Saturday, 30 April 2022

Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (34) The Shopkeepers Heart

Sabr Hemmings was petite and had beautiful strawberry blonde hair and at 27 years old she was running the family business.

The name Sabr was an Arabic word for the Islamic virtue of "patience", although neither Belinda nor her husband were Arabs or Islamists, she read it in a book when she was expecting her daughter and fell in love with the name.

Her mother, Belinda, was now seriously ill, so her father was preoccupied with looking after her and her younger brother Carl was at university.

The Hemmings family had run the Post Office and General Store at the southern end of Sharpington since the 1930’s after a family rift.

Sabr’s grandfather had been one of the sons in “Hemmings and Son’s Funeral Directors” but he had a falling out with his father about the suitability of the girl he planned to marry, he left and the two never spoke again.

 

Sharpington-by-Sea is a traditional seaside resort complete with a Victorian Pier, seafront hotels, crazy golf, The Palladium 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 Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster but was still great fun.

It was also a popular resort for retirees and boasted a number of static caravan parks.

 

Despite the fact that she was raised as a Christian by practising Christian parents who were always, and indeed still were very active in their church Sabr had never been a particularly spiritual person, though not an unchristian person.

She did however believe in a power greater than herself, and she was not uncomfortable in calling that power God.

The church however had always been a different matter and she had in fact always been quite dismissive about those interfering Christian do-gooders, doing good works and muttering on about their relationship with God.

She had never had a relationship with God other than the fact that she knew without a doubt that he existed.

But other than the mutual acceptance that the other did in fact exist they pretty much left it at that.

 

She had not been a regular visitor to His house since she was sixteen when she was given the option to follow her own path, her parents thought optimistically that she would choose to continue on the path they had led her along, but they were to be disappointed.

So, her interactions with the church were restricted to hatches, matches and dispatches and the odd Christmas carol service, that was of course until her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

 

She wasn’t sure what prompted her to attend St Lucy’s church again on that bitter cold day in February, it may have been to mourn her dear Grandmother who died the month before, and it might have been the despair she felt after her mother’s diagnosis or perhaps she just needed to reset her compass.

Whatever the reason was it reawakened something in her and every week after that she would find herself standing at the back of St Lucy’s yodelling out “how great thou art” or some other heart felt rendition.

 

The news of her redemption somehow reached her Aunty Claire’s ears, and she became a little less of a pariah.

Which was just as well because it was Aunty Claire who managed the Post Office side of the business and allowed her to run the shop. 

 

By the time May came around she was a regular attendee at St Lucy’s and divined great strength from her time there.

She had decided that she would put all of her energies into the shop and take all the burdens upon herself to allow her father to concentrate on looking after her mum.

Of course, she needed help in the shop and she had a small group of part timers she knew she could trust but she was always looking for fresh blood.

But most of the youngsters were drawn towards the bright lights of the arcades and the Fun Park so she had to put in longer and longer shifts herself when she was shorthanded, so she had little time for anything else.

So the last thing she needed was another distraction which on one day in the middle of May came in the form of Adam Jones.

Her eyes were drawn to him the moment he entered the shop, he was tall and slim with thick black curly hair just long enough to cover his collar, with brown eyes and a toothy smile which lit up the whole shop.

 

Adam was a couple of years older that Sabr and he was Detective Constable in Sharpington, and if shop keeping was the Hemmings family business, then for the Jones’s it was policing, his father was a Chief Superintendent in Abbottsford, his uncle was an Inspector in Northchapel and his brother was a Sgt in Mornington.

 

He was in the shop for about ten minutes, and she caught him sneaking a look in her direction a few times and when he eventually went to the counter with a basket full he said abruptly

“St Lucy’s”

“Excuse me?” Sabr said

“I’ve been trying to recall where I had seen you before” he explained

“It’s St Lucy’s”

“Yes, that’s right” she said realizing why he had kept looking at her.

“I’m Adam” he said “It’s a pleasure to meet a fellow congregant”

“Indeed” she agreed “I’m Sabr”

“Sabr, that’s a corker of a name” he said, and she smiled with pride

“Thank you” she said and went on to explain where it came from.

“Well, it’s a beautiful name” he said as he picked up his bags “I’ll see you Sunday perhaps”

“Perhaps” she agreed

“Goodbye”

 

He didn’t normally shop at Hemmings because he had a flat in Jubilee Court which gave him a view of Jubilee Park as well as a sea view, it was also situated at the opposite end of the seafront. 

He just happened to be on a call up at the Potters Lane caravan park so he decided to pop in as he was passing, he thought he would definitely shop there again though.

 

Sabr was a little flushed after her left, he had definitely been flirting with her and she rather enjoyed it, but then she chastised herself

“You don’t have time for that nonsense”

Nonetheless she looked for him at church on Sunday and was disappointed when she was unsuccessful.

 

After failing to locate Adam at St Lucy’s on the following Sunday and initially being dissapointed by the fact she decided that in the end that it was definitely for the best.

Of course she was unaware of the reason Adam had been conspicuous by his absence.

He had been seconded to Tipton where there had been a child abduction and they needed to draw extra resoursees from all over Downshire.

But Sabr wasn’t aware of that so as May drifted seemlessly into June she put him out of her mind.

 

The shop had been very busy and one of her regular staff was on holiday for two weeks, so she was really stretched, and she was feeling the pressure.

But then David Goodman walked in, and he always cheered her up, he was a retired teacher and he had taught Sabr so he knew her well.

He always flirted outrageously with her mum, and she would always flirt back.

They had known each other for years, when she was still Belinda Church and she had been a bridesmaid at his wedding.

But alas she was ill so there would be no flirting.

Instead, he enquired about Belinda and Sabr put on a brave face.

She got the impression he was about to say something when Gwen Quinton-Smith walked through the door.

She was a rather plain looking woman just the wrong side of 60, quite small and slim and choosing to dress in the twin set and tweed style.

She was very flustered, though she often was, so they waited until she eventually regained her composure and then David raised the question of full time or part time work for a girl called Wendy Corney with the two of them at the same time.

Gwen said that she would ask around the ladies at the Women’s Institute but in the meantime, she did have some odd jobs about the house that needed doing.

Sabr also promised to give Wendy a few hours in the shop while her mum was ill, and she could start the same day.

 

She wouldn’t under normal circumstances just employ anyone but if David Goodman thought she was ok then that was good enough for her because he was an exceptionally good judge of character and if the girl worked out, she would be a God send.

 

It was about forty minutes later when she looked out the window and could see David giving a skinny tomboy a pep talk and the girl with short mousy blonde hair which made her look like a shaggy dog hung on his every word.

She could make out what he was saying but she stood up straight and gave him a wonky smile in response.

Then she heard the girl say

“What if she doesn’t like me?”

Just before they walked into the shop

“Sabr! This is Wendy” he said

“Hello Wendy” Sabr said

“Hi” she replied trembling

“Don’t look so worried” Sabr said “I won’t bite”

 

She was very impressed with the girl, she was a hard worker and as keen as mustard and she was a quick learner.

At the end of her shift Sabr said

“You did well Wendy”

“Thanks” Wendy said “I enjoyed it”

“Good, Same time Thursday then”

 

As the weeks passed, she increased Wendy’s hours, so by the middle of July she was doing two full days a week and virtually every evening.

Which was the only good news for her, as her mum’s health was deteriorating, and she still hadn’t seen Adam again.

But because Wendy had learned so fast and was such a willing worker, she felt able to take a couple of hours off and go swimming.

She loved to swim but not in the sea, fortunately she was not alone in that preference and there was a wonderful pool in Sharpington which had a retractable roof, so it was an indoor pool when the weather was cold and a Lido when it wasn’t.

 

It was a very modern facility with modern unisex changing rooms with two long rows of cubicles flanked by lockers.

She didn’t altogether like the idea that when she was in a cubicle drying her bits there was some pervert in the next cubicle drying his, but she thought it was a small price to pay.

She had a lovely swim and was enjoying it so much she almost forgot the time.

So, she was in a cubicle getting dressed, with only her shorts left to put on and she could suddenly hear a familiar voice nearby and it was right outside her cubicle door.

“I’m ready this end” the voice said

It took a moment or two to get her shorts on and then she opened the door and found Adam was right there wearing a pair of black speedos and clutching a towel.

“Hello” she said, her eyes scanning every inch of his muscular body

“Oh Sabr” he said not quite knowing what to do

“I didn’t know you came here,” he said

“Yes, whenever I can” she replied still casting an appreciative eye over his well-toned figure.

She blushed when he noticed her looking, and trying to cover her embarrassment and failing she said

“I’d better get going”

“Don’t come out” he said forcefully, and she recoiled and then she could hear a commotion a little way away and then he pushed her gently back into the cubicle.

“What’s going on?” she asked with concern

But before he could answer she could hear naked feet running on the tiled floor and then Adam stepped back out the door and body checked a man into the opposite wall and then knock him down on to the floor.

“Stay still” he shouted “You’re under arrest”

He then proceeded to read him his rights while a uniformed officer handcuffed the man.

As two officers lifted the man to his feet Adam turned around and walked towards her and said

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to be sharp with you, but I didn’t want you to get hurt”

“Erm well um” she babbled  

“Sit down” he suggested “you’re obviously shaken up”

“Who was that?” she asked when she had composed herself

“A very unpleasant man” he replied

“What did he do?”

“He is the man behind the Tipton child abduction” he said in a hushed tone

“Bastard” Sabr said

“Did he do things to the boy?” she asked dreading the answer

“No” he replied “his plan was to auction him to the highest bidder so that they could abuse him”  

“Is that why you haven’t been to church?” Sabr asked

“Yes, I was seconded to a task force to find the boy and those responsible” he said

“Adam!” someone called

“I have to go, are you alright now?”

“Yes, I’m fine” she replied “See you Sunday?”

“I hope so” he said and then he was gone

 

It was the morning of the first Saturday of July and furthermore the gods had delivered to the folk of Sharpington a very hot day, the hottest day of the year so far in fact.

Sabr didn’t appreciate that fact she was more concerned with her mum who had had a very bad night.

Thanks to Wendy she had plenty of cover in the shop, so she went for a walk along the promenade to clear her head.

She walked towards the attractions and then turned right and decided to take a stroll along the pier.

She stopped when she reached the end and stood at the rail and gazed out to sea.  

“Do you come here often?” David Goodman asked, and they both laughed.

“Who’s running the shop this morning if you’re here?” he asked her

“My Dad and Wendy” she said

“How is Wendy doing?”

“Very well, she’s a very hard worker; I have to force her to go home”

That was because she didn’t have much of a home to go to, but she was a hard worker.

“And your mum?”

“Not good I’m afraid” she replied sadly

“I’m sorry to hear that” David said, and she turned towards him and broke down and he held her and comforted her for the next ten minutes.

 

They sat down on the bench at the end of the pier, and she unburdened herself on him and David listened intently and when she had finished he simply said

“You don’t need me to tell you what to do, you already know”

Afterwards David walked her back to the shop, she thanked him and gave him a hug and then went back to work.

 

The next day Sabr was up bright and early and spent longer than usual in the bathroom and was among the first congregants to arrive at St Lucy’s which proved to be a mistake.

Because the moment she stopped moving she had time to think, and it was all negative.

When she first met Adam, she told herself

“You don’t have time for that nonsense”

But then after talking to David Goodman on the pier he convinced her that life was too short to not take the chances that life offered.

And she took all of that on board and decided she should throw caution to the wind which was why she got up early that morning and preened, perfumed, and powdered herself to make the best of herself so that she might seize the moment.

But sitting alone in the church her resolve was fast melting away.

“Hello Sabr” he said, “you look lovely”

“Oh, hello Adam” she replied a little flustered.

“You’re early” he said

“So are you” she pointed out

“I’m always here at this time” he said “when I’m not working”

“Oh, sorry”

“I’m glad” he said

“Excuse me?”

“I’m glad you’re early” Adam said, and she blushed terribly which made him smile.

“You’re not working today then” she said changing the subject.

“No” he said, “What about you?”

“I’m free all day” she said hopefully

“How about lunch then?”

“I’d like that” Sabr said

 

So, after the service Adam drove her to Dulcet-on-Brooke where they ate lunch at The Waterside Inn and they weren’t the only couple from Sharpington sharing an intimate meal together.

Sabr had taken a chance, exposed herself, risked rejection and got her reward and they spent a warm summer afternoon in the beer garden on the banks of the River Brooke.


THE L WORD

 

Often inappropriately used

The word love is everywhere

Forced into every utterance

Used almost like a panacea

Some who find themselves in love

Use the L word to death

As if underlining their insecurities

It is uttered with every breath

Though while some use it liberally

Some have an aversion to saying it

But whichever camp you fit in

If you have to say it - mean it

Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (33) Love at a Gallop

 

Copper Beech Farm is in the Dulcets, and the Dulcets consist of a collection of villages and hamlets such as Dulcet Meadow, Dulcet St Mary, Dulcet Green and Dulcet-on-Brooke to name but a few and

After moving up to Copper Beech farm Lynda Radcliffe’s riding School went from strength to strength.

So much so that she increased her stable of horses from six to nine and in addition to the short-term girls she employed from the local village she took on an old friend, Hazel Morris, to manage things at the yard for her.

 

The farm belonged to Anthony Holmes though he was not a farmer and never would be, he was a computer geek and a fairly successful one at that.

He employed a skinny young woman named Charlotte Clode as manager but inadvertently they fell in love and became a couple just before Christmas.

 

Hazel Morris had fallen on hard times and as luck would have it her arrival at the farm came only a few weeks after Charlotte had moved into the farmhouse with Anthony, so she was able to live on site in the converted part of the stable block which had previously been Charlotte’s home.

It had a bedroom, a sitting room, a small kitchen area and a toilet and shower, which suited her needs very well.

It was a very significant moment for Charlotte as it drew a line under her old life and committed her to her future with Anthony.

But Hazel’s arrival also gave them an ally in their quest to finally unite Lynda Radcliffe and Elliott Browning.

She had known Lynda for many years and could think of no one else who deserved happiness more than she did.

 

Hazel was in a bind financially and all her money was going straight to her debtors even though the debts were her ex-husbands.

Their house was repossessed, as was their car and most of her possessions were sold to pay creditors.

She was left with a modest selection of clothes and two small boxes of photos, family papers and precious mementoes.

 

As time went on Hazel became friends with Anthony and Charlotte and they were able to help her out by giving her addition work on the farm and in exchange they didn’t charge her rent for her rooms, and as that was her largest personal expenditure, she was able to pay off her debts even quicker.

 

The task of fixing up 28-year-old Spinster Lynda Radcliffe with the gregarious larger than life Dr Elliott Browning proved a more prolonged endeavour than anticipated.

Anthony and Charlotte had decided to give the Doctor the gift of six riding lessons as a thank you for the treatment, Charlotte received when she was struck down with a very nasty fever the previous autumn.

 

But although the gift was made in January the earliest opening in the Riding Club diary wasn’t until the beginning of March.

Hazel Morris kept the identity of Lynda’s final Wednesday afternoon pupil a secret.

They had booked Elliott in as the last one of the days in the hope that they would drift seamlessly into a date after the event.

As it turned out it wasn’t until Elliott’s next lesson, three days later, that the big jovial doctor and the good-hearted spinster were discovered in the barn locked in a passionate embrace.

 

Hazel was almost 29 years old and had thought by the time she reached that age she would have been starting a family or perhaps had already started one and maybe that might have happened had her husband not gambled everything away.

She was fairly slim, slimmer certainly since she had to watch every penny, with bright orange hair which was thick and unruly.

She desperately needed to pay a visit to a hairdresser but it wasn’t something she could afford while she still owed money.

So, she kept it tied in a ponytail, which she always thought quite apt for her line of work.

“Six more months” she said to herself meaning she would be debt free and then she could treat herself, and by the time she reached her milestone 30th birthday the following year her life would have begun again.

 

After the three inhabitants of Copper Beach Farm had succeeded in their match making scheme things on the farm settled down to a peaceful rhythm and by the beginning of June Hazel began to take on extra work in her spare time to train horses.

 

Her ambition in the long term was to have a sanctuary for old horses and ponies, even donkeys for that matter.

So, when a local man Chris Harper approached her with a proposition to train a horse or in particularly an older horse, which required retraining, as he had been ridden, she jumped at the chance.

He was a retired racehorse and like so many others when their racing days were over, they were thrown on to the scrapheap, they weren’t even put out to pasture.

 

Chris Harper was a therapist who used horses to help physically and mentally handicapped people of all ages and his philosophy was that it would be therapeutic for the horses as well to help people.

They just had to unlearn some of the things they had learned in their former lives and that was where Hazel came in.

It was not an easy fix, and it took time and infinite patience, which she had plenty of.

 

Chris had already passed his 29th birthday and was knocking loudly on the door of his 30th.

He was quite rugged looking with weathered skin and sandy hair and he stood an inch or two taller than Hazel.

He hadn’t always been a therapist in fact until two years earlier he had been a serving officer in the Downshire Light Infantry and until his discharge he had never ridden a horse.

Lynda Radcliffe soon remedied that, however.

 

He became interested after a friend of his from the regiment was brain damaged by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

He was greatly shocked by the severity of his handicap when he first went to visit him.

But a year later when he saw him again at a rehabilitation facility in Nettlefield he was amazed by the connection he had formed with a horse.

When he shared his amazement with his friend’s doctor.

“It’s such a great therapy” Doctor Martin agreed

“It’s just a shame we don’t have enough horses or therapists”

During his final year he resolved after his discharge he would rectify the situation.

 

Chris Harper was from a wealthy Tipton family in the north of the county whose business was making money, lots of money, and they didn’t care what they had to do to make more.

His father wanted to put him in harness the moment he left University.

But he turned his back on the family and the business he despised and instead of university he joined the army.

His father cut him off without a penny and never spoke to him again, but he stayed in touch with his mum and his sister via email.

The rest of them didn’t bother to contact him and nor he them and in the Downshire Light Infantry he found a new family.

 

However, when he was 25 years old, he got the surprise of his life after the death of his Grandfather.

In his will Chris was left a very large bequest much to his father’s disgust but in an accompanying letter he explained how much he admired Chris’s decision to follow his dream, and how he wished he’d had the courage to follow his own.   

 

He didn’t touch the bequest though despite the sentiments behind it, he had managed without the family’s money for the best part of eight years and saw no reason to change, and so he just banked it until he could decide what to do with it for the best.

 

But he never quite got around to making any decision until the moment he spoke with the Army Doctors, and he knew exactly what he should do with his legacy.

So, after he had completed his 12 years in uniform, he resigned his commission and set off on the path of his new career.

But it was to prove to be a solitary journey as his fiancé Bella did not share his vision for the future.

 

He found a suitable piece of land in the Dulcets with the right sized property on it with stables and outbuildings that would suit his needs.

It was once upon a time known as Larkspur Farm but for the previous 30 years it had seen no farming done on it and it was gentrified for some city gent and his family to use on weekends.

But the particular gent who owned it lost his shirt in the financial crash and had to sell quickly just at the time Chris was in the market.

It was perfect for his needs, plenty of space and easy access to Brownhill Woods and as luck would happen the inhabitants of Copper Beach Farm were his nearest neighbours.

 

It wasn’t an easy project to get off the ground but with a lot of help from some good people that he met along the way he did it.

His contact from the Army served him well firstly by securing him 4 retired army horses and then a recommendation from Dr Martin at the rehab facility.  

 

The Downshire’s had pledged to give him first refusal on any retiring horses but as the therapy was for all ages, he needed other horses and ponies as well.

As Lynda Radcliffe had a Riding school at Copper Beech he employed her services to teach the novices to ride, this she did at Copper Beach and Larkspur and the two of them became friends.

It was through that relationship and the affable conversations they shared that Lynne suggested using Hazel to retrain his newest acquisitions. 

 

Hazel’s first day’s training at Larkspur was on the afternoon of the 1st of June.

She was so grateful to Lynne for recommending her, it was perfect for her as the distance between her front door and the stables at Larkspur was less than a mile.

She met Chris first and was very impressed as he very much lived up to Lynne’s billing and they chatted briefly before she went in to meet her new charge.

He was a chestnut named Spartan and he was a former racehorse. There was a lot more to his name than Spartan but in his new career he would have to settle for the shortened form.

 

Her first session of training with Spartan was just a bonding exercise which involved grooming him and simply talking to him and while she worked Chris watched on from the shadows with admiration for her labours and found that he was rather taken by the skinny girl with the mad red hair.   

 

Over the week that followed it was more of the same with Hazel grooming Spartan and Chris watching from a distance.

He liked to watch her working with the horse, although having said that he would probably have like to watch her do just about anything.

 

For Hazel’s part, she had noticed him in her peripheral vision once or twice over her first week and that made her smile.

But flattered though she was she would have to put a stop to it, she liked him well enough, and in fact she liked him a lot.

He was a nice man, and he was doing great work, but she thought her husband Bob was nice before she married him and that turned out to be a complete disaster.

So, she was in no hurry to set foot on the rocky road of romance any time soon.

 

After 7 straight days of bonding, she decided it was time to get him out in the paddock on the longe line.

It was important to get him to trot around with his head up and not as he had been accustomed to with his head down and focused on speed.

Despite her misgivings about Chris, she found that she was disappointed when he didn’t appear to watch her at work with Spartan.

 

In fact, he didn’t appear all the time she was there that day which disappointed her even more, but what she didn’t know was that he was in Nettlefield at the Downshire Light Infantry HQ to look at his latest potential recruit and furthermore she didn’t know that the level of disappointment he felt at not seeing her far outweighed her own.

 

He left Nettlefield having agreed to take on a gentle giant of a horse called Inkerman, though his name had been shortened to Inky which was quite appropriate as he was jet black.

 

Hazel finished with Spartan in the paddock and as he behaved himself, she let him have a bit of a frolic around in the paddock before taking him in to be groomed, then she filled in the logbook and left for home.

 

When he returned to Larkspur, he arrived just in time to see Hazel disappear into the distance.

“Damn” he said and banged his hand on the steering wheel, he was hoping to share his news with her.

“Oh well there’s always tomorrow”

He parked in the yard and before going in the house he went and checked on the horses and read Hazel’s entry in the log.

 

The pattern of training continued for another week and after the 15th day with him she announced to Chris.

“I think he’s ready to be ridden again”

“Excellent” Chris said “then you’ll be ready to take on Inky”

“Yes” she agreed “Anytime now”

“Well why don’t you come over to Nettlefield with me next week to pick him up”

“I’d love to” Hazel said

“Good, next Thursday afternoon then”

 

Almost at that exact moment back in the yard at Copper Beach Farm Lynne Radcliffe and Charlotte Clode were discussing what to get Hazel for her upcoming birthday which was only two days away.

“What do you get for the girl who has nothing?” Lynne asked in exasperation

“It should be so easy” Charlotte said

“I know but it’s not, is it?”

“Then we’re just going to have to ask her outright” Charlotte responded

“I suppose so but there’s no surprise that way” Lynne said resignedly.

 

They were still in the yard discussing it when Hazel returned to the yard, and she was smiling to herself when she heard Lynne call to her

“Hazel”

“What are you two up to?”

“Nothing” Charlotte said innocently

“We were just wondering what you would like for your upcoming birthday”

“Nothing” Hazel said

“That’s not an option” Lynne stated

“I mean it” Hazel said “You don’t need to get me anything”

“Nonsense” Lynne countered “We want to, so what would you like more than anything in the world?”

Hazel thought for a moment and smiled and then replied

“A cut, wash and blow dry”

“Is that all?” Lynne asked

“Is that all? That would be absolute heaven” Hazel retorted and grinned

“Ok then” Lynne said “I suppose that’s settled”

But to herself she added

“Well, I think we can do slightly better than that though”

 

It was Hazel’s birthday two days later and the day began the same as any other with mucking out the stables with the other girls but when she returned to her rooms at 9 o’clock and opened the door she was met with a chorus of “Happy Birthday”. 

 

Lynne, Charlotte, and Anthony were sitting at her dining table 

They bought her a gift voucher for Mazzone’s Hairdressers in Mornington which she was thrilled with, but they also gave her a Spa Day, so the three girls could go to the Dancingdean Spa Hotel together.

There were also a pile of birthday cards and a bouquet of flowers from Chris Harper. 

 

She wasted no time in cashing in her voucher at Mazzone’s hairdressers in Mornington to sort out her thick, unruly bright orange hair, and afterwards she felt wonderful, and it was every bit as good as she was expecting it to be.

 

After close to three years after splitting with her husband she had resigned herself to the fact that she would never see or hear from him again, and she was perfectly happy about that, so nobody was more surprised than she was when Charlotte called her over to the office after she returned from Mornington.

“Hazel! Phone call” 

“For me?” she called back

 

“Hello?” she said

“Hello Haze” a voice responded

It was quite a shock for her to hear Bobs voice after all the time that had passed.

“How did you get this number?” she snapped

“Comme ci comme ça” he retorted

“What do you want Bob?”

“Oh, don’t be like that babe” he said

“Don’t you dare babe me you bastard”

“Alright calm down” he said, and she hung up but a minute later the phone rang again.

 

After she found out about Bobs gambling Hazel’s world fell apart, as one by one the bricks that formed the foundations of her life and their relationship were removed.

The roof over her head was repossessed, their car was taken off their drive in the dead of night, and bailiffs took away all their possessions.

Credit cards had been maxed out and bank accounts emptied, and insurance policies cashed in.

But as if that wasn’t bad enough it then transpired that it wasn’t only their money he was gambling with, he had stolen from the company he worked for.

And during the time the bailiffs were removing her belongings she had a visit from a Sgt Griffin and a DC Deacon from Sharpington CID who were looking for her husband in relation to the theft.

All she could say was that she hadn’t seen him for more than a week and when she did, they would have to investigate his murder.

But she never saw him again or even heard from him for that matter though the police were still anxious to speak with him.

So, getting a call out of the blue from him shocked her to the core.

“Don’t you dare babe me you bastard” she snapped

“Alright calm down” he said, and she hung up but a minute later the phone rang again.

She let it ring three times before she picked it up again.

“That wasn’t very friendly” he said

“What do you want Bob I’m busy?”

“I need my share of the house” he said, and she laughed out loud

“The bank has your half of the house along with my half plus the car and every stitch of furniture we owned”

“Well, you must have a few quid tucked away” he said “you could give a stake for old time’s sake”

She was so angry that his antics had pulled the rug from under her and left her to cope with the fall out on her own, so her first thought was to tell him in no uncertain terms where to go, and she was actually on the brink of saying it when she said

“Ok for old time’s sake, a one off, never to be repeated payment, give me an address and I’ll send you a cheque” she said

“I’d rather do it face to face” he said 

“Ok” she said “Where?”

“There’s a pub in Sharpington called the Ancient Mariner, I’ll meet you there at 12 on Friday”

“Ok” she said and hung up.

 

On Thursday she travelled over to Nettlefield in the horse box with Chris Harper.

Although she had been looking forward to the trip, she was in pensive mood on the journey over.

When they arrived, he introduced her to Inky and then left them to get acquainted while he touched base with a few of his ex-colleagues and then they got him on board the horsebox and settled before setting off on the return journey to the Dulcets.

She was a little more conversant on the way back, so Chris chanced his arm and asked her out to dinner.

“Oh, I don’t know” she said “my life is a bit complicated at the moment”

“Another time perhaps” he said, and she nodded then after a few minutes she said

“Could I ask you a favour?”

“Of course,” he replied and she proceeded to explain the complications in her life

 

On Friday Chris Harper drove a pensive Hazel to Sharpington and waited a discreet distance away and watched Hazel as she sat alone at a table and continued to watch as a shifty looking man joined her, but he couldn’t hear what was said.

 

“Hello Haze” Bob said and moved to embrace her “it’s good to see you”

“It’s not mutual” she said and evaded his embrace

“Well without being indelicate how much have you got for me?” he asked

“Nothing” she replied “but they’ve got something for you”

And when he turned around Sgt Griffin and Detective Deacon were there and quickly taking him into custody.

A tirade of abuse was levelled at her as the police handcuffed him.

“Your ugly ginger bitch” he screamed “You won’t find anyone better than me”

“I already have” she shouted back and ran to where Chris was standing and buried her face in his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her and after a few minutes she said

“My life just got a lot less complicated, so is the offer of dinner still on?”

HOTEL PARADISO

 

From their hotel restaurant

The couple sat at a table

Admiring the view

It was an unfamiliar view

With just a hint of familiarity

Like recognizing the features

Of a very distant relative

This was where the couple

Spent their honeymoon

When they were young and fearless

They were old now

Liver spotted and weary

Married when God was a boy

And the world was young

They sat in silence

Everything said before

Gazing though the window

He wondering what lay ahead

She where the years had gone

They held hands

And their eyes met

No words were spoken

But they understood

And they were content

Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (32) It Happened at the Seaview Hotel

 

It was towards the end of June when Iain Akhurst drove along the promenade at Sharpington-by-Sea.

It always made him smile when he visited the traditional seaside resort which he was pleased to see still boasted a Victorian Pier, The Palladium ballroom, and of course the Sharpington Fun Park.

He liked it because it was like stepping back in time with the illuminations, crazy golf, and the amusement arcades in fact all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside

He parked the car and walked along the promenade and paused to sit in the well-maintained gardens and looked out to sea.

As he left the gardens after a few minutes he looked across to the Sharpington Fun Park.

It was the first purpose-built amusement park to open in Britain, and had an assortment of rides, like the Rotor and the Wild Mouse, The Cyclone and the Morehouse Galloper, all very tame compared to a 21st century roller coaster but was still great fun, and he spent many a happy hour in there during his youth.

He toyed with the idea of going in but instead headed towards the seafront hotels.

 

After checking in he sat in the lounge bar of the Seaview Hotel and was enjoying a pint when she walked in.

He didn’t recognise her at first and he had to do a bit of double take.

She was still as beautiful as ever but her lustrous brown hair that used to be cut in a tidy bob now flowed in brunette waves over her narrow shoulders and the business suit she customarily used to wear had been replaced by faded denim jeans, a pink top and a long flowing cardigan cut in the style of an Afghan coat with fake fur trim and bright brocade panels.

Francine Delise looked so different from the young woman he had last seen 18 months earlier at their mutual friend Ran Michaeli’s New Year party.

 

Her eyes were sharp and intelligent behind her gold rimmed spectacles that sat on her aquiline nose and with her finely chiselled features she was the attractive side of beautiful but only for the fact she wasn’t wearing a scrap of make-up.

But despite the hair, the clothes and a lack of makeup, the eyes and the smile could not be disguised.

It was a case of “what you see is what you get with Francine” just as it was the first day, she walked into the office straight out of University.

That was eight years earlier and as the old man of the team at 33 he adopted the role of the avuncular and took her under his wing and showed her the ropes and of course try as he might, not to, and despite the 12-year age difference he fell in love with her.

There was no double take for Francine, she recognised him instantly and she beamed a broad smile and he realized as she walked towards him that he was still in love with her.

“Iain Akhurst! She said, “What are you doing here?”

 

She was never a tall girl but in her flat shoes she had to stand on tip toes, and he had to stoop so they could properly embrace. 

“I had to see a client locally” Iain said “It ran on later than expected so I decided to put up here for the night”

In truth he always liked booking a meeting late on a Friday and then he could stay at a local hotel for the night, two if it suited him.

“Not Brocklington Broadcast International?” she said “I’ve been trying to nick him off you for two years”

“I know, keep your hands off, BBI is my pension”

Iain said and they both laughed

“Anyway, what about you?” he asked “What brings you here?”

“My sister lives in Sharpington” Francine replied “and she’s just had twins”

“Wow Aunty Francine” he said “that still doesn’t explain why you’re here”

“Because I’ve only been an aunty for five days and I’m exhausted”

She said and slumped down in her chair

“Oh dear” he said “No stamina, you youngsters”

“Honestly if I don’t get a good night’s sleep before I drive home, I won’t make it” she explained

“So, this is as far as you got?” he asked

“I so need a good night’s sleep” Francine said and hugged the cushion to her chest and Iain found himself feeling so jealous of that cushion

“Do you think you might stay awake long enough to have dinner?”

Iain asked

“It depends on who’s paying” Francine answered peering over the top of the cushion.

“My treat” he said, and it really was a treat to see Francine again and he knew in that moment he was still hopelessly in love with her.

 

Iain’s hand was shaking as he was stood at the bathroom sink to shave and he paused to look at his reflection.

“Who am I trying to kid?”

Since he’d last seen her 18 months earlier, she hadn’t aged a day while he thought he looked as if he’d aged 10 years and that he stood less chance of getting her than ever.

 

He did nothing about his attraction toward her in the years he worked with her but imagine.

There was a near miss beneath the mistletoe at the last office Christmas party she attended.

But as every man in the office had the hots for her they didn’t give her a moments peace, and the sought after kiss beneath the mistletoe never happened.

 

The following year at Ran Michaeli’s New Year’s Eve party he found her on the dance floor and once again they had a moment but once again it came to nothing and like smoke it slipped away, and she slipped through his fingers and that was the last time he had seen her which was 18 months previously.

So understandably he felt that it would never be.

 

Despite his misgivings he shaved and showered and made the best of what he had, such as it was, and he went downstairs to the bar to wait for her.  

When he got there, she was already sitting at the bar perched on a barstool waiting for him.

 

Francine was still wearing jeans, but she now wore a white smock top decorated with tiny pink roses and she was made up to perfection and was already halfway through a large glass of white wine.

“Hi” he said as he leant in and kissed her cheek

Her hair was freshly washed and was subtly scented with the fragrance of apples, while her skin exuded the aroma of coconut and he lingered by her cheek, perhaps a little longer than he should have.

While he was in such close proximity to her his senses were assailed by the scent of just a little too much Channel, which was unusual for her, she was normally more subtle than that.

She was always a very subtle girl, or at least she had been when he’d worked with her.

“You look lovely” he said when he had come up for air.

“And you smell good enough to eat” he added to himself

“This is the only thing I had left that didn’t smell of baby sick” She confessed “but to make doubly sure I doused myself with perfume”

Well that cleared up for him the little mystery of the unsubtle scenting.

“You smell delicious” he said “not a hint of baby sick”  

“Honestly?” she asked

“Honestly” he replied just as he caught the barman’s eye “Do you want another?”

“Hmm yes please” she replied and drained her glass

When the drinks appeared, they made their way to the restaurant, it was a walk they had done many times before during his mentoring days.

It was a favourite of Iain’s and they had stayed at the Seaview Hotel many times before and had eaten in the restaurant more often than not.

But that was in the distant days when he was mentoring her in his avuncular role and fancying the pants off her.

 

Iain and Frankie sat in the restaurant and as they ate their starters they talked about the old days, the colleagues they both knew, mutual friends and how both their careers were going. 

However what Iain really wanted to talk about was her, the personal stuff, what she had been up to in her life over the 18 months since they had last met and the two years since they worked together, and more importantly who was in her life.

“What about you?” she asked taking him by surprise as he tried to frame that same question in his own head.

“What?” he asked

“What about you?” she repeated this time with more than a hint of a slur “are you spoken for”

To his amusement he watched as she appeared to rerun the question in her head and seemed alarmed by her realization of what she had actually said

“What I meant to say is… um… err… are you… erm…”

It tickled him to watch her struggle and getting more flustered but decided to put her out of her misery.

“I’m still single”

“Oh” she responded trying to appear indifferent “still not met the right girl?

“I wouldn’t say that exactly” he replied but didn’t elaborate, the truth of the matter was he had met the right girl, but she didn’t want him.

“What about you then?” he asked

“Still footloose and fancy free” Francine replied

 

Dinner came and went as did desert and all the time their glasses were refreshed, but it wasn’t until they were having liqueurs that he plucked up the courage to say what was on his mind.

“I’ve really missed you”

She seemed both surprised and pleased by the revelation and Iain wondered if she heard him correctly or if it was just the effect of the wine on her processing ability

“I’m sorry” she replied

“Why did you go?” he asked “I never understood why you left”

“I had to” she replied earnestly

“But why?” he asked more emphatically

“Because I knew how you felt about me” Francine confessed

“You knew?” he asked aghast

“Yes” 

“You knew and you said nothing?” Iain asked angrily

She nodded

“That was cruel” he said and then there was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes as the waiter cleared the empty glasses from the table, when he had gone, she said

“I thought it was for the best”

The waiter hovered just out of earshot of them but made it obvious that as they were the last two diners, and he was ready for them to leave.

“I think we have out stayed our welcome” he said flatly and got up and Francine followed suit.

“Goodnight” he said to the waiter and headed towards reception leaving Frankie in his wake.

“Let me explain” Francine said as she trotted behind him but Iain ignored her and pressed on along the corridor, but she caught up with him as he stopped to allow an elderly lady to go through the fire doors.

"I thought if I put some space between us, you would stop caring about me" she said from behind him, and Iain spun round on her in response

"You thought my feelings were so fickle, so insincere that they would just evaporate away if I couldn’t see you?"

“No” she snapped at him crossly

“I did it because I thought that mine would”

“What?” he said doubting his own hearing

“I left because I was falling for you” she said

“And did it help?” he asked

“No” she said and fell into his arms “I fell for you anyway”

“So, you made us both unhappy” Iain said gently and held her close to him

“Yes” she replied and then Francine began to cry

“Don’t cry honey” he said and in response she looked up at him through tear filled eyes and he kissed her, a kiss he had longed for and dreamt of for eight years and when it was over he was not disappointed.

 

After their long awaited magical first kiss they walked hand in hand to the door of his room where they kissed again and then Iain unlocked the door and pushed it open, but Francine paused in the doorway.

“Before we go any further” she said “I have a confession to make”

“You don’t have to say anything honey” Iain replied

“I really do” she insisted

“Ok” he replied a little concerned at what might follow, some revelation that would undermine the gravity of the moment, so he waited as Francine took a deep breath and blurted out

“I haven’t shaved my legs since the twins were born”

IS IT YOU?

Is it you?

Are you the one?

Are you my missing puzzle piece?

That will make me whole

And complete the unfinished picture

Or will you be another square peg

In my round hole

 

Is it you?

Are you the one?

The special other half of me

If we touch, will we bond together?

Seamlessly, our borders undefined

Or will we repel like opposite poles

Never to be joined

 

Is it you?

Are you the one?

The shadow of my soul

Will we fit like hand in tailored glove?

Or will you be like

That hand knitted Christmas gift

From a well-meaning aunt

 

Is it you?

Are you the one?

My long-lost soul mate

Will we wear each other?

Like comfortable shoes

Or some fashionable pair

That pinch and rub

 

Is it you?

Are you the one?

The one that’s made for me

Or don’t you exist

When our fingers touch

Will electricity pass between us?

Or will it just be a static shock

That makes us flinch

 

Is it you?

Are you the one?

The one I have always sought

Or is it that you don’t exist

And I have set my sights to high

My heart won’t let me believe that

So, take my hand and we will try

Can you feel that?