Uncanny Christmas Tales – (002) The Girl in The Christmas Dress

 

Steve Berry had always had a dislike for Christmas, despite all the jollity and faux fun, because unlike many of his Christmas mad friends he had no happy Christmas memories to anesthetise him against the season.

His parents were alcoholics and each year their Christmas came in a bottle and thanks to his father, Steve’s came with a slap.

So, his childhood Christmases were memories he would rather have forgotten, but as he grew up he found that adulthood brought no relief and it always seemed to him that when shit happened at that time of the year, Christmas just magnified the misery.

For example, if someone dies at Christmas the very season makes it more keenly felt.

He could testify to that from personal experience, as his mother died on Christmas Eve when he was only 19.

He has no idea where his father was and quite frankly, he didn’t care, he never showed up for the funeral and he could have been dead as well for all he knew.

So as a result, he has never trusted Christmas, because he knows that horror lurks beneath the coloured lights, tinsel, and paper chains.

That was until Holly Davis opened his eyes to new possibilities and he realised that Christmas could also magnify joy.

 

He had found himself working behind the bar in her Uncle Phil’s pub, the Pig and Whistle.

He was still uncertain quite how she managed to affect that, but affect it she did and during the ten days working for her she had turned his life upside down and it culminated on Christmas Eve with him wishing her a Merry Christmas at closing time and kissing her.

Judging by the way Holly responded Steve hoped that kiss on Christmas Eve might have been the start of something but alas for him it didn’t lead anywhere.

Holly had indeed responded to his advance and in fact had been hoping for it, but she knew it was far too soon to throw caution to the wind.

There were scabs as yet unpicked regarding Steve Berry that needed to be attended to before she completely let down her guard.

Holly considered him to be a work in progress and she thought he had potential, but he still needed work however there was certainly hope for him.

 

The other event that occurred on Christmas Eve was a prolonged snowfall which resulted in them being snowed in.

Holly was due to go to lunch at her cousin’s house on Christmas Day but as she lived 30 miles away and it was not possible to make the journey safely with the amount of snow that was laying.

Steve was due to spend the day alone not celebrating Christmas at all, but Holly invited him to spend the day with her instead as he hadn’t risked driving home the night before.

He would have been quite happy to have slept on one of the bench seats in the lounge bar as he had once before, but Holly insisted, he use the spare room.

So that was how Steve Berry came to celebrate his first ever Christmas and why he was sitting at the bar on Christmas morning nursing a cup of coffee in the same clothes he had been wearing the night before.

“Morning” he said as she appeared behind the bar

“Happy Christmas” Holly said and reached over and kissed his cheek.

Now it was not the kiss he was hoping for and it was not possessed of the passion that accompanied the embrace of the night before but that simple peck on the cheek held within it, hope.

“God its cold in here” she said

“Yes, there was a power cut during the night, and it knocked the boiler out” he said

“I’ve relit it, but it’ll take a while to warm up”

“This was not the Christmas day I had in mind” Holly said putting the collar of her dressing gown up

“Nor me” he added

She was supposed to be dining on a sumptuous feast at her cousin’s house, while he was supposed to be in self-imposed exile at his flat.

“Do you want a drink?” he asked

“Oh yes please” she replied, and Steve got up and went to the kitchen returning a few minutes later with a steaming mug of tea

“Thanks hon” she said and winced at her involuntary over familiarization and quickly went on

“I don’t know what we are going to eat today” Holly said

“We will need to ferret in the freezer”

“I didn’t know ferret was traditional Christmas fare” Steve said

“You know what I mean” she said, “Can you cook?”

“A bit” he replied

“Good because I’m rubbish” Holly admitted

Steve actually undersold himself when he said he could cook a bit, he could in fact cook very well, exceptionally well.

 

Steve not being a traditionalist, or a fan of the season could certainly make something out of what was on hand in the kitchen.

Holly however wanted to have a roast lunch, with all the trimmings, but after they checked the freezer, they had to rule out a roast dinner as the joints would never have defrosted in time, but there were alternatives.

The fresh vegetable stores were limited but more than sufficient for two people.

Although she couldn’t cook herself Holly was determined to help firstly by peeling the potatoes and carrots and then by getting out of his way so he could get on by taking herself off upstairs to get ready for the day.

 

While Holly was gone Steve finished preparing the food and he was pleased that he had achieved something to suit Holly’s traditional wishes at least in part.

He had just reached the point where he could safely leave the kitchen and get showered and shaved when Holly reappeared, and he was stopped in his tracks.

She looked stunning, her mousy hair, washed and styled was adorned with Christmas slides and she was wearing a white wool dress decorated with poinsettias.

And her shapely legs were covered by black tights with motifs of bows and parcels.

As he looked at her, he thought to himself that he’d like them to be stockings rather than tights, but nice legs were nice legs regardless of what they were sheathed in.

“Wow” Steve exclaimed

“Wow” he repeated, and Holly blushed

“It’s a Christmas dress you know” she said

“I don’t care” he said

“But you don’t like Christmas”

“It’s growing on me”

“Good” she said “you won’t mind wearing this then”

“When would he ever learn” He asked himself as he now had to wear another blessed Christmas sweater.

“Where do you keep getting them from?” he asked

“They’re Uncle Phil’s” she replied “I buy him one every year”

“I’ve never seen Phil in a Christmas jumper” Steve said

“No nor have I” Holly agreed

 

Steve went upstairs, showered, and shaved, and returned to find Holly had laid a table in the lounge bar, complete with festive serviettes, candles, party poppers and crackers.

On the CD player the Puppini Sisters were in full voice and his natural aversion to Christmas music was tempered by the fact he caught Holly singing and dancing along with the music.

He stayed out of sight in the doorway so he could enjoy the spectacle as long as possible but when she eventually became aware of him, she blushed redder than the poinsettias on her dress.

“How long have you been standing there?” she said suddenly flustered and began fussing with the table.

“Long enough” Steve replied

“You should have said something” Holly said as she headed towards the kitchen

“What and spoil the show” he replied as he followed close behind

 

Holly carried on with the table while Steve checked the oven and ten minutes later, he was transferring everything to serving dishes which Holly took to the table.

All he had left to do was make the gravy and get the Yorkshire puddings out of the oven.

Christmas dinner was as traditional as he could manage given the limits of the provisions available.

It was Holly’s turn to say “Wow” as he served Chicken breast wrapped in bacon, served with Roast potatoes, roast parsnips, carrots, peas, stuffing, and Yorkshire pudding.

“What no starters” Holly said tongue in cheek as she lit the candles and Steve opened the wine, then they pulled the crackers and she made him wear a paper hat.

For dessert he served apple pie and ice cream after which they watched the Queens speech and as soon as the speech was over Holly switched off the TV

“What now?” he asked

“Now we sit and talk” She replied

“You mean “talk?”” Steve said

“Yes”

“Do we have to” He said

“How are we supposed to learn about each other if we don’t talk?”

Holly replied

“So, what do you want to know?” he said resignedly

“Your childhood” Holly said with great interest

“What about it?” he replied

“Well, it’s not just Christmas that was unhappy was it?”

“No, it wasn’t” he replied, and Holly settled back to let him unburden himself

“It wasn’t just Christmas, it was Easter, Halloween, birthdays and New Year’s” he elaborated and paused to take a drink

“You see my parents were alcoholics, when I was young they managed to somehow keep it under control but once I got to school age I pretty much raised myself, which is how I came to learn to cook because if I didn’t cook I didn’t eat”

They had spent a very pleasant Christmas day together, snowed in at the pub, and the last thing he wanted to do was regurgitate the unpleasant moments of his life, particularly as he had been doing his best to forget them, but once he started he couldn’t stop and by the end of it he was exhausted as they sat in the gathering darkness.

Holly was largely quiet throughout and just added the odd word of encouragement and support.

But it was Holly who broke the short period of silence.

“How do you feel?”

“Surprisingly good” he responded

 

Despite his feeling unburdened there was an awkward silence, so Steve disappeared down to the kitchen to make them a snack.

He wondered if he should have held back and if he had unnerved Holly with his honesty.

When he had finished with the snack, he put it on a tray and carried it upstairs to the lounge where Holly greeted his arrival with a smile.

 

“God that was good” Holly said after consuming his offering with relish

“Every cloud has a silver lining” he said referring to the reason he learned to cook,

“There is always a positive” Holly said “you just have to look for it”

“Well that’s what I plan to do” he said and cleared the plates away

“I’ll pour us another drink” He said

 

When he returned, she was sitting with a Christmas present on her lap and she was smiling broadly.

“Happy Christmas” she said as she handed him the gift

“What’s this?” he asked

“Well open it and find out” Holly answered

“I wasn’t expecting a present” he said

Steve sat down and squeezed the package

“Oh no not another Christmas sweater” he said, and Holly giggled as he tore the paper open, but when he had removed all the paper and unfolded its contents, he saw it was indeed a sweater but not a novelty Christmas garment but was plain blue cashmere.

“That’s fantastic” he said enthusiastically “I love it 

“Try it on then” Holly insisted and stood up and took hold of the blue cashmere while Steve removed the Christmas jumper he was wearing and then they swapped.

As Steve pulled the cashmere over his head Holly held the novelty one, he had just removed, up to her nose and inhaled his scent.

“That looks great” she said when it was on

“It feels it” he said, “can I keep it on?”

“Yes” she said and held the other one to her breast

He walked over to the tree and plunged his hand in between the branches which was perhaps testament to the progress that he had made over such a short period of time that he had actually bought her a present, which he removed from its hiding place and said

“Happy Christmas”

“When did you put that there?” she asked

“This morning” Steve replied

Holly ripped the paper off like a mad woman until she was left with a little blue presentation box embossed with gold relief. 

She looked at it in wide eyed wonder, it was jewelry, and from a quality jeweler.

She took a deep breath and then opened it and she gasped.

“It’s lovely” she said as she took it out the box and held the gold pendant in her hand.

It was in the shape of a holly leaf with her name engraved on it.

“I love it” she said “put it on for me”

Steve took the pendant from her and when Holly turned her back to him, she reached back and scooped her hair out of the way while he fastened it, then she rushed over to the mirror, stood on her tiptoes and looked at herself and admired the pendant.

“I really love it” Holly said and let out a squeal and then for the second day running they ended the day with a passionate kiss.

CHRISTMAS LINDA PART 2 - ONE SPECIAL NIGHT

 

I found myself stranded in a strange town

With less than a week to go before Christmas

Stranded two hundred miles from home

With a seriously ill car in the garage

And a lack of will to contemplate train travel

In truth I was in no hurry to return home

To the empty soulless house that once was home

But now held no comfort for me

My wife of twenty-five years had died a year before

Finally losing her battle with cancer

And my children were all grown up now

With homes and families of their own

The house would be full at Christmas

Full of noise and hustle and bustle,

And the usual mix of love, laughter, and tears

But for now, it was cold and empty

So, I booked into a hotel for the weekend

And I would drive home on Monday

So, finding myself in a strange town

Just a few days before Christmas

And with more than a little time to kill

I decided I could fill part of my day

By doing some last-minute Christmas shopping

As I stepped out of the Hotel I shivered

The day was cold, grey and damp

And clouds scudded across the December sky

It was the kind of day that chilled you to the bone

I made my way towards the high street

It was only a five-minute walk

The receptionist assured me with a smile

As she jotted down some brief directions

In an effort to warm myself up

I walked briskly following her directions

Down the narrow almost Dickensian lanes and ally ways

Passing picturesque Victorian and Tudor buildings, well mock Tudor

As I went and it was indeed five minutes when I emerged

Onto the busy cobbled pedestrianized high street

It was a curious mixture of ancient and modern

At one end of the street a Norman church was visible

And at the other was what appeared to be a municipal building

With rather pretentious Georgian columns

There was still evidence of a row of Edwardian shop fronts

But much of the street was modern

With a little too much sixties influence to be easy on the eye

The street was criss-crossed along the full length

With festive lights and decorations

Which did their best to brighten the scene

I decided to familiarize myself with what the town had to offer

In the way of shops so I turned left and joined the throng of shoppers

Faces gloomy to match the weather

And headed towards the Georgian pillared building

This turned out to be the public library

As I dodged between the Christmas Lemmings

I made a mental note of shops I would return to

My progress was hampered by erratic shoppers

Who moved it appeared independently to any logic

Some seemed to zigzag everywhere and very few possessed

The ability to walk in a straight line for more than a few paces

And others would take a few steps then stop for no apparent reason

Then after a few moments pause carry on normally in the same direction

The sound of cheery Christmas songs and carols

Could be heard from every shop I passed

Though the cheeriness of the music

Was clearly not reflected on the faces

Of the shoppers going in and out of them

As I passed one shop Noddy Holder screamed “it’s Christmas”

Just in case any of the reluctant shoppers were in any doubt

When I reached the other end of the high street

Where the church stood there was a little square

Which I wasn’t able to see before

In the centre of which was the war memorial

And to its left was a magnificent Christmas tree

Covered in baubles and adorned by a beautiful angel

Assembled around the tree was the Salvation Army band

I took a few moments to admire the tree and listen to the band

And I was taken back to a distant time and place

The clock chimed and I was brought back to the present

I took a few more moments while I decided on my first port of call

Not realizing just how important a decision it was

I decided on Woolworths, always a favorite of mine at Christmas

But it also happened to be the closest

So, I walked towards the store and pushed open the door

As I entered, I paused to hold the door open for a woman coming the other way

I waited as she put her purse away into a huge handbag

And I wondered what I would get for my trouble

I had found the older I got the less women appreciated courtesy

The simple act of holding open a door could provoke a range of responses

A smile, a thank you, a nod, a sneer, a tut or a colorful mouth full of abuse

And you couldn’t always tell who was going to do what

When she had finished fiddling and securing her bag

She moved to step through the open door

As she passed me, she looked up said “Thank you” and smiled broadly

And then she stopped as I returned her smile and then I just stood there

Both of us stood motionless as slowly the recognition set in

We both stood there dumbstruck not believing our eyes

I’m not sure how long for but long enough for a queue to form behind each of us

We both blushed and excused ourselves

And stepped out onto the street away from the door

Neither of us knew what to say I couldn’t believe it was Linda

Who I last saw 30 years before being driven off in a taxi

Disappearing off through the snow

With her palm pressed against the glass her neck craned to keep sight of me

And here she stood before me as beautiful as ever she was

The soft curls of her brown hair still danced on her shoulders

Yet with fine strands of silver threaded thru it

Her smile was still able to melt my heart even after all those years

Her smiling eyes still had the same sparkle

The years had been kind to her and too me much less so

I was still fumbling for the words to say as I studied her

When she reached up and hugged my neck

Kissing my cheek at the same time

And spoke softly in my ear “Paul, Is it really you?”

I simply said yes, and we stood in that long comfortable embrace

I don’t know how long we stood there not wanting to let go

Then as she relaxed her grip and I kissed her forehead

“It’s so good to see you” I said feebly

She put her head on my chest, squeezed me and sighed

Then released her grip and pulled away slightly

And put her hand up to my cheek and caressed my grey beard

“Do you have time for coffee”? She said almost pleadingly

I said of course and she put her arm through mine and led me across the high street

Asking quick fire questions as we went

And I explained about my car breaking down

And that I was staying at the Cromwell hotel

She said “oh really” and “oh dear” delighting in my misfortune

We sat on a large comfortable sofa in Starbucks

And told the tales of our lives spent apart

Throughout I looked at her with adoring eyes

Pinching myself expecting to awake from a dream

As I had done so very may times before

I told her about my wife and children

She told me of her marriage and subsequent divorce

The good man I gave her up for turned out to be a violent drunk

She had no children which although unsaid was clearly a regret

With the aid of several cups of coffee we managed to talk away the entire morning

I suggested we might spend the day together

And have dinner together at the hotel

She accepted the invitation to dinner with a delightful smile

Then she looked at her watch and suddenly jumped up

“Look at the time, I have to go” she flustered

She said she had a prior commitment

“Lunch with mum” she said rather unconvincingly

She said it was something she couldn’t get out of

As I helped her back into her coat the smell of her hair

Evoked memories of our past embraces

She fished out her mobile phone as we left the coffee shop

From her huge handbag and we exchanged phone numbers

And we firmed up the details for the evening

Then with a hug and a kiss she was off

I stood and watched her walk away her coat tails swishing behind her

She stopped briefly and turned to give me a smile and a wave

Then with the phone to her ear she hurried off again talking animatedly

I stood watching until she disappeared from sight

Then I went back to my Christmas shopping

And treated myself to a new shirt for the evening

I bought the gifts I was looking for and paper, tags, cards etc

And with all my shopping complete I returned to the hotel for lunch

The rest of the day seemed intolerably long

In an effort to kill some time I went for a swim

Used the gym, went for a walk

I got a haircut even though I didn’t need one

I even wrapped the Christmas presents I had bought

But the time passed so interminably slowly

I walked into the hotel bar at 7 o’clock an hour early

Partly for some Dutch courage and in part because I had run out of things to do

I ordered a drink and then sat at the bar

Even though I wasn’t expecting her until eight

Every time the door opened I turned to look for her

And when it wasn’t her self doubt crept in

And with every false alarm the doubts got worse

What if she doesn’t come?

What if she changed her mind?

What if she never intended to come?

What if? What if? What if?

Then at a quarter to the hour the door opened and there she was

There she stood wearing a simple black knee length dress

Black tights or stockings and four-inch stiletto shoes

Her legs as shapely as I remembered them

And in one hand she held a black leather clutch bag

Her face looked a little anxious until I stood up

And then it lit up in the most radiant smile

Then she walked towards me

Almost tottering on her heels and she laughed

I took her hand as she climbed onto a stool

And kissed her cheek the fragrance of her perfume was intoxicating

Going straight to my head like a strong spirit

The combination of her scent and my desire for her almost made me swoon

I ordered her a drink and we nervously made small talk

Like two strangers on a blind date

Until the waitress led us through to the restaurant

Once we were seated at our table

I asked her how her lunch with mum went

And she blushed the deepest red

She told me the lunch date was a little white lie

Because she needed the afternoon to get ready

And the animated phone call was to her sister

To rally the troops to get her presentable

We both laughed and any awkwardness was gone

We talked with such an easy familiarity

As if her departing taxi had only been a week ago

By the time we had finished our coffee the restaurant was empty

Except for us and a weary waitress waiting to clear our table

The evening seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye

And had all too soon come to an end

We got up and made our apologies

Linda went through the door to the ladies and I settled the bill

I said good night and had made my apologies again

Then went in search of Linda through the same door she had used

I found her standing by the Christmas tree

She had retrieved her coat and scarf from the cloakroom

Which were draped over one arm her bag was in her hand

Linda stood with her back to me gazing out of the window

She could see my reflection in the glass and smiled

I gasped at the beauty of her and pinched myself again

I wanted to kiss her so much but I was afraid 

Afraid to break the magic of that special kiss

That perfect moment when we kissed in the snow

All those years ago when I let her slip from my grasp

For 30 years I had revered that moment

Relived it whenever I felt a snowflake on my skin

Or stood in a taxi queue on a winter’s night

Or when I hear the Salvation Army play

Or when the snow falls during Christmas time

For 30 years I had wanted to be back there holding her in the snow

And here I stood a few steps away and I was hesitant

As if sensing my turmoil, she turned away from the window

And I took those few steps to face her

We stood for a few moments just looking at each other

Then she smiled her most heart melting smile  

As she caressed my cheek then she pulled me to her

And kissed me gently on the lips, a tender and sensitive kiss

When our lips met electricity ran down my spine

And it was as if we were young again

Our lips parted for a second then met again

And her kiss became more intense, more passionate

Her coat, scarf and bag fell to the floor as our arms enveloped each other

We stood locked in our passionate embrace as the tree lights twinkled

Then she pulled away for a moment before burying her face in my neck

And spoke softly in my ear “you see that was as good as the first time”

How could I have doubted it would not be perfect?

I slid my fingers beneath her hair caressing her nape

And gently turned her head so I could kiss her sweet lips again

This time when we disengaged, she put her head on my chest

Still holding on to me so tightly

I kissed the top of her head and smelled her hair

I didn’t want to let her go, and then I said “please stay”

“I can’t watch you disappear from my life in another taxi”

She lifted her head and looked at me and said

“I’m not letting you go again, not now not ever”

Then she smiled at me coyly and blushed like a virgin

And buried her face in my chest again

Then she scooped up her coat, scarf and bag from the floor

Took my hand and we walked in silence to my room

Outside the room she looked into my eyes and kissed my mouth

Then I opened the door and let her walk inside

She dropped her coat and bag onto a chair and turned to face me

Reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck

And whispered in my ear “I never stopped loving you”

My arms enfolded her and pulled her to me tightly

Then we kissed at first soft and tender then more urgently

And I began to un-wrap my most special Christmas gift

Wrapped in lace and silk instead of paper and ribbon

Caressing her body from neck to Lacy stocking top

And our love was at last made absolute

When our act of love was complete and our dreams realized

We lay holding each other in the afterglow

Silently content until we drifted off to sleep

I awoke to find her stood silhouetted against the window

Gazing out wearing my shirt to cover her nakedness

She turned her head to me and said “it’s snowing”

I slipped out of bed joined her at the window

Standing behind her and enveloping her in my arms

We watched as the snow settled on the courtyard

She hugged my arms and said “How perfect is that”?

Both of us thinking back to the last time we enjoyed the snowfall together

We stood for a few minutes taking in the snowy scene

Then she inclined her head so I could kiss her

When my hands moved from her soft belly and cupped her breasts

She led me back to the bed and we made love again

I woke early and lay in the half light and held Linda’s sleeping form in my arms

As I lay there I thought how good the fates had been to us

If my car hadn’t broken down, and had I not rejected the idea of taking the train

I would not have been shopping on that cold grey morning

I thought about the moments I spent admiring that tree in the square

And listening to the Salvation Army band

And what thought processes made me do what I did

Was it destiny that I chose Woolworths at that very moment or just blind luck?

All I knew was that 24 hours before my life had been so empty

And now it was full and I was finally with my soul mate

Linda was in my life at last and I wanted her never to leave it again

But if fate decreed that this one special night

Was all we could have I would have to be content

I LOVE CHRISTMAS

 

I love Christmas when it comes around

The smells and tastes, the sights and sounds

I love the Christmassy Cinnamon smells

The Carol singers and chiming church bells

I love to see the advent candle burning

The excited faces all the children yearning

I love the gifts done up with ribbons and bows

And Red faced Santa’s calling ho ho ho

I love the merry songs about the season of Yule

And handmade decs brought home from school

I love trimming the tree with festive things

Like candy canes and popcorn strings

I love the twinkling of the Christmas lights

And the garlands hanging colourful and bright

But the thing that makes the season for me

Is kissing my love beside the Christmas tree

UNDER A BITTER SKY

 

Beneath the marbled skies

Of broken, fractured cloud

And the myriad of winter hues

Coloured with greys and blues

I waited in the bitter frosty air

Feeling the sting of winters bite

Until the moment I saw you

And warmed instantly by the view

Tales from the Finchbottom Vale – (60) Christmas Came Early

 

Twenty eight year old Paul Ingram was involved with an older woman, a forty year old woman to be precise, who was a beautiful unhappily married, soon to be divorced Carrington Chase educated woman, called Francesca Carrington-Webber.

Paul and Francesca both lived in the village of Forest Dean situated equidistant between Shallowfield and Childean, she lived in a huge house that backed onto the The Forest Ridge Golf Club, and coincidentally Paul worked for the Golf Club.

 

They became involved after three chance meetings, two on a train and the third more significant one was on the Promenade in Sharpington, where he came upon her small huddled figure on the bench ahead of him in some distress and after some tender moments of consolation lead to them making love in his caravan.

 

Since that night they had had a non-physical relationship and on the rare occasions that they managed to get to spend some time together they always made the most of it, sometimes they had to create opportunities and sometimes they just happened and sometimes one of them managed to surprise the other but the biggest surprise came on the Halloween weekend when she arrived at his caravan dressed as a witch and announced that not only was she divorcing her husband David but that she was staying the night.

 

But after that, on the rare occasions that they managed to get to spend the night together they always made the most of it, but most of the time they just stole a few hours here and there.

However in December, for a variety of reasons, several weeks had passed and they hadn’t been able to grab even a few minutes together.  

In fact the first time he had seen her in a fortnight was on the day when he had driven over to Abbottsford to do a bit of Christmas shopping, which was when he bumped into Francesca coming out of a very expensive lingerie shop, Silk and Lace, in the Phoenix Shopping Centre.

“Hello darling” she said and air kissed him and then she spotted him looking at the designer carrier bag she was carrying.

“No you can’t look at them” she replied to his unasked question

“Ok I don’t mind seeing them on you, if you insist” he offered

“You’re incorrigible,” she said

“Is that a maybe?” he asked

Unmoved she shook her head disappointedly.

“The chance would be a fine thing anyway” she said quietly

“Have you got time for a coffee?”

“I do” he replied

They went into the Espresso Phoenix coffee house, a really nice one, not one of the chains, and he ordered the drinks as Francesca sat in the corner.

When he joined her he asked

“How about Saturday?”

“For what?” she asked innocently

“To show me your new underwear” he said

“No” she replied

“Why not?” he asked,

“I have to go to a dinner party at Mornington Manor”

She replied “but I don’t really want to go”

He looked at her with puzzlement and then said

“So don’t go, and let me spend the night doing all those things to you that fill your imagination when you’re alone” 

That made her blush scarlet and avert her gaze but after a few moments she looked back at him and smiled.

“I have to go, I’m expected” she said but she reached under the table and held his hand

“But I want what you want”

“I understand” he said

“It will be soon though wont it?” she asked earnestly and held his hand tightly under the table.

“Yes” he replied

When they left the coffee house they air kissed and went their separate ways.

 

Paul was working all day Saturday, so he wasn’t able to get away to the caravan in Sharpington, as he normally would, so he was at home in his flat and spent Saturday night watching a movie and drinking wine but at some point he leant back against the cushions and promptly fell asleep.

He woke up just after eleven o’clock, and he only woke up then because he needed a pee, so he got up and attended to the matter in hand.

When he finished answering his call of nature he was decidedly peckish so he went to the kitchen and made himself a snack.

Paul then returned to his sofa, restarted the movie he had begun watching four hours earlier and sat eating cheese and biscuits’ as he watched Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood taking on the Nazis.

At the end of the film he was still wide-awake so he got up and chose another DVD off the shelf.

He was about a quarter of the way through “The Fifth Element” when he detected the tell-tale clip clop sound of a woman in high heels from outside in the corridor.

He glanced at the clock and thought it must be his neighbour Elaine arriving home from somewhere so he returned his attention back to the action.

A moment later there was a knock on the front door and he checked the clock again before he got up and walked out into the hall, he guessed that Elaine had locked herself out and was knocking for the spare key.

So he opened the door and to his surprise a rather tipsy Francesca almost fell through it.

“Hello Paulie” she said with a flourish.

Francesca was immaculately dressed as usual in a full length green halter necked designer evening dress and a lavish faux fur shrug.

“Wow” he said, “you look stunning”

“Bless you darling” she responded

“You had a nice time then” he said as he helped her into the house.

“I had a wonderful time” she exclaimed

She tottered a few steps then kicked off her shoes, which made her a little more stable on her feet, and then she quickly progressed into the lounge.

All the while talking nine to the dozen about how marvelous the evening was, who was there, what they ate, who said what, and to who.

“And plenty of wine” he asked as she plopped down on the sofa.

“I did,” she said smiling and giggling

“I’m glad you had fun” he said

“Me too” she said coyly

“Good” Paul said as he sat down next to her

“So what are you doing here then?”

“Well I saw your lights were still on from the taxi and I thought I’d come and tell you all about my evening” she explained.

“Why were you in a taxi?” he asked, “I thought you went there with the Conway’s”

“I did” Francesca said

“So why didn’t you come back with them?” he asked

“They left early” she said

“Could no one else give you a lift?” he asked

“David someone offered” she replied

“So why didn’t you accept?”

“What kind of a woman do you think I am? I couldn’t get in a car with a complete stranger” she said affronted

“You weren’t that discerning with me” he said 

“That’s different” she said “with you it doesn’t really count because you’re such a tart”

The statement caused her to roar with laughter to such an extent that she ended up collapsing in a heap with her head and shoulders on his lap.

“You’re my bit of rough” she said and then she disintegrated into laughter again.

“So you decided not to have David drive you home” he said

“It would have been cruel to tantalize him with my gorgeousness for the whole journey only to dash his hopes” she said

This bought about another burst of laughter and when she eventually composed herself she was laying at full stretch on her back looking up at Paul

“Do you still think I’m gorgeous?” she asked, regally draped before him.

“Quite gorgeous” he conceded

“Well quite gorgeous won’t get you a look at the new underwear I bought in Abbottsford the other day” she said

“I bet it does,” he said as he slowly moved his right hand, which had been resting on her chuckling belly, up to caress the roundness of her breast.

“Well maybe” Francesca murmured as she tipped her head back and closed her eyes and then he began tickling her and she was giggling so much she could barely breathe and Francesca wriggled and squirmed beneath his gaze.

But when she got control, Francesca suddenly sat bolt upright and she squealed frantically

“Ok, I’ll let you see my knickers”

And then she pulled herself up so she was seated on his lap and kissed him, he loved kissing her, he thought she was such a great kisser, the best in his experience.

The quality of a kiss is difficult to define and it is like many other things of a sexual nature, which is dependent on the perspective of the participants.

With kissing it can be the thickness of the lips, the width of the mouth, the size of the tongue, the size of the oral cavity and the amount of saliva produced.

For Paul, Francesca scored highly on every criterion and as she kissed him, he thought he had died and gone to heaven.

 

Once they had finished she stood up and looked at him smugly and then took hold of his hand and she said.

“Now come and enjoy my gorgeousness”

Paul got to his feet and they kissed again and then he said

“Just one question before your deliciousness distracts me”

“What’s that darling” she retorted

“How are we going to get you out of here in the morning dressed like that, without anyone noticing?” Paul said

“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it darling” She purred

“I just might have to stay here with you all day, until I can leave again under the cover of darkness”

“That sounds like a wonderful plan” Paul said and walked her towards the bedroom and took Francesca off to bed and let her take him to paradise.

 

Christmas came early for Paul and Francesca as she did indeed stay with him until after dark on Sunday afternoon.

She would have stayed longer but she had to get back for the girls.

Getting her out of the flat unnoticed was less of a problem than either of them anticipated as he had a draw full of his sisters clothes in the spare room and they fitted his lover well enough and as he walked her home across the golf course they were aided in their stealth by some well-timed freezing fog.