Two hearts wanting
Standing on the
sidelines
Wanting to participate
But fearing heartbreak
Too scared to trust
Past wounds still raw
The wanting so deep
But the spirit to weak
Two hearts wanting
Standing on the
shoreline
Wanting to take a swim
But too fearful to
dive in
Two hearts wanting
Standing on the
sidelines
They will join in, in
time
Or they’ll wither on the vine
Nerissa Gamboa was in
her late twenties and was a legal secretary for
Barrowman, Clarke,
Braithwaite and Edwards Solicitors in Finchbottom but on a grey overcast Friday
in August she was driving through the perfect English countryside of the
Finchbottom Vale on her way to Shallowfield for the bank holiday weekend.
She was originally
from Shallowfield but moved away after college and had lived in Finchbottom for
close to eight years.
Although she no longer
lived there she still had family and friends in Shallowfield including her best
friend Victoria Johnson Higham who she first met at nursery who had been her
best friend ever since.
They also went to a
private Girls School together in Kettlewell and then onto Childean College and
Abbottsford University.
While Nerissa was
driving through the picturesque Vale, Jonathon Samuel was rattling around it on
the 11.50 from Finchbottom as he travelled to Shallowfield to stay with his
best mate Jeff Hammett.
Jeff was going to meet
him at the station and then he was staying at Jeff’s house for the bank holiday
weekend.
The reason he was on
the train was because he never learned to drive, he didn’t really see the
point, it wasn’t like he went anywhere to speak of and when he did he used
public transport.
He lived within 5
minutes’ walk of work and 10 minutes from the station and everywhere else that
was of interest to him was also in a ten minute radius of home.
Jeff always teased him
about not being able to drive and being at the mercy of public transport but he
didn’t mind the jibes, because travelling by train allowed him to indulge his
passion which was reading.
Nerissa hadn’t seen
her friend for about two months so she was a little excited as she pulled up
outside Lyndon-Sanders
Properties where Victoria worked.
Nerissa immediately jumped out of the car and the two girls hugged and
jigged beside the car.
Nerissa was the older
of the two by a few weeks, five foot seven, with Jet-black hair and dark dusky
skin while Victoria was an inch taller with red hair and a pale complexion and
was cutely freckled.
But the one thing they
had in common was that they were still gorgeous.
Although Jon and Jeff
were both Shallowfield boys they both left after leaving Childean College to
make their way in the world, neither of them fancied University so they both
got jobs in Abbottsford with Here, There & Everywhere, who did Domestic and
Business Removals but after ten years Jon ended up at the Finchbottom Furniture
Palace where he was now the store manager and Jeff was back in his home town as assistant manager of the
Shallowfield branch of HT&E.
As Jon emerge from the
station he saw Jeff get out of the car.
People who didn’t know
them often mistook them for brothers as they were both over six foot tall, dark
haired and lantern jawed.
The pair did a brief
man hug, exchanged jibes and got in the car.
Vicky and Nerissa
drove in convoy to the formers house at the Childean end of the Village and
after dropping her bags at the house they went on in Vicky’s car to Childean to
have their hair done a Mazzone’s, because they were going to a wedding the next
day.
After Jeff had driven
Jon to his house they dropped his bags in the hall left the car and walked to The
Woodcutters Arms and stayed there most of the day because they were also going
to a wedding the next day.
Saturday was a glorious day coming at the
end of an unsettled week, perfect for an August wedding.
It was very warm, for
that late in the summer but it was the type of day that Shallowfield and
England was made for.
However apart from
being a very pleasant day it was also a very special day at St Mary’s church
because the Vicar Ben Shenton was marrying college sweethearts Jim McArthur and Jana Fuller.
Jim was a longtime
friend of Jon and Jeff having been through the school system together from
beginning to end followed by two years of college.
While Jana had known
Nerissa and Victoria since nursery and went to the same private Girls School
with them in Kettlewell and then onto Childean College and Abbottsford
University.
The Church was packed
to the gunwales as the happy couple were both from Shallowfield and they were a
very popular pair to boot and truly likeable people, the result of which was
that it seemed like most of Shallowfield were there to celebrate the day with
them.
Jonathan Samuel and
Jeff Hammett were also friends of the bride as well as the groom, and had been
since their school days, although they didn’t attend the same schools but they
were well known to the Fuller family as they were neighbours.
The Fullers were a
wealthy family in Shallowfield so there was a big reception on at the Claremont Hotel to celebrate
the nuptials of her daughter and son in law but the numbers of revelers were
much reduced from those in the church congregation however the numbers would
swell again in the evening where there was a free bar so subsequently a good deal of alcohol would be
consumed.
Nerissa and Victoria
were bridesmaids so were among the first to arrive at the Claremont and were in
the grounds having pictures taken when Jon and Jeff crossed the terrace.
Mother of the bride,
Amanda Fuller was sitting at a table by the door of the terrace entrance, some
people with money can be standoffish however she was not one of them, she
always made a point to make everyone’s acquaintance and spoke to everyone.
“Hello Mrs. Fuller”
Jeff said
“Hello boys” she
replied as she shot to her feet and launched herself at the pair for a rather
untidy embrace.
“I’m a bit squiffy”
she slurred “to tell the truth”
“Why shouldn’t you be”
Jeff said “you should be so proud”
“Oh I am dear” she
replied
After the wedding
breakfast was over, there was an hour and a half to kill before the evening
reception began.
The easiest thing to
do would have been to sit in the bar but by early evening a combination of too
much beer and not enough food would have taken its toll so Vicky and Nez where
considering getting a cab home and getting changed but then another option
presented itself.
As it was unbearably
hot the boys decided to go back to Jeff’s and get changed out of their suits
and they had just stepped out onto the terrace when they were hailed by their
ex-college friends Nerissa and Victoria, who were slightly the worse for wear,
they turned to see them tottering towards them across the grass, shoes in hand
dressed as bridesmaids and ever so slightly tipsy.
Jeff knew the girls
had always been best friends and were quite inseparable and although he hadn’t
seen them for a while he could see were very obviously still gorgeous.
When they knew them at
Childean College they were lovely but now they were in their late twenties they
were even more so.
They were both really
nice girls at college but they were in a different league to them so they were
never more than friends, and looking the way they did now it would appear that
they were still out of their league.
Jon preferred Nerissa
who was an inch shorter than her friend and had Jet-black hair and dark dusky
skin.
While Victoria, who
was the younger of the two by a few weeks, was five foot eight, red hair and
pale complexion and cutely freckled, was Jeff’s personal favourite.
That day the still
stunningly beautiful girls were also wearing low cut bridesmaid dresses.
The truth of the
matter was that although Jon and Jeff considered the girls as unassailable at
college, both Nerissa and Victoria had crushes on them, so they considered them
as unfinished business.
Although it was almost
ten years since she had last spoken to him the moment Nerissa saw Jon at the
church the old feelings she had once had for him resurfaced.
She had seen him a few
times around Finchbottom over the years but only from a distance, but now she
had him in her sights and as she was a little merry she thought she would take
her opportunity.
They tottered up
alongside the boys each taking an arm, Nerissa took Jon’s and began flirting
outrageously as Victoria slipped her skinny pale arm through Jeff’s.
“Can we come back to
yours Jon?” Nerissa said
“Well I live in
Finchbottom, so it’s not really practical Nez” he replied
“So where are you
going then?” she asked
“We’re going to mine”
Jeff replied
“So can we come?” Nez
asked “Come on we are house trained”
“It’s not like we’re
drunk or anything” Victoria chipped in
“Can we?” Nerissa said
again
“Please Jeff?”
Victoria begged
“Ok” he said, “as long
as you behave”
“What will you do if
we don’t?” asked Nerissa
“Will you spank us?”
Victoria said and giggled
“I’m completely
reassured” Jeff said
It was a bit of luck
latching onto them when they did as Jeff’s cottage was only half a mile from
the Claremont Hotel, while Victoria’s was at the Childean end of the village a
good half an hour yomp in sensible shoes and neither she nor Nerissa were wearing
anything remotely like sensible shoes, the fact that she fancied the pants off
him was a bonus.
“This is a stroke of
luck” Victoria said
“I know” Nerissa
agreed
“Let’s stick with them
at the party” Victoria suggested innocently
“Oh ok” she replied
and giggled already having decided to do just that.
Jon thought all his
birthdays had come at once, Nerissa Gamboa was flirting with him of all people
however in his excitement he spilt aftershave down his trousers and had to
blow-dry his crotch which was the last thing you wanted to do on a swelteringly
hot day.
So when he returned
downstairs 30 minutes later he was looking a little hot and bothered when he
joined the girls on the patio.
Nerissa smiled broadly
and Victoria’s head drooped as Jeff went inside to get changed.
“So do you two not
live in the village anymore?” Jon asked
“I do” said Victoria
“but I’m down the Childean end”
“What about you
Nerissa?” he asked
“I’ve got a flat in
Finchbottom” she replied “But I’m staying with Vic for the weekend”
“Do you two want to
freshen up before we go back for the party?”
Jeff asked when he returned.
“If you don’t mind?”
Victoria said
“Me first” Nerissa
said and ran into the house giggling.
Nerissa was in the
bathroom for half an hour doing her make-up and freshening up her perfume and
doing something with her hair.
Nerissa returned and
Victoria slipped away unnoticed to freshen up herself.
Jon began gathering up
the dirty mugs and Jeff went inside to run a sink of hot water to wash them up.
When the washing up
was done they sat at the table with Nerissa.
“So what are you two
doing for the rest of the weekend?” she asked but her eyes were on Jon.
“We haven’t decided
yet” Jeff replied and then he heard Victoria behind him and he turned to look
at her and when he saw the sun setting her hair ablaze he was lost for
words.
“What haven’t you
decided yet?” Victoria asked
“I asked what plans
they had for the rest of the weekend” Nerissa said
“Oh” she replied
They walked back to
the Claremont Hotel as the shadows were lengthening but Nerissa’s flintiness
had deserted her so she and Jon were not arm in arm, and Victoria was similarly
restrained.
Nerissa had hoped to
have Jon’s undivided attention for the evening but as the four of them had so
many friends at the party they were all distracted at every turn and apart from
an occasional dance she wasn’t able to get to grips with him as she would have
liked.
As a consequence
Nerissa and Victoria drank more than they planned or was good for them which
resulted in them sitting in a corner for the last hour of the party in a state
of inebriation.
“Come on you two” Jeff
said “it’s time to go”
“Where are we going?”
Victoria slurred
“Home” he replied and
pulled her to her feet
“Oooh lovely” she
replied
“Phwoah” Nerissa added
The temperature had
dropped away during the course of the evening and as they left the Hotel
Nerissa and Victoria both shivered so Jon and Jeff lent them their jackets for
the short walk back to his cottage.
Once they got inside
Jon was desperate to use the toilet so Jeff went upstairs to get some bedding
for the girls but by the time he got back they were both asleep, one on each
sofa, so he draped a duvet of each of them, turned off the light and went to
bed.
On Sunday morning the
dawn chorus was deafening, at least it was to Nerissa, it also hurt her head,
Although dawn had broken, the room was still in semi darkness due to the heavy
drapes so she ignored the birds and went back to sleep.
She had always been a
heavy sleeper and could sleep anywhere, she once fell asleep standing up on a
bus.
The next time she woke
up it was very abrupt when her head thumped heavily on the arm of the sofa.
“Ouch” she exclaimed
“Sorry Nez” Victoria said
as she tiptoed out of the room.
If she didn’t know
better she would have thought Victoria had yanked the cushion from beneath her
head.
She opened her eyes as
wide as she could and tried to focus on something in the room in order to get
her bearings.
The best she could
manage was to look from one sofa to the other and back again and then the penny
dropped.
“Victoria doesn’t have
two sofas” she thought and tried to figure out where she was.
“Where the hell are
we?” she said out loud
She gingerly sat
herself up and swung her legs out from beneath the duvet and put her feet on
the floor.
She was relieved to
see that she was fully clothed even if she was still wearing the horrible
bridesmaids dress.
So at least she hadn’t
ended up in some man’s bed, like some sad old slapper, waking up in a strange
place and having to do the walk of shame.
She had never been
that kind of a girl and at 28 years of age she wasn’t planning on changing any
time soon.
Victoria returned as
Nerissa tried desperately to identify some point of reference in the room and
failed miserably.
The problem was that
the brain processes what you can see and then fills in the blanks with things
from your memory bank.
I.e. when your eyes
become more accustomed to the darkness a sleeping dog on the floor becomes a
dressing gown discarded the night before, or a sleeping child on the chair
becomes a sweater dropped haphazardly.
Unfortunately
Nerissa’s brain wasn’t working properly so she was really struggling to
identify any point of reference that would identify her location.
“We’re at Jeff’s”
Victoria said and it all came flooding back to her, the party, the free bar,
the walk and Jeff’s cottage and then the passing out.
“Oh” she replied “Oh
God have we blown it?”
“Probably” she replied
“Shit” Nerissa said
“Quite” Victoria
agreed “Now get yourself moving”
“What time is it?” Nez
asked
“5.30” she replied “So
we might get home before all the decent people are up and about”
“Why would they care?”
Nerissa said “It not like we’ve done anything”
“Yes but they don’t
know that” Victoria pointed out
Nerissa went to the
loo while Victoria folded the duvets and put them neatly on the sofa and then when
she returned they let themselves quietly out the front door.
It was very quiet as
they walked along the Childean road, fortunately everyone in the village
appeared to have started the day late, they didn’t talk much and when they did
it revolved around their missed opportunities, but at least they managed to get
home without being seen by anyone of any consequence.
Nerissa and Victoria
stepped through the latter’s front door just after 6.30am and the first thing
Nerissa did was to sit down in the lounge while Vic put the kettle.
Nez was sat snoring in
the arm chair when Victoria walked into the lounge with a mug of coffee in each
hand which she set down on the table and said loudly
“Wake up!”
And Nerissa woke with
a start and said.
“Why did you do that?
I was having a lovely dream”
“Really?”
“Yes Jon was just
about to snog my face off” she said
“Unfortunately I think
that ship has sailed” Vic retorted
“Oh don’t say that”
Nez said “if they didn’t like us they wouldn’t have looked after us”
“They were just being
nice” Vic pointed out
“Because they are
nice” Nez remarked
“I know they’re nice,
that’s why I’m so cross with myself” she replied
“We embarrassed
ourselves Nez, and I don’t know if I could face him after that”
“I think you’re wrong,
I don’t believe for a second they will think any less of us” Nerissa said very
definitely and then she added “and now I’m going to take first dibs on the
shower”
Nerissa was in the
shower for an absolute age as she reran the conversation with Victoria in her
head.
“I know I’m right”
Nerissa said when she was stepping out of the cubicle.
“And I’m not going to
give up”
By the time she
finally arrived back downstairs Victoria was starving so she suggested to
Nerissa that they have a cooked breakfast and she agreed.
They were both
ravenously hungry so Victoria went the whole hog, egg, bacon, sausage, fried
bread, mushrooms and tomatoes, and they polished off every last morsel and as
soon as the last mouthful was consumed and the cutlery was laid noisily on the
plates Nerissa said
“Right go and get
showered and we can go to St Mary’s”
“I’m not in a mood to
rush Nez” she said “you go ahead and I’ll see you there”
“Are you sure hon?”
Nerissa asked as she stood by the front door
“Yes, I want to have a
leisurely shower and not have to rush around” she replied “I’ll be about half
an hour behind you”
“Alright then, I’ll
see you soon hon” she said, kissed Vic on the cheek and left.
She drove straight to
St Mary’s Church and pulled into the adjacent carpark.
Being a Shallowfield
girl she knew a lot of the congregation and she recognized a lot of other faces
from the wedding and the reception the day before.
But she also spotted a
face in the crowd that she wasn’t expecting to see.
In the end seat on the
third row from the back on the left hand side of the aisle was Jonathon Samuel.
“Hello Jon” she said
“Nerissa! Hi” he
responded
“Is that seat next to
you vacant?” she asked
“Yes” he replied and
moved along to make room for her.
“Are you on your own?”
she asked
“Yes, Jeff got called
out to the yard by the police” he replied
“What happened?”
“Some sort of break
in” he said “And where’s Vic?”
“She was feeling a bit
jaded this morning, but she’ll be a long before the end of the service” Nez
replied
It was during Reverend
Shenton’s sermon that Nerissa’s phone vibrated in her bag to alert her to the
fact that she had a text.
She resisted the
temptation to read it until a particularly dull part of the Vicars sermonizing
when she discreetly opened the message.
“Hi Hon, change of
plan, going up to the lake, see you later Vic xxx”
A moment later
Jonathon felt the tell-tale hum in his pocket and when he checked he also had
received a text which read.
“Going sailing, Jeff”
He returned his phone
to his pocket and then turned to look at Nerissa, who had already turned to
look at him.
“Do you want to go to
lunch?” they asked simultaneously.
After the service at
St Mary’s was over Nerissa and Jonathan mingled briefly at the back of the
church before they ambled their way outside.
“So where would you
like to go?” she asked “I have the car so we can go wherever we want”
“I think we should go
and park the car at Victoria’s and walk to
The Farmers Tavern, that way we can both have a drink”
“That’s a great idea”
she agreed
“I was surprised to
see you this morning” Nerissa said as she drove them towards Victoria’s house.
“You were surprised to
see me up and about so early you mean” he asked
“No I meant in church”
“Really? I go every
week” he said
“I didn’t know that,
do you have a regular church?”
“Yes” he replied “St Martha’s”
“You’re kidding, I go
to St Martha’s, and I’ve never seen you there”
“Do you go to the 11
o’clock?”
“Yes” she replied
“Well I have to open
the store on Sunday’s remember so I have to go to the evening service” he
explained
“Well that would
explain it” she said “perhaps we could go together sometime”
“I’d like that” Jon
said
During lunch they took
the opportunity to catch up on what had happened in their lives over the ten
years since they left college.
They covered all the
ups and downs, both personal and professional.
But as they sat at the
table drinking coffee after the meal the excesses of the previous night and the
lack of sleep began to take its toll.
As it turned out,
neither of them wanted the lunch to end but equally neither of them wanted to
start yawning and send out the wrong signals.
Jonathon walked
Nerissa back to Victoria’s house in relative silence having enjoyed immensely
the time they had spent together but were both unsure how to proceed and all
the while she was thinking the same thing.
As they approached the
house and time was running out, Jon summoned up the courage to ask
“I thought maybe the
four of us could go out tonight?”
“Oh yes” she said
“Count me in”
There was a moment
when they were face to face on the doorstep when they could have kissed, they
both wanted to, but Jon lost his nerve and unfortunately Nerissa was also
hesitant and all of a sudden the moment was gone.
So it was with mixed
feelings that Nerissa went inside the house and sat down in an armchair and
promptly fell asleep.
“Nez!” Victoria called
as she walked through the front door
“You’ll never guess
what’s happened”
“Nez!” She repeated
and then went into the lounge where she found her asleep and snoring in the
armchair so she gave her a good shake.
“Wake up sleepy head”
she said excitedly “Guess who I’ve been with today and guess who kissed me?”
“You’ve been snogging?”
Nez asked rubbing her eyes “Who?”
“Jeff Hammett”
“That’s not fair,
you’ve been snogging Jeff’s face off while I’ve been taking a siesta, you lucky
swine” Nez said
“Well if you snooze
you lose”
About ten minutes
later when Nerissa had fully woken up, Vic brought her a coffee.
“Oh I almost forgot
we’ve been invited to a party tomorrow” Victoria said “Fancy dress”
“Where?”
“At one of the big
houses up at Teardrop Lake”
“Who do you know up at
the lake?” Nez asked
“I don’t know anyone”
she replied “But Jeff does”
“And?”
“Peter Lutchford”
“What the film
director?” Nez said
“Yes that’s the one”
Vic replied
“Oh damn I don’t have
a costume” Nerissa said crossly
“Your school uniform
is still upstairs in the wardrobe”
“Is it?” she asked
“how come?”
“You left it here
after Cassie’s hen weekend” she replied
“Oh yes I forgot”
That night the four of
them were still a bit tired so they settled on pizza and a movie at Jeff’s
place.
The only downside to
that was that she and Jon were at opposite ends of what seemed like a very long
sofa.
Peter Lutchford was
well known for his Fancy Dress Parties he had them every Halloween and New
Year’s but he would also throw an impromptu one at almost any time.
And the August Bank
Holiday party fell into that category and it was a typically theatrical affair.
Whereas the Halloween
and New Year’s Eve parties were very much grown up occasions the Holiday
weekend party was aimed at the younger element as well and as a result it began
at midday.
On the morning of Bank
Holiday Monday Victoria was up early and driving to Jeff’s house before 7
o’clock.
They had decided to
sneak off and spend some time on their own and so after she had picked him up
they drove up to Teardrop Lake and walked up to Lovers Leap in the coolness of
the day.
Lovers leap was a
rocky outcrop above the cliffs, and the cliffs that created the leap were an
extension of those that formed part of the northern side of Teardrop Lake and
were 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.
And on that beautiful
August day the view across the Dancingdean Forrest was quite spectacular
however Victoria and Jeff had eyes only for each other.
Nerissa was also up
early that morning although not as early as her friend and her reason wasn’t to
go out for a timely assignation with her beau.
Nerissa wanted the extra
time to wash, wax, pluck, tweak, and perfume and powder herself to perfection
and make herself irresistible when she saw him that afternoon.
Meanwhile the object
of her desires was back at Jeff’s and he was packing.
After spending a
couple of hours together in quiet isolation on Lovers Leap they reluctantly
headed back to civilization.
They stopped briefly
at Jeff so he could pick up his rather unimaginative costume, which consisted
of an Abbottsford Knight’s football strip.
When they arrived at
Victoria’s they were greeted by a rather excitable Nerissa wearing her school
uniform.
“Where’s Jon?” Nerissa
asked craning her neck to see if he was following on
“He’s not coming” Jeff
replied
“What?” she said in
disbelief
“He’s got to get the
train back to Finchbottom this afternoon” Jeff said “So he’s not coming”
“He has to come” she
insisted
“I’m sorry but he’s
not coming” Victoria added
“That is not an
option” Nerissa ranted “Four bloody hours I’ve spent getting ready this
morning”
“But…” Jeff began
“You don’t think this
happens by accident do you?” she said and waved her hands in a sweeping head to
toe gesture
“He’s not going
anywhere until he has feasted his eyes on the fruits of my labour”
She grabbed her
handbag and car keys and headed towards the door
“Where are you going?”
Victoria asked
“Where do you think
I’m going” she retorted “I’m going to find Jonathon”
There was no way on
earth the Nerissa Gamboa was going to let Jonathon Samuel return to Finchbottom
before he’d had a good look at her in her sexy schoolgirl outfit.
She raced down the
Childean road and parked the car hurriedly outside Jeff’s house and then ran to
the front door.
Knocking loudly
several times she got no response and started to panic.
“Oh shit” she cursed
“he’s gone already”
“It’s not fair” she
muttered to herself “Victoria got her man, why can’t I get mine?”
She knocked again even
harder than before but still got no response so she trudged back towards the
car but before she got in she looked both ways down the street and spotted a
man that bore a striking resemblance to Jonathon.
“It’s him” she
screamed “I haven’t missed him”
And then Nerissa
started running in his direction.
Jonathon was
meandering his way along the footpath separated from the road by an avenue of
Plane Trees when he heard a voice behind him.
“Wait for me Jon” it,
said, “wait for me”
He stopped and turned
around but he couldn’t see who it was
“Wait for me” the
voice continued shouting a little louder this time and then crash.
A schoolgirl had come
running around a Plane Tree and hurtled straight into him and they both ended
up on the floor and he was surprised to see it was Nerissa Gamboa.
“Ouch” she said
rubbing her left knee, and Jon got a quick flash of white knicker against her
dark skin as she pulled her knee up towards her.
“Are you ok?” He asked
as he helped her to her feet.
“Just scrapped my knee
a bit,” she said laughing
“I didn’t think I was
that close to you”
Jon was overcome in
that moment when he was looking at the very pretty girl, he’d had a crush on
since college.
Five foot six with
Jet-black hair and dark dusky skin, her father was Spanish and her mother was
from the Philippines but whatever the origins Nerissa she was a beautiful girl
and a beautiful colour.
“Why are you dressed
like that by the way” he asked
“We’re supposed to be
going to the fancy dress party up at Peter Lutchford’s” she said “Why aren’t
you going?”
She looked very cute
in her straw boater with the burgundy and yellow band, even cuter when she was
being stern.
Nerissa was wearing
her full school uniform consisting of black knee length socks, a black and
white plaid skirt, burgundy jacket with yellow trim, white blouse and a
burgundy and yellow tie, oh and the boater of course.
“I have to catch the
train” he replied “Where did you get the outfit?”
“It’s mine from
school, and it still fits me” she said boastfully
“I’m bigger around the
bust but apart from that I’m the same size I was ten years ago” she replied
“I noticed that” he
said
“Which part?” she said
flirtingly
“Both” he replied and
she blushed
“Why are you getting
the train so early?” she asked
“I’m not” he replied
“I was just going to the shop to get some milk, my trains not until four”
“Oh I thought you were
going to the station” she said
“What without my
bags?” he pointed out
“Come on you can keep
me company”
“Yes ok”
When they reached the
corner shop her knee was bleeding so he fished out a hankie from his pocket and
handed it to her.
“Use that” Jon said
“that will help for the moment”
Nerissa dabbed at the
cut and winced as Jon went inside and emerged a few minute later holding a
carrier bag.
“Come on, come back to
the house and I’ll clean up your wound”
Jonathan and Nerissa
went into Jeff Hammett’s house and Jon said
“Bad luck cutting
yourself like that”
“Oh no it’s quite apt”
she said “I always had scabby knees when I was at school, my friends always
teased me”
“Talking of friends,
where’s Victoria?” he asked Victoria was her best friend after all and she was staying
at her house for the weekend.
“I left them to come
and find you” she said “We’ll see them up at the party”
“I really can’t go I
have to catch the 4 o’clock train” he said “now go and sit on the sofa and I’ll
get the first aid kit”
“Do you want a drink?”
he shouted from the kitchen
“A glass of water
please” she shouted back as she took off her hat.
He walked back into
the lounge with a drink in each hand, the first aid kit under his arm and a
towel over his shoulder.
Jonathon handed her
the drink of water, knelt down in front of her and opened the first aid kit.
“You don’t have to
catch the train you know” she said as he irrigated the wound with water and
cleaned it with a cotton wool pad
“I’m driving back
myself tonight”
“That’s very kind” he
said “but I couldn’t impose”
“It’s really no
imposition” she replied “I live in Finchbottom as well you know”
“I don’t have a
costume anyway” he said trying to draw a line under it and before he had chance
to reply he changed the subject
“So how old were you
when you last wore that uniform to school?”
“16” she replied as
she sat perched on the edge of the sofa
“This might sting a
bit,” he said as he applied the antiseptic
“Ooh” Nerissa winced
Jon had his right hand
under her knee as he applied the plaster “So sweet sixteen….” he said rubbing
the corners of the plaster with his thumbs
“…. And never been
kissed” she finished as she reached forward and kissed me him on the mouth,
more of a peck than a kiss and she went terribly red.
Jon wasn’t expecting
that, it came right out of left field, he wasn’t complaining it’s what he would
have done had he had the courage.
He moved his hand from
her knee up to her crimson cheek, which was burning with embarrassment and he
stroked it gently as he pulled her face towards his.
“Do it like this” he
said and put his lips to hers once, twice and then a third time when their
mouths gently sealed on each other.
It only lasted a few
moments and when their lips parted everything in their lives had changed.
Suffice is to say that
Jonathon didn’t catch the 4 o’clock train to Finchbottom and nor was Nerissa
able to persuade him to go to the Fancy Dress party.
Instead of rubbing
shoulders with Peter Lutchford’s well healed locals or arty types from the film
industry, he and Nerissa stayed at Jeff’s where he was able to undo all her
fine work in making herself look sexy.
They weren’t missed at
the party though as Victoria and Jeff never left her house.
I know it’s difficult to trust again
When deceit is all
you’ve known
And lies are all you
got to hear
Don’t let it turn your
heart to stone
My love for you is
boundless
Though the intensity
may alter
There will be
constancy
My love for you will
never falter
Please give me a
chance
Put an end to your
distress
Take a gamble one last
time
The jackpot is your
happiness
If you looked closely
at Isabella Cross you couldn’t help but see why she was one of the most popular
girls at school.
Her Elphin face had a
shape and symmetry that was very easy on the eye and both genders thought she
had a figure to die for.
Although there were
girls in Christian Myers circle who were more classically beautiful than she
was, they didn’t have any of the character of Isabella’s.
Her silky red hair
shone and shimmered as she moved her head and her brown eyes bore into your
soul when you met their gaze and as if her unique beauty was not enough to set
her on a pedestal she was also athletic, artistic, intelligent and downright
sexy.
Everyone, but
everyone, boy or girl that ever met Isabella Cross fell instantly in love with her, but Christian had been in love with
her since the time before she blossomed.
However despite all
the attention she received from the moment of her blossoming Isabella managed
to keep everyone of the persistent suitors at bay which inevitably led to the
rumour that she played for the other side.
These rumour’s led to
reports originating from the “other side” that she didn’t play for them so
therefore the conclusion was that she must be frigid.
Not that Christian
ever believed such rumours for a moment and he had known her longer than
anyone, because Isabella Cross was literally the girl next door.
And she had lived
there since she was three and they had been best friends since the very
beginning.
So when she was
approaching her seventeenth birthday, even though Christian was everything that
she was not, he would have been extremely surprised not to get an invitation to
her birthday party as Isabella, Christian and the other guests had after all
been friends since nursery school.
So having well and
truly established that Isabella was one of the popular group, Christian on the
other hand was in no uncertain terms not.
He was not athletic,
artistic, or sexy but without being immodest he did have intelligence in common
with her even though his intelligence was considered nerdy because his forte
was science, and in particular Physics.
So under normal
circumstances, friendship and intelligence aside, it would be inconceivable if
one of the popular girls was to invite a Science geek to her 17th birthday
party.
Anyone not close to
her could be forgiven for thinking she had a rush of blood to the head such
would have been their surprised but he was not at all surprised.
There may well have
been peer pressure to only invite the “in crowd” but she was not of that ilk
and was not easily led or cajoled.
The popular crowd
would probably have been further surprised when it turned out he was one of
only six guests at the party, one of those being Isabella herself.
Though for him it
certainly wasn’t a surprise knowing her as he did she was never a flashy
person.
She didn’t want a big
flashy party with glitz and glamour and lots of superficial friends.
There was just
Isabella, Christian and four other guests at the party who were also old
friends chosen for the longevity of their friendship rather than for their
social standing.
Kelly Reed was also
one of the popular girls at school but she started with them in nursery as well
and she had no affectation about her either.
Then there was her
cousin Roy Pollard who was 18, Mark Clench and Susanna Perioli.
The party was at a
Chinese restaurant called the The Scented Garden in Abbottsford which
was Isabella’s favourite.
As you would expect
from such a great restaurant it was a really excellent meal and as Roy was 18
he ordered wine with the meal which they all drank as they reminisced about
their shared history and by the end they all laughed until they cried.
As they left The Scented Garden and got down to street level they had the usual
round of hugs and kisses on the pavement and then Kelly went accross the road
to where her Dads car was parked and as Mark, Susie and Roy all lived in the
same neck of the woods they went off to get the bus and Isabella and Christian
headed to the station to catch the train.
As they walked up
station approach he said
“I had a really great
time”
“Yeh me too” she
replied
“Wasnt it great to get
the six of us together again?”
“We should do it more
often” he suggested
““We” should get
together more often” Isabella said
“What just the two of
us?” he asked
“Yeh” she said coyly
“Just you and the
Science geek?” He asked with surprise
“You’re not a geek”
she said defensively
“I’m going to study
Astro Physics at Cambridge” he pointed out
“That proves nothing,
and anyway if you were a geek that wouldn’t stop me fancying you,” she said.
“You fancy me?” he asked pointing at himself
“Yes” she replied “Didn't you know?”
“Not for a second” Christian said and shook his head
“What about you?” she asked shyly
“Do you fancy me?
“Well I don’t know
about fancying you” he said and she was clearly crestfallen for a second and
the smile left her eyes
“But I’ve been in love
with you since we were 7 years old if that counts”
“You total pig” she
said and laughed before she kissed him softy on the lips which led to the most
wonderful spine tingling embrace that seemed to last forever.
When it ended she
looked at him with her soulful brown eyes and smiled the most loving smile.
He returned her smile
and wanted to say something fitting for the moment, something that would truly
mark the moment forever, something poignant and pithy, but alas he was lost for
words.
“Wow” she said beating
him to the punch
“Why didn’t I think of
that?” he said to himself
“Wow” she said again
and giggled then she ran off up the road and shouted over her shoulder
“You’ll have to marry
me now”
He caught up with her
at the station and she was still giggling until he kissed her
“Okay then” he said
and headed toward the platform and it was Isabella’s turn to run after him.
Beautiful eyes
So clear and blue
Big eyes,
“All the better to see
you”
Eyes, the windows to
the soul
What do you see
through?
Beautiful eyes
Imperfection free
Big eyes,
“All the better to see
me”
What do you see?
When you look through
them at me
Beautiful eyes
So honest, so sincere
Big eyes,
“All the better to see
clear”
Do they see me with
love?
Yes they see with
love, my dear?
As the coach pulled
into the Sharpinghead Campsite on a cloudy August morning, Martin Carnell was
half out of his seat and craning his neck to look for her among the many faces
in the crowd, he hadn’t seen her for four long weeks and he had missed her
terribly and he had been looking forward to seeing her again so much.
Martin had only been
going out with Helen Childs for less than three months before she had to leave
for her summer job.
The two of them were students
and had just finished their respective first years when they met at Nettlefield
Junction railway station.
Helen was only tiny, a
smidge over five foot in her stocking feet, providing of course they were thick
socks.
She was on platform 9
and needed to use the bridge to get to platform 6 and as a result she was
struggling to get up the stairs with a suitcase that was almost bigger than she
was.
Martin just happened
to be behind her at the time and came to her assistance and as they both had to
wait for a connecting train they had coffee together and that was how it all
began, simple really.
Had he got the later
train as he planned to do or had she not decided to go home a day early they
would never have met.
Over the months that
followed the two of them saw more and more of each other and grew closer and
closer.
They both lived in
Abbottsford and both had jobs in the town and were able to see each other every
day.
While Martin was a
college student he began working weekends at Hanratty’s Department Store in
Abbottsford.
He was a hard worker
and very reliable so before he went off to University his manager Gary said to
him that if he ever wanted work during the holidays all he had to do was give
him a call.
So he did and whenever
he was home he was always able to pick up shifts at the store and that was what
Martin had sorted out work wise for the summer holidays.
However his new
girlfriend Helen Childs who had a similar arrangement with Crazy Chocolatiers,
which was next door to Hanratty’s in the Phoenix Centre, had that particular summer arranged 8 weeks work helping
at an outward bound camp at Maxlin’s Holiday Camp for children with special
needs.
Crazy Chocolatiers paid more per
hour but working at Maxlin’s worked out better financially as she worked twice
as many hours and she even managed to get a bit of a holiday into the bargain.
What she hadn’t
bargained for though, was meeting Martin and falling in love with him, when she
signed up for the summer there was no romantic interest in her life or anything
that came anywhere close to it.
But after Nettlefield
Junction she did, which wouldn’t have been such an issue had it not been for
the fact that the resort she had signed up to work at was at the other end of
the Finchbottom Vale in Sharpinghead.
Martin could have
changed his plans and joined her at Maxlin’s but he didn’t want to let Gary down
and jeopardize any future work at Hanratty’s.
So that was why on a
tearful day in July they stood at the coach park in Abbottsford and kissed
goodbye and he waved her off as she left for the summer.
Martin was to follow
her after a month and spend two weeks with her in Sharpinghead and then he
would have to leave her again and she would be there for another two weeks.
The outward bound camp
was in a place called Sharpinghead at the Eastern end of the Finchbottom Vale
that was once a working railway station before it fell afoul of Dr Beeching and
his draconian cuts.
The campsite was
attached to Maxlin’s Holiday Camp and although the outward bound events were
nothing to do with Maxlin’s, all those attending did have day passes to use
some of the amenities.
Helen was staying in a
converted signal box which for someone of her diminutive stature was very
comfortable despite the limited floor space but it had bunk beds which she
thought were cool.
She kept herself
really busy from the moment she arrived, volunteering for every activity she
could fit in thus filling the time she might otherwise have been pining for
Martin and praying for the day to come when he would step off the coach.
When the day finally
arrived she was so nervous, her insides were alive with butterflies, she
couldn’t eat nor could she think straight.
She just kept running
the moment when she would see him again through her head over and over.
She wouldn’t look up
as the coach pulled up into the car park, she had volunteered to work the
breakfast shift in the marquee, as it was right next to where the coaches
stopped, so she would be able to watch when the coach arrived on the camping
ground.
She had missed him so
much while she had been there alone, and she couldn’t wait to see him again.
But she didn’t want
him to know just how much she had missed him,
Helen was worried it
might scare him off if he knew or worse it might make him conceited or
complacent.
The other reason she
didn’t look up was that she thought she might cry when she saw him and she
didn’t want him to see that either.
Martin caught sight of
her and his heart soared, he had no idea she would be in the marquee, but why
didn’t she look up?
He had been chewing
his fingernails as the coach navigated its way across the Vale he had missed
her so much, it actually hurt, and after more than an hour on that bloody
coach, stopping at every village and hamlet on the way, so desperate to see her
again and she wouldn’t even look up.
“Helen must have heard
the coach arrive” he said to himself “everyone else is looking”
He kept looking at her
hoping she would look up and smile or wave and then she picked up a tray and
went inside the marquee.
“Where is she going
now?” he asked himself
He quickly
disembarked, at least as quickly as possible considering the coach was packed
with day visitors to Maxlin’s, and walked down the steps and went in search of
his bag.
Helen almost weakened
and looked up but she kept her head down and carried the tray she was holding
inside the tent.
She really wanted to
see him, she was desperate to see him, she had been looking forward to that day
for a month, she wanted to see him so much, she was desperate for just a
glimpse, and she hadn’t slept a wink the night before because she was looking
forward to that moment so much.
Once inside she dumped
the tray on the nearest table and positioned herself by the flaps of the
opening so she could see out without him being able to see her.
“Is that him?” she
said to herself, “That might be him, no it’s the driver”
“What about the one
looking out the window?” she asked herself as she searched among the faces in
the crowd.
“He isn’t there, why
isn’t he there? Where the hell is he?”
She stood on tiptoe
and looked again, not that that helped much it just elevated her from five foot
nothing to five foot two.
Her eyes scanned the
group milling around the pile of back packs and cases.
“He isn’t there, why
isn’t he there?” then the crowd slowly dispersed and there was no sign of
Martin.
“Where is that bloody
man?” she said aloud
“I’m behind you”
Martin said and Helen turned around and launched herself at him and showed him
exactly how much she’d missed him and she cried her eyes out too.
For loves adventure to begin
With life’s journey to
share in
Requires only that our
souls should meet
And the circle then to
be complete
Then with that first
sweet embrace
There is nothing ahead
we cannot face
For love itself is not
the prerequisite
The prize is to keep
and treasure it
