tearful farewell.
In preparation of the early arrival of the redoubtable Ms Mumford who was collecting Angela in her Morris Minor at 8 o’clock and whisking her away from him and his heart almost broke as the car drove away.
I look back fondly
To those early days
When we would sit
together
On the winter evenings
Beside the roaring
fire
And we would sit and
talk
Laughing and chatting
In the orange glow
Late into the evening
Until the embers
cooled
