The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (235) Christmas Jumper Day

 

December

 

The fishing village of Spaniards Creek to the south of Beaumont Island which is so called because it was where a severely damaged Spanish Galleon from the Armada sought refuge from the English Navy and the storm in May 1588.

The only evidence of the event in the present day are the oak beams in the Tudor buildings of the old village dwellings.

However, in one of a row of terraced Victorian Cottages lived William Panton, a boat builder, and he lived next door to divorcee sisters Rebecca Heald and Lizzie Carol.

They were all in their mid-to-late thirties and with no romantic attachments, so they got on very well.

 

It was mid-December and William had just finished a week of long days and late nights to finish a client’s boat and then delivered it to Sharpington Marina and then got a lift back to the Island on a fishing boat, so he was exhausted when he got back to the cottage at 6am.

His first step was a hot shower, followed by breakfast and bed, however when he finished, he was annoyingly wide awake.

So he pottered around for a couple of hours tidying up then he sat down in front of the TV with a coffee mid-morning and started watching Alistair Sim in “Scrooge”, one of his favourite Christmas movies, but he lasted no more than 10 minutes before the long blinks set in and he spent the rest of the day sleeping soundly on the couch until he was woken from that long afternoons snoozing when he heard the sound of the doorbell.

 

The bell continued to ring as he made his way up the hall and when he opened the front door, he found a slightly inebriated Rebecca Heald leaning against the doorframe.

“William, thank God” she slurred, “I’m locked out, and in distress.”

“Come in and tell me how I can help” he said.

“Well, the trouble is I’m locked out” she said, “and Lizzie won’t be back for at least two hours.” 

“Could I be a nuisance and stay here until she gets home?” she pleaded “I’ll be no trouble, I promise.”

“Yes of course, what are neighbours for.”

“You are my saviour,” she declared.

“Come on then party girl, let’s get your coat off” he suggested but this proved to be more of an effort than he imagined, but they managed it in the end.

When they had accomplished its removal, she adjusted her skirt and straightened her brightly coloured Christmas Jumper.

William took a moment to admire the way she filled a sweater, and she had a very curvaceous figure, and the undulations were very pleasing on the eye, and it was not the first time he had pleased his eye on her curves. 

“Thank you kind sir” she said as she almost fell onto the hall table.

William caught her just in time and sat her on a chair in the hall while he pulled her boots off revealing her festive tights with Christmas tree motifs.

“Come in the kitchen and I’ll put the kettle on” he said.

“Wine will do” she suggested and fell against the wall giggling.

“Coffee would be safer I think” he replied.

 

After a couple of cups of coffee Rebecca had sobered considerably as she told him all about her office Christmas lunch and how much she had enjoyed it.

“Well, I could tell how much you enjoyed it by the way you fell through the front door” he said.

“Cheeky” she said and giggled.

“Do you want another cup?” he asked, and Rebecca checked her watch before replying.

“Yes please, but I need a pee first.”

“Ok, I’ll take it through to the lounge” William said, and he was sitting on the sofa when she tottered into the room, make up repaired, outfit perfect, and holding a sprig of mistletoe in one hand.

“Look what I have found,” she said, and he hadn’t a clue where she found it because he didn’t have any in the house, so she must have had in her bag or coat pocket.

But it was immaterial because while he was musing, she had reached him, and she raised it above her head.  

So, he stood up, puckered up and gave her a Christmas kiss but as his lips touched hers it was clear that she had an entirely different type of kiss in mind, which took him completely by surprise, so in the spirit of the season and just to be neighbourly he responded in kind and the upshot of her mistletoe ambush was that her festive sweater and tights spent the night of Christmas Jumper Day on his bedroom floor.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (234) – Christingle Girls Refrain

 

December

 

The girls were sitting at a corner table facing back towards the bar.

“Look who’s just come in” Shannon said, and Catherine looked up and saw their prey standing at the bar.

As soon as she saw them Catherine got all flustered and her cheeks flushed.

“What’s wrong with you?” Shannon asked.

“Nothing” she said trying to look anywhere but at the bar.

“Just play it cool” Shannon asked and glanced at the bar just as Sam looked across at them and smiled.

“He’s looking over here” Shannon whispered.

They both smiled back at him and then Catherine said.

“Well, he’s not looking at me, is he?”

 

Catherine spent the next 20 minutes sneaking glances at Sam as he laughed and joked with his cousin, every now and then he would throw a glance at her, and she would look away.

There were a number of girls who approached them but whatever they were after they left without it.

Shannon suddenly got up and announced she was going to the loo and almost as soon as she left there was movement at the bar as Sam started walking towards Catherine.

“Hi Catherine” he said.

“Hello” she replied, “Shannon’s gone to the loo.”

“I know I saw her go” he said, “it was you I wanted to talk to.”

“Me?” she said incredulously.

“Yes you” he replied.

“Why?” she asked.

“Blimey you don’t make it easy for a bloke” he said.

“I don’t understand” she said.

“I wanted to ask you something while Shannon was in the ladies” he explained.

“Oh, I see” Catherine said with a sigh “you want her phone number I suppose.”

“No” Sam replied with surprise “Why would I want her number?”

“Sorry?”

“I wanted to ask you out” he explained.

“Me?” she said incredulously.

“Oh no not again, yes you” he replied.

“I’ve been wanting to ask you out for ages, but I can never get you on your own, so I never get a look in.”

“Seriously?” she asked. 

“Yes” he replied “So?”

“Yes” she said.

“Now was that a question or an answer?”

“Definitely an answer” she said and grinned like a Cheshire cat.

“Good” he said, “now can I get you a drink?”

 

Sam walked to the bar just as Shannon returned from the toilet and Robert joined his brother at the bar.

When he first walked to the bar and saw Catherine sitting at the corner table, he congratulated himself on his choice of venue and hoped Christmas had arrived early and seemed he was not to be disappointed.

 

“Well?” Shannon asked when she returned to the table.

“Well, what?” she replied.

“Did he ask you?” Shannon asked.

“Yes” she said excitedly, and they hugged.

“But how did you know?”

“Robert told me” she replied.

“But how did he know?”

“Sam told him?” Shannon said.

“Oh”

“Anyway, Robert told me” she said, “and then he kissed me.”

“Where?” asked Catherine, wide eyed with curiosity.

“On the lips stupid”

“No, I mean, where?” she explained “Where were you when he kissed you”?

“Oh outside” Shannon clarified.

“What were you doing outside?” Catherine asked, “Apart from being kissed.”

“Well, I went to the loo” Shannon explained “and when I came out Robert was there waiting for me, and he told me not to go back to the table because Sam was asking you out.”

She paused for breath.

“Which was taking forever by the way, and we were blocking the door, so he suggested we went outside and that was when he kissed me, in the moonlight, it was very romantic.”

“Wow” Catherine responded, “And did he ask you out as well?”

“Yes” she said excitedly, and they hugged again.

“Who’d of thought it, I have a date.”

Catherine said.

“Me too” Shannon squealed just as the boys and the drinks arrived.

 

After they were on the way home from the bus stop, they split up.

Robert turned left so he could walk Shannon home and romantically kiss her in the moonlight once more and Sam and Catherine turned right and walked slowly hand in hand in the moonlight, as they were in no rush to get home.

“Fancy that, I’m walking hand in hand with Sam Dennison” she said inside her head.

While Sam was thinking to himself about how lucky he was.

 

“Was that romantic enough for you?” Robert asked moments after his lips left hers

“It was acceptable” she said.

“Perhaps I should have another go” he suggested.

“Definitely worth a try” Shannon said obligingly.

 

When they got to the end of the path that led to her front door they came to a halt and he turned to face her, and he kissed her soft lips, in a long and sensual kiss.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to do that” Catherine said.

“Me too” he concurred.

“How long?” she asked.

“A couple of years, almost three to be precise” he confessed.

“I was 12” she admitted “when I first noticed you like that.”

“Was it worth the wait?” he asked.

“It was for me” she said.

And then her kissed her again which she took to mean “me too”

 

So, the Christingle Girls got their dark-haired gypsy eyed boys and had them hook, line and sinker, and they were all set to have a very happy Christmas indeed.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (233) Christingle Girls

 

December

 

It was at the church of St Pierre where the Christingle service was being held which would be well attended as usual as there would be children and families there from all across the island. 

 

The Christingle Service had become ingrained in Anglican worship though it had its origins in Eastern Europe, and the Christingle Service is a Service of candle lights, where very many years ago people gathered in the street, sang carols and collected gifts to help the less fortunate in the community.

It is a beautiful candle lit service of hymns, carols, recitations and bible readings, but Christingle goes beyond a candlelight service, and it tells a story.

A story is told with the symbolic use of an orange representing the world.
A red ribbon is tied around the orange to symbolize the blood of Jesus shed for his people and toothpicks decorated with dried fruits and sweets are placed at the four corners of the orange representing all the people of the world.
A lighted candle in the center of the orange represents the gift of the light of Christ to the world.

The Christingle lights are made by the children in Sunday school, and then they carry them proudly in procession into the church where they are lit for the service.

 

Because the symbol of the service began life in the Sunday School classes the leaders also attend to watch their charges and from St Joan of Arc’s were Sam Dennison, Robert Horne, Catherine Emmans, and Shannon Duel.

 

Catherine Emmans thought of herself as a plump girl but in reality, she was just a couple of dress sizes bigger than her best friend.

In every other respect she thought she was ok, with her luscious Auburn hair and an abundance of freckle and she was a tall girl, but that hadn’t been enough for her to get her anywhere with Sam Dennison, and she was convinced he didn’t even know she existed, but she had been in love with Sam since she was 12 years old and she was now 18.

 

Sam Dennison and Robert Horne were cousins and had black hair and wild gypsy eyes and were also 18-year-old and good-looking boys, and were very popular with the girls, but the sort of girls who kept throwing themselves at them were not the type of girl they were looking for.

 

Shannon Duel was 17 years old, and she was pretty, tall and slender girl with long dark hair and she was on the outside at least ultra-confident and ultra-popular with the boys who she kept dancing on strings, but they were not the right boys.

She was always immaculately turned out, painted, perfumed and powdered and ready to impress Mr. Right.

But apparently, he was never looking her way, whoever he might be.

But for all her big talk and bravado she was fast approaching 18 and hadn’t even been kissed.

Because she was pretty and because she knew she was pretty, Shannon always talked big when it came to the opposite sex, and her friends bought into it.

But it was all bravado, if one of the men she flirted with actually came on to her, she would have run a mile.

Outside she was sexy and confident but inside she was a shy and dowdy little mouse.

 

Shannon was convinced she was never going to be kissed and especially not before she reached her 18th birthday.

She could quite easily get a kiss in time if she acted like a tart, but she wasn’t a tart and she wanted her first kiss to be romantic, not desperate.

Meanwhile Catherine was still dreaming of a romantic affair with her prince charming Sam Dennison but was resigned to the fact it would never happen.

 

The two friends finally confided in each other during December.

“You fancy one of them?” Shannon probed “Which one?”

“Sam” she reluctantly replied.

“How long have you fancied him?” Shannon quizzed.

“Since I was 12” she replied.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

“Because nothing will ever come of it” Catherine said definitively.

 

But Shannon was very persuasive, and they made a plan, so on the afternoon of the Christingle service the girls did each other’s makeup, so they could each snag themselves a dark-haired Gypsy eyed boyfriend.

“Wow” Shannon said, “I look really hot.”

“Not bad, eh?” Catherine said admiring herself in the mirror.

“I look about 20” Shannon said, “Don’t you think?”

“21 maybe” Catherine added.

“Shall we go to the pub with them then” she suggested.

Catherine thought about it for a moment and said.

“I don’t know” she said, “I look rubbish.”

“You can borrow something of mine” Shannon said, and Catherine reluctantly agreed so half an hour later they were laughing and joking and on their way to St Pierre’s.

At the same time Shannon and Catherine were doing their makeup Sam and his Cousin Robert were just leaving home themselves for the same destination.

 

The Christingle service was lovely, and the huge congregation thoroughly enjoyed it but for the girls it caused a problem for them as they lost track of the boys, but unbeknown to them they had also decided to go to the pub, fortunately they also chose the Sword and Shield.

 

Shannon hadn’t been to a pub before and although she looked old enough to be in there after the makeover, she had no ID, so she went and found a table and Catherine bought the drinks.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (232) Like a Breath of Spring

 

December

 

It all began for Evangeline House and Roman Street in the southern town off Abbottsford, which was Downshire’s administrative capital and the seat of the Downshire government.

It was also a place that benefitted from the renowned Winston Churchill Hospital, it could also boast that it was a Cathedral City, was home to Abbottsford Town football club and was a seat of learning thanks to Downshire University’s.

 

Sweet Evangeline House walked into the party with a delicate air, and she entered Roman’s life like a breath of spring, enlivening him and her sweet refreshing presence altered everything in his world forever.

Heads turned to watch the maiden, a vision of pulchritude, as she moved like liquid lust, but she had eyes for him and him alone.

She was lithe limbed, gracile, and coquettish in the extreme and had but one desire which was to win his heart and soul because Evangeline was hopelessly in love with him.

But until that day she had been invisible to him, all through the first year they were at University she was just another college girl on campus, but for her he was her universe and every night he was in her head and in her dreams.

She was not invisible to other boys on campus, but she wasn’t interested in any of them, she had set her cap, and she would brook no substitute.

 

However, on that day she was not invisible, on that day he could see her, and he instantly ached for her, but he wasn’t going to get her, not that day.

She didn’t want to be just another conquest for a college boy, she wanted him, but she would deny herself the pleasure of him until he wanted her more.

Dressed as she was in a figure-hugging dress which left nothing to the imagination, she would win his love along with his lust.

She had his attention now and with him hooked she would lead him like a bull by the nose until she was certain she had his heart, his soul, and his love as certain sure as she could have had the rest of him right there and then.

Only when he professed his love to her and she was sure of his sincerity would she surrender her virginity to him.

That surrender came on the night of their wedding on the 8th of December, in the Wedding Suite of the Beaumont Manor Hotel and their union was perfectly blessed.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (231) St Andrew’s Day

 

November

 

St Pierre in the northwest corner of Beaumont Island, is the largest town on the island, in fact it’s the only town on the island and the most densely populated area in the Pepperstock Bay Islands.

St Pierre was where Arthur Lewis had lived for all 63 years of his life, in fact he’d lived his entire life in the same house, and it had never once occurred to him that he should live anywhere else.

 

He was born in the late fifties and had few recollections of that austere decade, almost all his earliest memories were from the brasher, brighter and less restrained sixties.

But the earliest memories he did have were about Christmas and in the Lewis household Christmas began on St Andrew’s Day, November 30th.

As a result of his awareness of the time coming on the cusp of the decades, his earliest memories of Christmas were of a bright and sparkly time when paper chains and the watery coloured paper stars, bells and balls were being replaced by dazzling foil and tinsel.

Which included the Silver Tinsel Christmas Tree, when he looked back it was a quite unspectacular specimen of a tree compared to what’s on offer in the 21st century, but he loved it.

It stood less than 5 feet tall with its fold down tinsel covered wire branches, tipped with red beads to symbolize berries.

However, by the time his Dad had worked his not inconsiderable Christmas magic and covered it with every size, shape and shade of bauble, glass birds with feathered tails, lantern lights, strands of brightly coloured tinsel, foil covered chocolate treats and tiny crackers lain on the branches, it was transformed and was absolutely stunning.

It was the only tree he’d ever known until his teenage years came to an end, when in the mid-seventies he suggested that they have a real tree just for a change.

He would never have suggested it if he had realized for a second that it would signal the death knell of the Silver Tinsel Tree.

Because the following year it was replaced by a green plastic tree much more akin to the trees of today.

 

After his Dad died a few years later the task of decorating the tree fell to him and he instantly realized, sadly, that he hadn’t inherited his father’s tree dressing skill and was never able to equal him.

He came very close one year, in 1983 it was, but he concluded in the end that he merely flattered to deceive.

 

The task of tree dresser fell to his wife Becky which she performed admirably for 40 years, and she made a far better fist of it than Arthur ever could.

However, whether she possessed the necessary skill to transform a Silver Tinsel Tree into something stunning he would never know, as she passed away in October.

“What I would give to watch you dress the tree again my darling” he said as he stared at the naked branches “and then hold you in my arms beside it”

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (230) Fever Dreams

 

November

 

Saxvirdan, is a small hamlet north of the town of St Pierre, made up of former labourer’s cottages close to the remains of the old Roman fort site, Saxa Viridia Castellum, which was of great interest to archaeologists and tourists alike.

It was a quiet back water to someone like Gemma Ralph who was born and bred in London, her brother called it the back end of beyond, but those who lived there liked it well enough, even Gemma loved it despite the fact she’d had an argument with her husband and was sleeping in the spare room.

 

As she slept, her head was full of disturbing dreams of loss and loneliness interspersed with stark warnings from her dead grandmother “Never go to sleep on an argument” until she woke up in a panic, sweating profusely and panting hard.

She got up and paced the room for five minutes before tiptoeing across the landing and slipped beneath the duvet and cuddled up closely to Scott and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

 

But as the dawn broke, her peace was disturbed, but this time, as she slept, her head was full of erotic images and her sleep became restless and fitful, and her skin tingled, and she kept licking her lips as the vivid images played in her head.

Her head rolled from side to side and then she suddenly awoke from that erotic dreamland, with a leer on her face.

So as the dawn chorus chattered in the trees Gemma and Chris made up, and following her disturbed night they both slept late.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (229) Just you and me

 

November

 

James Plant worked for Shaw Brothers and had been away on an outward-bound course, one of those team-building kind of affairs, and the first thing he did on returning home to St Pierre was to sit on his sofa and wade through the emails that had accumulated.

Most of them were of no importance so they went straight into trash, the rest comprised of a number from Daniella Williams, from the office, gently reminding him that he hadn’t submitted his expenses lately.

He had always found her to be an attractive woman but a bit too forceful and a bit bossy.

Luckily before leaving for the Pepperstock National Park, “for team bonding”, he managed to get ahead of the curve and got most of his receipts entered so it only took some little time for him to get them up to date and fire them off to her, which he hoped, would keep her quiet for a week or two at least.

 

Once he had finished all his correspondence, his thoughts returned to Theresa, as they had for most of his time away.

During his enforced isolation, with no access to technology or communication devices, he had a lot of time to think, and most of those thoughts were about Theresa, and on his return to civilization he was eager to speak with her, but he wasn’t getting any response on her mobile.

Theresa was the manager of the Beaumont Manor Hotel so he decided to phone her there the next morning and asked to speak with her and was informed by Kerry, an unhelpful receptionist, that she was not available, so he was about to leave a message for her to call him but instead he asked

“Is her brother Kenny available?”

It turned out that he was, as his was the next voice he heard 

“Kenny speaking”

“Hi Ken, its James” he said

“Hi James, how are things?” he asked

“Not bad” he replied “Listen I’m trying to get hold of Terri”

“She unexpectedly had to fly to the States on Saturday morning” he responded “And she’s staying over there for Thanksgiving”

“Damn” he cursed

“Anything I can help with?” he asked

“Not really” he said, “It’s a question only she can answer”

“Well, I’m sure she will if she can,” he said “I’ll get her to call you”

And he had to leave it at that.

 

It was much later that day when he received a call.

“James” Terri said brightly “Sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you, but the time difference really messes with my head”

“That’s ok” he lied, but it was so good to hear her voice

“I was just hoping we could get together”

“I would like that”

“Ok great” he said “when?”

“Well, I get back in late on Friday which means on Saturday I’m going to be an absolute cabbage so how about Sunday” she suggested

“So how about lunch, but just you and me”

“Definitely” he replied “phone me with the where and when”

 

He was disappointed initially with not being able to say all the things that he wanted to say to her, all the things that he had been dying to say since the team bonding exercise when it dawned on him that he was in love with her, and that came right out of left field.

But that upset was more than offset by her proviso in reference to lunch when she added “But just you and me”

So, he was elated, but the only downside was that he had to wait a for a week before he could see her, but at least they could skype, so he had something to be thankful for.