Downshire Diary – (40) In an English Country Garden

 

The village of Brocklington was on the River Brooke about six miles downstream from Sharping St Mary in the Finchbottom Vale which was nestled comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, those who are lucky enough to live there think of it as the rose between two thorns.

The Vale was once a great wetland that centuries earlier stretched from Mornington in the East to Childean in the west and from Shallowfield in the south to Purplemere in the north.

But over the many centuries the vast majority had been drained for agriculture, a feat achieved largely by the efforts of famous Mornington Mills, of which only three had survived to the present day and even those were no longer functional and were in various states of repair.  

There were only three small bodies of water left in the Vale now one in Mornington, one in Childean and third of course was Purplemere.

 

One of the newest inhabitants of Brocklington was a Purplemere native, Sam Townsend, who had moved to the village to live with his widowed sister Ruth and her two children Olivia and Cecily.

Ruth was five year older than her brother and was a few months short of her milestone 30th birthday. 

They were unmistakably siblings with their dark curly hair and green eyes.

Sam wore his hair collar length while Ruth’s tumbled lavishly onto her shoulders.

She was originally from Purplemere but her husband Jack was Brocklington born and bred and when they married she moved into his house and they raised their family and they were very happy and content.

They met while at University and married when they graduated and they were married and a year later the twins were born.

Jack Martin was 33 years old and by profession was a gamekeeper,

when he died suddenly and tragically of anaphylactic shock when he was on a charity bike ride and he was stung by a single bee.

 

His death came completely out of the blue and left her high and dry, with the only bread winner dead she struggled to make ends meet and very soon went through what little savings they had and because she was originally from Purplemere and living in Brocklington she was a long way from her support network.

Which was why her brother Sam moved in with her, he still worked in Purplemere and travelled back and forth to work by train and in the evenings and he babysat the girls while Ruth worked behind the bar at the Mulberry Tree and thanks to Sam stepping into the breach Ruth was able to get her finance’s back in the black.

He became a vital part of the household and Olivia and Cecily loved their uncle Sam but far apart from his babysitting duties he also regularly took the girls to school in the morning and often picked them up when they did after school clubs, the school had a breakfast club and an after school as well as clubs during the summer holidays, when Sam’s involvement would lead to some confusion later.

 

Glyn Tucker was the newly appointed Deputy Head Teacher of St Cuthbert’s School, which was only the second school he had taught at in the whole of his professional life.

 

He had previously lived and worked in Northchapel which was a much larger and more challenging location but he didn’t move to Brocklington because of that.

 

Since July, 31 year old Glyn Tucker, was a resident of Brocklington where he lived alone, though that wasn’t always the case in Northchapel.

He had been married, he still was married for that matter, but not for much longer.

He had been separated from his wife Brenda for two years at her suggestion and he was still angry about it.

It had come completely out of the blue, he loved the very bones of her and he thought she felt the same about him but he was clearly mistaken because she left him, and children were at the root of “irreconcilable differences”.

And his abandonment became the second great sadness of his life.

The first one being his inability to father a child which eventually led to the second.

Brenda saw her husband’s inability to get her pregnant as a personal slight which diminished her as a woman.

Glyn pointed out to her that there were other options like fertility treatment or adoption, but she refused point blank even to consider adoption as that would undermine her even further and to even suggest that she participate in IVF was an insult to her and how dare he suggest that she humiliate herself. 

So she left him and her vehemence and anger rang in his ears for days after.

Although she spoke of separation as she packed her bags, after the angry outburst he knew that it was only ever going to end in divorce.

Even in the unlikely event that she wanted to return he could never forgive her aggressive behaviour or the things she said to him, demeaning and belittling him. 

 

So as soon as he realized that the writing was on the wall he made the decision to start afresh somewhere new and started looking around for a new position and couldn’t believe his luck when he heard about the vacancy at St Cuthbert’s School which not only catered for students from years 1 to 6 which just happened to be what he was looking for but the Head teacher Sophie Welby was a very good friend of his and she was able to persuade the governor’s to offer him the Deputy Head’s position.

 

He soon fell in love with Brocklington and St Cuthbert’s School and the children in it and they would love him back.

He was also accepted by the people in the village and he had made many new friendships inside and outside of the Church.

He also found that he had fallen in love with one of the villagers when he became a regular at the Mulberry Tree.

 

His last day at his old school was the 19th July and on the 20th Glyn Tucker moved to Brocklington, and he quickly settled into village life and on his first day he took a walk to the local hostelry to have a pint of Mornington Ale at the Mulberry Tree and that was when he saw her.

 

She was pulling a pint and sharing a joke with a regular, she was very attractive with her long curly dark hair tumbling over her shoulders, green eyes and a lovely smile and she had a tall and slender figure with nice long legs, though he would have had to admit she was fairly shapeless and her chest was as flat as a bowling green.

 

She had seen in her peripheral vision a man walk in wearing a t-shirt and shorts and then he stood at the end of the bar but it wasn’t until she had finished serving one of her regulars that she actually got a good look at him.

He wasn’t a big man, 5’ 9” at most and quite wiry, with skinny legs that made his baggy shorts look even baggier, but he stretched himself up to his maximum height to greet her approach and he brushed his Sandy coloured hair off his forehead and smiled.

His craggy features and tanned skin made him look older than his thirty three years but not drastically so.

But Ruth liked what she saw.

“Hello” she said “what can I get you?”

“Hi, a pint of Mornington please” he replied

“I haven’t seen you in here before” she remarked as she pulled his pint

“No I only moved here today” he replied “I’m Glyn”

“Pleased to meet you Glyn” she said “I’m Ruth”

She finished pulling his pint, and they exchanged pleasantries while he paid and then he went and sat down, which was a decision he immediately regretted as he could no longer stare at her legs.

He was rather taken with her eyes as well, which were the most stunning green, and a lovely smile which he could still see.

 

As he walked home that evening he surprised himself somewhat with his appreciation of the barmaid because he hadnt looked at anyone in that way since his separation from his wife and then said

“Nothing will come of it”

But he was in the pub the next evening however, but it was a really busy night, the pub was packed and the place was really buzzing in fact the landlord regretted not putting more staff on, and so did Ruth.

The large attendance was as a result of a quiz night which was obviously very popular.

He stayed for two drinks, but she didn’t serve him either time.

 

The next day he took himself along to St Cuthbert’s School because he had agreed to help out at the summer holiday club, which was when he first met Olivia and Cecily Townsend Martin when their Uncle Sam dropped them off

All the teaching staff devoted some of their time to the Holiday Club, in a supervisory capacity only, as most of the activities were run by students from the village.

And although he didn’t technically start at the school until September he volunteered to help out for two or three days a week as and when he was needed and that evening he was back at the Mulberry Tree.

 

Although he didn’t technically start at the school until September he volunteered to help out for two or three days a week as and when he was needed and that evening he was back at the Mulberry Tree.

He decided to go in earlier in the evening in the hope that it wasn’t too busy and he might get to engage Ruth in conversation and so he walked in and walked straight up to the bar and she wasn’t there because it was her night off.

But he didn’t know that so he had a pint and went home.

 

Over the weekend he was working around the house, DIY, painting and decorating and at the end of each day he was so knackered he didn’t bother going for a drink.

The following week he spent Monday to Wednesday supervising at the Holiday Club and each evening finishing the decorating and Thursday and Friday ferrying all his worldly goods from Northchapel with the help of his mate Danny and a hire van.

 

On Friday morning a small DIY Van Hire vehicle pulled up in Riverview Road outside number 24 and two men climbed out and went to the back and opened the doors.

At the same time Ruth, who saw the van pull up, was walking home after dropping the girls at Club.

As she was about level with the open door a figure suddenly jumped out and made her jump out of her skin.

“Oh God” she exclaimed “You almost gave me a heart attack”

“I’m so sorry” Glyn said and then recognized who it was he had almost frightened to death

“Oh hello Ruth” he said

“I’m sorry I startled you”

“Oh that’s ok” She said and laughed

“I haven’t seen you in the pub all week”

“No I’ve been decorating before I moved the last of my stuff in and by the evenings all I have the energy for is dozing off in front of the TV” he admitted

“Oh that’s a shame” she said and blushed lightly

“Where does this one go Glyn?” a man asked

“Bedroom two” he replied and then thought he should introduce his best friend to the woman he had been talking about all the way over from Northchapel.

“Danny this is Ruth, who I was telling you about” he said

“Ruth this is my best mate Danny”

“Pleased to meet you” Ruth said and offered her hand

“Likewise” he said and was about to shake her hand but realized just in time that they were dirty.

After avoiding dirtying her hand Danny carried the box into the house and Ruth said

“I’ll leave you to it

“Oh ok” he said “Bye”

He watched as she walked away before picking up another box and following Danny into the house.

“That’s was a shame” he thought to himself 

He was enjoying their little chat and he would have liked to have invited her in for coffee, maybe another time.

He wasn’t certain sure, due to his being out of practice with the opposite sex, but he thought there was definitely some flirting.

 

At the end of the day, with everything from the old house moved Glyn took Danny to the Mulberry Tree for a pint but it was really busy by the time they got there so apart from admiring her legs and exchanging a smile or two it was a fruitless visit.

 

On Saturday and Sunday Glyn and Danny were in the formers old house cleaning and decorating as it was being listed with the estate Agents after the weekend and his absence had been noted by Ruth who had passed by his house on her way to work and noticed it was uninhabited.

 

On Monday he was back in Brocklington and on duty at School Club when Sam dropped Olivia and Cecily off and he was looking forward to seeing Ruth again, at the pub that evening.

He decided to go in earlier in the evening in the hope that it wasn’t too busy and he might get to engage her in conversation and so he walked in and walked straight up to the bar and she was there immediately to greet him.

“Hello” she said “Glyn”

“Hi Ruth”

“A pint of Mornington?” she asked

“Yes please”

Once she had delivered him his pint he decided not to go and sit down at a table but instead he pulled up a stool and sat at the bar so he could continue to admire her legs.

Which proved to be exactly the right decision as she spent prolonged periods of the time chatting with him.

“So what brought you to the village?” she asked, he didn’t particularly want to go into all the details of his failed marriage so he just replied

“Work”

“Oh really, what do you do?” she asked

“I’m the new deputy head at St Cuthbert’s” he said “And I have been helping out at the Holiday club, in between everything else”

“Really?”

“Yes” he replied “it’s been fun”

“Then you must have met my….” She began but was drowned out by a rowdy group who appeared nosily at the bar and she had to go a serve them.

 

When she had finished with the rowdies she returned her attention to Glyn, the fact that she was about to tell him about her twin daughters had gone right out of her head and the conversation became more general and lasted pretty much the whole evening.

Of course what he wanted to do was ask her out so he could take her out for dinner but he was so out of practice he didn’t know what to say and even in his dating days he wasn’t particularly good at it.

 

The last bell rang and he knew it was now or never so he took a deep breath and steeled himself and said

“I was wondering if, sometime, maybe, but feel free to say no, you had a free evening, we might, possibly…”

“I’d love to” she said putting him out of his misery

“You would?”

“Yes”

“Great, when are…”

“I’m not working at all on Friday” she said and wrote her number on a beer mat

“Friday it is” he said “Goodnight”    

 

On Friday morning Glyn Tucker was on duty at the Holiday Club and was there about half an hour before Sam dropped Olivia and Cecily off and he spent the whole morning looking forward to seeing Ruth again, when he was taking her out for dinner that evening.

 

Holiday Club was open for morning and afternoon sessions and parents could pick and choose which sessions they needed in order to make it the most cost effective for them, so just before lunch Glyn positioned himself by the gate to supervise the children being collected by their parents.

He had only been there for a few minutes when he spotted Ruth approaching which lifted his spirits, but then Olivia and Cecily ran out through the gate towards her 

“Mum, Mum” they cried

“Look what we’ve made”

“Wow” she said in response

“They called her mum” he said to himself “I must have misheard

“Do you like it mum?” Olivia asked

“Yes I do poppet” she replied

“No apparently I didn’t mishear” he thought “I knew she was too good to be true”

He was totally deflated, the first time he let his guard down since his separation and he picks a married woman, well that was not acceptable, and he did not behave that way.  

“I’m looking forward to tonight” Ruth whispered and smiled

“I’m afraid I can’t make it” he said “Somethings come up”

“Oh! Ok another time then” she said disappointedly

“Yes another time” he lied

 

The twins chattered away incessantly but Ruth was very quiet on the walk home, she just couldn’t understand why Glyn had been so cold, she had clearly misjudged him, it had to be because she had kids, she couldn’t think of any other reason why he would behave like that.

 

Glyn was convinced he had misjudged her, he had looked at her hand when she delivered his pint the first time he met her and there was no ring, so not only was she married but she was deceitful as well.

Not that he had a problem with the fact she had children, they were lovely girls, but why didn’t she say anything.

 

He stayed on at school until after lunch and then walked slowly towards home and bumped into Sam coming out of Stephenson’s shop with a pretty black girl on his arm.

“My God they’re both at it” he thought “what kind of a half arsed marriage do they have”

“Hello Mr Tucker” Sam said

“Hello” he responded “Are you not spending the afternoon with your girls?”

“My girls?”

“Yes Olivia and Cecily” Glyn said

“They’re not my children” Sam said with a laugh

“They’re my nieces”

“What?” Glyn exclaimed

“I’m their uncle Sam, not their Dad” He explained

“Oh my God what have I done” he said and put his hands on his head “I’ve made a terrible mistake”

“Why what have you done?” Sam asked with concern

“Where’s Ruth? I must talk to Ruth” he said

“She’s at home” he replied “In the garden on a lounger knowing her”

“Great” Glyn said and ran off “I just hope I’m not too late

 

Once Glyn realised that Sam and Ruth were not husband and wife but were brother and sister he was desperate to find Ruth and try to redeem the situation.

The last time they spoke he was quite brusque because he thought she was a married woman.

They were supposed to be having dinner together but he brushed her off and he was afraid he may have burned his bridges with her.

 

The good news was that Ruth had the afternoon off and he had it on good authority that she was in her back garden, the bad news was he didn’t know what to say to her to repair the damage he had done.

He had liked her from the first moment he saw her and she had been the first woman to reignite his interest in the opposite sex since he separated from his wife.

It took him an age to summon up the courage to ask her out and he was thrilled when she said yes.

But then he hit the panic button when he jumped to the wrong conclusion which was why he traipsed around the village for an hour trying to compose himself.

 

It was a glorious day and very hot, when he reached over the top of the gate and opened the latch and swung open the back gate and walked in.

It was a nice garden, much nicer than his, but he supposed you get out of it what you put in, and Ruth had obviously put a lot in to hers while the previous resident in his house had kept the garden simply functional and had put absolutely nothing into it and no effort was expended whatsoever.

Ruth’s on the other hand, clearly loved her garden and loved working in it and the result was there for him to see a delightful English country garden.

He could see Ruth immediately as he walked in, she was on the deck lying on a sun lounger wearing a pink bikini.
She had her back to him and was lying on her side reading a magazine the curve of her hip to her waist was like a mountain slope and her dark curly hair was tied back to reveal her neck and shoulders.
She was up on the decking which was located at the bottom of the garden, which was a real suntrap.
The garden sloped from there back to the house and was landscaped to form four distinct steps the decking being the highest and the patio outside the lounge being the lowest.

The second tier was predominantly herbaceous planting and the third was laid to lawn.
Ruth’s eight year old twin daughters were jumping in and out and splashing around in a paddling pool on the lawned area of the third tier.

He still didn’t know what to say or how it would be received so he took a deep breath and walked up behind Ruth and said

“Hello Ruth” and she turned and looked over her shoulder at him.

 

He could see Ruth immediately as he walked in, she was on the deck lying on a sun lounger wearing a pink bikini.
She had her back to him and was lying on her side reading a magazine and her eight year old twin daughters were jumping in and out and splashing around in a paddling pool on the lawned area of the garden as he entered

He still didn’t know what to say or how it would be received so he took a deep breath and walked up behind Ruth and said

“Hello Ruth” and she turned and looked over her shoulder at him.

“At last” Ruth said with a smile

“What kept you?”

“Were you expecting me then?” he asked a little confused

“Of course” she replied and sat herself up

“But how?”

“Sam phoned me” she said “So what did keep you?”

“Well I’ve been walking around for an hour trying to find the right words to apologize for being an idiot” he explained

“Aww that’s really sweet” she said and stood up and walked towards him and kissed him

“Aren’t you worried the girls will see?” he asked

Ruth looked over the trellised fence that surrounded the deck, and down to where the girls were splashing around but even if they were looking they wouldn’t have been able to see them clearly.

“They can’t see us from there” she said and kissed him again  

“Are you sure?” he asked uneasily

“Positive” she said, and then they kissed again and then came the tell-tale chimes of the ice cream van playing "colonel bogey" in a nearby street, and nothing says come and get an ice-cream more than "Hitler has only got one ball".
Then suddenly the twins were running up the garden
"Ice cream. Ice cream" they called
"Ok just a minute kids" Ruth shouted to them a little breathless,
He dug around in his pocket and brought out two, two pound coins which he tossed over the herbaceous border and landed them expertly on the lawn a few feet from the girls.
“Thank you Mr Tucker” the twins chimed in unison "do you want one"

"No thanks" he shouted back
“What about Mum?”

“I want a snog” she said with a leer

“No mum’s fine” he replied

“Ok” they chorused and went off squealing excitedly

“No you can relax and snog me properly” she said licking her lips "the twins will be at least ten minutes"
“Am I forgiven then?” he said

“We’ll see” she replied and kissed him again

 

By the time the twins returned from their ice cream expedition Ruth had forgiven him and they were sitting on the patio drinking coffee and laughing at his misunderstanding.

“I have a confession to make” Ruth said

“Oh!”

“I thought the reason you went all cold earlier was because you found out I had children” she admitted

“No not at all” he asserted

“I’m glad” she said and smiled

“Girls!” he called

“Yes Mr Tucker”

“How would you like to go out for dinner tonight with your mum and me?” he asked

“Yes please!!!” they squealed and Ruth squeezed his hand.

Downshire Diary – (39) The Plumber’s Tale

 

The Finchbottom Vale is nestled comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, those who are lucky enough to live there think of it as the rose between two thorns.

The Vale was once a great wetland that centuries earlier stretched from Mornington in the East to Childean in the west and from Shallowfield in the south to Purplemere in the north.

But over the many centuries the vast majority had been drained for agriculture, a feat achieved largely by the efforts of famous Mornington Mills, of which only three had survived to the present day and even those were no longer functional and were in various states of repair.  

There were only three small bodies of water left in the Vale now one in Mornington, one in Childean and third of course was Purplemere which was to the north of the Vale, in the lee of Pepperstock Hills, lay the modest town of the same name.

On the western side of the town was the residential area known as Hill Side, and in one of its many quiet road, was the home of Pennant’s.

And it was the day before Dave Pennant’s 15th birthday when he first saw Louise Spry and he thought to himself

“That’s what I want for my birthday”

She was two year older than he was and as it turned out she was in the 6th form at the same school as him, but she was two classes above him in every other respect as well as age.

Dave had a half-brother, Andy, and Louise Spry was his new girlfriend.

“Lucky bastard” Dave thought to himself

Andy was two years older than him as well and they didn’t like each other very much, in fact they didn’t like each other at all.

They had nothing in common other than sharing a mother, they didn’t even share a surname, he was Pennant and Andy’s was Bates.

He was better at sports than Dave, he was more academic than Dave and he was better looking as well.

But not only did they not like each other it was a dislike that would stand the test of time for them both.

 

After Andy and Louise had been going out for a few weeks she started staying over at his house on Friday or Saturday night, sometimes both.

On the second or third occasion, which was a Friday night, when she arrived at the house she dumped her coat and hand bag on the hall table.

Well not so much a hand bag, it was actually more like a holdall, it was enormous, but the clasp on it was a bit iffy and as a result it was gaping open.

Which was how Dave spotted a splash of red in her bag as he walked down the stairs.

It aroused his curiosity somewhat so he decided it should be investigated and on closer inspection it turned out to be where she kept her clean underwear and the flash of red turned out to be a pair of red lace knickers adorned with little satin ribbons.

The effect on him was instantaneous and it was no longer just his curiosity that was aroused.

It had a profound effect on him and reinforced his feeling for his first crush.

 

Over the six months his despicable half-brother Andy and the lust of his life Louise were going out together Dave’s feelings for her deepened and that situation would doubtless have continued indefinitely but for the fact that his arsehole half-brother decided to play away with some skanky tart from behind the bar at the Crown and Anchor.

 

Dave couldn’t believe Andy had cheated on Louise with some sad old slapper when he had a quality bird like Louise at his side.

He was absolutely devastated when Andy broke up with Louise and the realisation sunk in that he wasn’t going to see her again.

He consoled himself with the fact that it wouldn’t have lasted much longer anyway as they both went off to University that September so his opportunities to see the lovely Louise at close quarters would have diminished anyway.

 

Dave was never the academic type so college and then University was never going to work for him so he left school the following year and managed with the help of his father to get an apprenticeship as a plumber at a big local firm called Drakes.

His parents were very supportive and they appreciated that he had his own path to follow and that path brought him his own relationships and his own lovers along the way, although they never quite measured up to Louise Spry, and it was when he started at Drakes that he met Mark Jordon and they instantly became best mates.

When they got talking they found that they had quite a lot in common, he also had a step sibling, although in his case it was a half-sister called Scarlet and he got on really well with her.

He was also the youngest of two and he sucked academically too, while Scarlet was brilliant and was going to sail through her degree and follow it with a Masters.  

 

Mark’s Dad, Danny, had bought an old wreck of a house just before he met Marks mum, Nicole, and it had always been very much a work in progress.

And although he had completed 90 percent of it he wouldn’t have really considered it finished until the extension was done, and more to the point nor would his wife.

So he had decided that 20 years on a project was more than enough so he decided to get Mark and Dave to help him as they were in their fourth year at Drakes, and there was plumbing to do.

The shell was up and the electrics and some of the plastering was done but as the two story extension was to house the new kitchen and bathroom he wanted the boys to help him with the plumbing.  

So on the Easter weekend Dave was staying in the spare room at the Jordan’s so they could get as much done over the holiday weekend as possible.

 

It was Good Friday and they were up early and Mark’s mum Nicole made them doorstep bacon butties for breakfast to give them a head start.

Nicole had poured herself a bath and they were just waiting for Scarlet to finish in the shower so they could turn the water off and drain the system down before they could crack on.

Danny and Mark then went off to the builders and plumbers merchants to buy some more materials so they wouldn’t have any holdups over the weekend, and they were all hoping to have a lazy Monday before they went back to work on Tuesday.

 

While Danny and Mark were out Dave started carrying stuff up to what was going to be the new bathroom.

The only access was via a ladder from the kitchen to be, they hadn’t cut the doorways through to the house yet to cut down on drafts as the winter was barely over.

There were one or two sizable holes where the old air vents used to be but other than that it was sealed.

When Dave had climbed the ladder and he was in the new bathroom he could tell Nicole was in the bath already as he could hear her through the wall splashing about in the tub.

He stacked the tools in the corner and was just about to head back down the ladder for another load when he heard someone open a door and step heavily onto the landing.

Dave knew it wasn’t Nicole as he could still hear her through the wall so he thought that it must be Mark’s elusive sister Scarlet, who he still hadn’t met at that point, so intrigued to finally lay eyes on her he thought he would look through the hole where the vent used to be and see what she looked like, Mark was always going on a about her, saying how perfect she was, so he thought he’d judge for himself just how special she was.

His first sight of her was as she walked into the toilet, she was only wearing a bra, pants and tights, and he assumed she must have been taken short before she’d finished dressing.

He had to admit that even from behind she looked pretty special.

It occurred to him to tell her there was no water to flush with but then she turned around and his jaw dropped, the semi naked girl was Louise Spry and the thought to alert her to the water shortage left his mind.

And by the time it returned she had closed and locked the toilet door,

It wasn’t an unusual occurrence as a plumber to happen upon naked or semi naked women, sometimes by accident and others by their own design, though when they wanted you to see, it wasn’t quite the same level of excitement.

But what Dave Pennant had seen walking half naked across the landing wasn’t just any girl, it was Louise Spry, the object of his lust, she was the Holy Grail of his desires.

It was only after she had reappeared through the bathroom door that he wondered why Louise Spry was in his best mates bathroom entertaining the plumber.

Shortly after his ponderings went unresolved he heard the front door close, so he hurried down the ladder but by the time he got outside all he could see was the back of Ford Fiesta disappearing through the gate. 

 

They worked really hard on the extension and so he didn’t get to see the illusive Louise Spry again until two days later on the afternoon of Easter Sunday.

They had taken a break from their labours and were sitting on the patio drinking tea and enjoying some of Nicole’s delicious fruit cake

“Hi Scarlet” Nicole said over Dave’s shoulder so he half turned around to look at her and he nearly choked.

“Hello” Louise replied

“This is…” Mark began

“I know you” she said “you’re David”

“That’s right” He replied “Dave, but I remember you as Louise”

Everyone laughed at Dave’s observation and then Mark explained

“Scarlet is a family name, Dad used to call her “Miss Scarlet” when she was little because she blushed all the time”

Dave smiled but what brought a smile to his lips was the thought of how much she would have blushed if she’d seen him watching her through the airbrick.

 

The next day they still hadn’t finished everything they had planned to do, despite the best efforts of all involved, and it was apparent that they wouldn’t even if they worked at it all day.

So Nicole prepared one of her cooked breakfasts, and they would have a leisurely start to the day and then get on and do a bit more, even Scarlet/Louise did a bit. 

But they had only been working for about two hours when Mark fell off the ladder in the extension and broke his arm.  

Danny and Nicole got him in the car ready to take the wounded soldier to A&E at The Royal Downshire Hospital. 

“I don’t want you working up there on your own Dave” Danny said

“Ok” Dave replied “I’ll just reconnect the water, and tidy up a bit”

“Thanks lad” he replied

“Text us” Dave suggested

“Will do” Danny said and drove off

Dave did as he had promised and Louise cleared the breakfast things and got the kitchen straight.

And despite not planning on doing a lot, another two hours had passed before he was stepping into the shower.

After he’d showered and dressed he packed his bag and went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a cold beer from the fridge.

It was while he was sat at the kitchen table drinking his second beer that Louise walked in.

“Hello Dave” she said

“Hi …” he began “Do I call you Louise or Scarlet?”

“Louise is fine” she replied as she poured herself a glass of wine.

They sat at the table for over an hour chatting about anything and everything and were both on drink number three when he said

“I’m flattered you remember me by the way”

“Oh I remember you very well” she said and he was rather pleased that he had made such an impression on her and then as she sat opposite him she continued

“You used to go through my hand bag when I stayed over at your house, looking at my knickers?”

“No I didn’t” he responded indignantly

“Oh yes you did” she contradicted

“So come on let’s hear you admit it”

“Oh ok” he said resignedly after five minutes of badgering “I did do it, but it was only one time”

“I know you did” she said very definitely

“But how did you know?” he asked

“Because I saw you do it” she said with a smile

“Oh”

“Yes I looked down over the bannisters and your hands were in my bag, but I didn’t see exactly what you were doing” she said “I thought perhaps you were looking for my fags”

“I see”

“But when I went to put my pants on the next morning I soon realised what you were really up to” she explained

“How come?”

“Well I always pack my knickers inside out, it’s one of my quirks, but when I went to put them on they were the right way round”

“Oh”

“So are you sure it was only once?” she asked “And before you answer remember that I know exactly how many times”

“Yes, just the once” he replied adamantly “but I was tempted”

“Ok I believe you” she said “I did only noticed the onetime”

“So why didn’t you say something?” he asked

“Because I was rather flattered” she said “and I thought it was quite sweet, endearing really, in a way”

“Really?” he asked doubtfully

“Yes” she replied “You were just a boy after all”

Dave sat silently fearing the next question

“So I have to ask, because I’ve always wondered” here it comes he thought

“Why?” she asked

“Do I have to answer that?” he asked

“Yes” she insisted

“Really?”

“Oh yes”

“Oh God this is embarrassing” he said

“Come on out with it” she urged

“Because I had a crush on you, big time, and they were just there” he said “and I couldn’t resist”

“You little perve” she said in mock horror “Did you do the same with his other girlfriends?”

“No I didn’t” he said with real horror “I’m not a pervert”

“Well you are a bit” she pointed out refilling her glass

“Well I’m not that kind of pervert then” he said

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure, I had no interest in his other girls” he said very definitely “I only had eyes for you”

“I thought you did” she admitted “I liked you too, but I was older and more sophisticated so it was never a possibility”

“Oh I didn’t realise you were sophisticated, I just thought you were hot” he said “Certainly too hot for me”

“Maybe then” she said and then Louise stood up and walked around the table and when she reached him she leaned down and kissed him

“Wow I’ve been wanting to do that since I was sixteen”

“Did that meet with your approval then?” She asked

“Oh yes” he said

“Come to think of it I’ve been waiting to do that since you were sixteen too” she mused

“You perve” he said and laughed “I was just a child”

“Really?” Louise said as she perched on his knee “Are you seriously going to call me a cradle snatching paedo or shall we just kiss again”

“Oh another kiss I think”

“Good choice” she said and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

For all those months when she was dating Andy he had dreamt of kissing her, but the reality far exceeded the dreaming.

 

As Louise sat on Dave’s lap in the kitchen of her parents’ house the kissing became increasingly passionate and soon moved on to another level and both of them tried to get in each other’s clothing with a more than modest amount of success.

But just when things were really hotting up he slipped out from beneath her, and then she plopped down hard on the chair.

“No don’t stop” she said

“I’m sorry but I have work tomorrow” he said and slipped on his jacket

“No don’t go” she pleaded and stood up and rubbed her buttock and then her jeans fell down to her knees and she tried to close the distance between them but her low slung jeans caused her to waddle which meant he could easily keep out of her reach and he sidestepped through the kitchen door and out into the hall and thus avoiding the sexy waddling Louise

“I’m sure I’ll see you again soon” he said over his shoulder

“Wait” she called after him

“Bye” he responded

Louise kicked off her jeans in frustration and they flew across the kitchen and landed half in the sink, and then she sprinted after him.

“Please don’t go” she said and tried to kiss him but he drew his head away out of the reach of her lips

“How do I know it’s not the wine talking?” he asked

“It’s not” she exclaimed “I promise”

“But you would say that wouldn’t you?” Dave said

“But it’s true” Louise insisted

“So you want to kiss me now then?” he said

“Very much” she said and Louise’s face cracked into a smile and then she blushed as she took a step forwards and their lips met again.

 

He kissed her forehead and left Louise sleeping beneath her Duvet and then walked home with a spring in his step and it suddenly occurred to him that he finally had something in common with his half-brother Andy other than their mother.

 

When the Jordan’s returned home from the hospital, with the wounded soldier with his arm in a cast, later that night to find the house in darkness they were none the wiser as to what had occurred in Nicole’s kitchen or Louise’s bedroom.

Her mum did query why her daughter’s jeans were half in and half out the kitchen sink but that was all.

They remained unaware of the couple’s ongoing sexual exploits for a further three months.

The two of them didn’t want to announce they were together until they knew for certain sure there was more to their relationship that the very satisfying sex, plus Dave was concerned that it might have affected his friendship with Mark when he found out he’d been sleeping with his perfect sister Scarlet.

When they were ready to tell, the news was greeted with all round approval and Mark said he was hoping they would get together.

 

Dave never told Louise he had seen her walk across the landing in her underwear when she was on the way to the toilet and despite the fact they married two years later, which pleased his best mate and best man Mark no end, and thoroughly pissed off his half-brother Andy, those very first sexy images of Louise in her pink scanties stayed in his memory for ever.

Downshire Diary – (38) The Girl in the Red Lingerie

 

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 it was still great fun.

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

 

It was at one of the static Caravan parks where a group of friends were staying for the Spring Bank Holiday Weekend.

Although in actuality it wasn’t just a group of friends, they were more than that and just to clarify the point they were a group of friends plus Waldo and they were staying at the Whitecliff Hill Caravan Park close to Sharpington.   

There were 8 of them altogether split between three caravans, Mark Tonks shared with Dave Maslen and Andy Pike, Marks sister Lorraine shared with Louise Spry and Charlotte Kay, while Samantha Perry shared the third caravan with her boyfriend Waldo Pienaar.

They were all in their early twenties, apart from Waldo who was pushing 30 and with the exception of Waldo they had been friends since forever.

Caravan holidays weren’t really Mark’s cup of tea at all, as he doesn’t like caravans or tents for that matter but that was probably because he was 6ft 4, so of course caravans didn’t really cater for people of his height.

The only reason he went at all was because Samantha Perry was going to be there, and the fact she was going was very important to him because he loved her, he always had, and he always would, which was sad really because she didn’t love him, because if she did she wouldn’t have kept going out with a succession of complete pillock’s like Waldo.

But he figured if he couldn’t have her to himself he could at least be around her and enjoy her company and it wasn’t the first time he’d tagged along on such outings.

So he had no misgivings about seeing her with another man, it didn’t make him miserable on such occasions, he still had fun he just didn’t have Sam to himself.

 

He also loved Sharpington-by-Sea, and his earliest memory was of Sharpington and he had returned time and time again and it never lost is magic for him.

Mark had his first kiss on the Pier with Katie Brown when he was nine and his first proper kiss with Pamela Owen on the Ghost Train in the Fun Park when he was 15.

He just loved everything about the place,

Sharpington Day Parades, Halloween Fright Nights, Firework displays, Candy Floss, Ice creams, chip suppers and kiss me quick hats.

The only thing that could make him love it more was if he could walk hand in hand along the promenade with Samantha.

 

The group arrived at the Whitecliff Hill Caravan Park late on Friday night in the pouring rain and they were all exhausted, in fact they only had the energy for a quick drink and then turned in early.

 

Saturday started grey and damp and the evidence of the previous days deluge was everywhere to be seen, but the sun burst through mid-morning and they got to spend the rest of the day on the beach.

Which was where Mark got to see the sight that drew him to the beaches of Sharpington in the first place, the most beautiful girl he had have ever known wearing her yellow bikini.

It was a lovely afternoon and they had great fun playing volleyball on the sand, only his sister Lorraine noticed that he spent more time watching Sam than he did the ball.

The evening though was a massive let down for him as Samantha and Waldo didn’t join the group, Waldo wanted them to go out on their own while the rest of them went to the pub and the evening really dragged for him.

 

He was up early on Sunday Morning of the Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend, and he was preoccupied with the thought that no one seemed to call it Whitsun anymore, his mum and dad always did, and he couldn’t understand the fad for calling it the Spring Bank Holiday instead.

The rain had returned in earnest during the night and the park was very quiet, he walked around for a while squelching between the puddles and then he approached caravan 17a.     

The pretext was to speak with Waldo about a mechanics question, as that was his profession, but in truth he wasn’t looking for him at all the only reason he was going over there was to see Samantha.

He knew she was an early riser so he was sure she would be up and about and that the kettle would be hot.

 

He knocked on the door and got no answer, which was strange, so he knocked once more and still there was no answer.

Mark looked around and noticed Waldo’s car was gone, so he knocked again and he was beginning to think there was no one in and then he heard the faintest response of

“Come in”

Mark opened the door and stepped in to caravan 17a and found Samantha propped up in the corner on the bench seat, there was an empty glass on the table and two empty wine bottles on the floor.

“Good morning sunshine” he said

“Is it?” she replied without opening her eyes.

She was sitting with both feet on the seat with her knees drawn up in front of her and she leant forward and rested her elbows on her knees   while her hands pushed her beautiful thick chestnut brown hair off her forehead away from her bleary eyes.

He sat down on the opposite end of the bench so he was looking straight at her and he was very grateful.

The reason for that was that Samantha was in a state of undress apart from matching red silk bra and pants and a pair of red lace topped stockings, matching suspender belt and a wry smile on her lovely face.

 

He sat down on the opposite end of the bench so he was looking straight at her and he was very grateful.

The reason for that was that Samantha was in a state of undress apart from matching red silk bra and pants and a pair of red lace topped stockings, matching suspender belt and a wry smile on her lovely face.

“Where’s Waldo?” he asked

“He’s gone” she said sadly

“What this early?” he asked

“No, last night” she replied coldly “he dumped me”

“What? He shagged you and then dumped you?” he asked angrily

“No, he dumped me and didn’t shag me” she said in disbelief “I got all kitted out for him as well”

“I can see that babe” Mark said

“What?” she asked and screwed up her face in a puzzled expression as she tried to decipher his words.

Samantha then opened her eyes to their fullest extent and looked at him for clarification and he nodded in her direction in answer to her enquiry and her state of undress suddenly dawned on her

“Oh God” she exclaimed and shut her thighs like a bear trap and scrambled for her blanket 

“You pig” she shouted “Why didn’t you tell me I was almost naked”

“Are you kidding me?” he said “and pass up the chance to glimpse a gorgeous girls treasures”

He realized the moment the words left his lips that he had shown his hand.

“Perhaps she’s too hung over to have noticed” he said to himself optimistically

Her treasures were now well and truly buried beneath the hastily positioned blanket and the only visible parts of her were her bright red face above, and her red stocking covered toes, peeping out from below.

“Since when did you think I was gorgeous anyway?” she asked from the safety of her hiding place.

“What do you mean?” he said cursing himself for letting his guard down, apparently she wasn’t as hung over as she appeared

“You said you wouldn’t pass up the chance to glimpse a gorgeous girls treasures” she said “so when did you start thinking I was gorgeous?”

And that was a question he was never in his wildest dreams expected to be asked.

Faced with a direct question he couldn’t back track, so he took a deep breath.

“Well let me see that would be since about the time you were seven” he replied

“Since I was 7?” she exclaimed in disbelief

“What did I do when I was seven that had such a profound effect on you?”

“You showed me your knickers in Belldon Wood”

“I did not” she protested

“Yes you did” he said adamantly, “they were white with little blue periwinkle flowers on them”

Samantha gasped and said

“I remember those knickers”

“So do I, vividly”

“Oh God I did show you my knickers didn’t I?” she said, she would have gone red at the remembrance had she not still been crimson from almost showing him everything else.

“Yes” he confirmed

“So it was actually my knickers you thought were gorgeous” she said

Mark hesitated before answering, he could have just agreed with her and simply laughed the whole thing off, because if he told the truth then the genie would be out of the bottle and he wouldn’t be able to unsay it.

“That’s not true” he replied deciding to bite the bullet

“I think you’re gorgeous now and you’re not wearing them”

“Don’t remind me” She said blushing crimson again and hiding her face behind her blanket.

“So you’ve fancied me ever since I was seven?”

“Pretty much” he confessed

“You really fancied me all that time?” she asked

“It’s worse than that I’m afraid!” he admitted

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked emerging from cover.

“I never knew how” he replied

“I was just a passing fancy then” she said dismissively

“Not at all” he corrected her “I’ve always wanted you, but because you’re so special to me, and you’re such a good mate I didn’t want to risk losing that, if you didn’t feel the same about me”

“So did you ever get close?” she asked softly

“Once or twice”

“And?” she queried

“You were in between completely unsuitable boyfriends who didn’t deserve you at the time” he said

“But I dithered around for too long so I wasn’t even able to catch you on the rebound”

Once the cat was out of the bag he thought he might at least get closure, for good or bad, but as it turned out he didn’t get to hear her response.

Samantha’s mouth opened but before she could speak there was a loud bang on the door.

“Who is it?” Sam yelled crossly

“It’s Loz you grumpy bint”

How ironic that his sister of all people would turn out to be the killjoy, she had been encouraging him for years to tell Sam how he felt.

“The door is open” Sam said

Lorraine opened the door and walked in and he was the first one she saw.

“Hey Mark, I’ve been looking for you” she said and then her eyes fell on Samantha

“Oh dear me, you look really rough” Lorraine said and laughed

“Shut up and have some respect for the dead” Samantha responded

“Well I suggest the corpse gets its zombie arse into the shower and then get your glad rags on” Loz instructed   

“Why what’s going on?” Sam asked

“We’re all going into Sharpington for lunch” Lorraine replied and then turned to me

“And you, we leave in an hour, come on”

She started out the door and was expecting me to follow.

But he stood in the doorway and turned to look at Sam

“I liked it when you called them my treasures” she said

“You’re the real treasure” he responded and she smiled and just before he closed the door he said

“Wear your lemon dress, you always look stunning in that”

 

When Mark had closed the door and walked down the steps he found Lorraine was waiting for him around the corner.

“Did you know Waldo did a runner last night?” she asked

“Yes” he replied

“So?” Lorraine asked

“So what?”

“So now’s the time to get to her before she gets tangled up with some other loser” Lorraine said

“What do you think I was doing in there when you interrupted?”

Lorraine stopped and grabbed his arm

“You told her?”

“Yes” he replied and started walking again

“So how did it go?” she shouted

“How do you think it went” he snapped “I’m out here with you”

 

Sam and Mark travelled to Sharpington in separate cars and as he was in the car Andy was driving they arrived in town ten minutes behind Louise and the girls despite the fact they were right on their bumper when they left Whitecliff Hill Park and the reason for that was because he drives like an 80 year old woman.

They were further delayed due to the fact that he is totally incapable of parallel parking, so by the time they reached the Ancient Mariner  the girls were already seated at the table and Mark ended up with Lou and Lottie between him and Sam.

It was a long and frustrating lunch, finding himself so far from the woman he loved, and the service was diabolical.

On that particular day of all days it didn’t help and although he was delighted to see that she was wearing the lemon dress as he suggested, every time he caught her eye she looked away immediately. 

 

After lunch the weather brightened so they all walked down to the seafront, Mark walked slowly behind the pack with his hands stuffed in his pockets and cursed his stupidity for making his declaration to her.

His worst fears had been realized, he had shared the secret he had kept to himself for 17 years and as he always knew would be the case if he spoke up, instead of winning her love he had now lost her friendship.   

“Why did I do it?” he said to himself and then he felt an arm slip through his, when he glanced sideways to see who the arm belonged he fully expected it to be Lorraine but he was amazed to see it was Samantha.

“I have a confession to make” she said

“Oh yes” he replied

“I think I chose totally unsuitable boyfriends who didn’t deserve me because I couldn’t have you” she said and then they came to a stop

“And now?” he asked with bated breath and Samantha, who had turned to face him, said

“I choose you”

And then she kissed him.

 

They walked the length of Sharpington seafront in the warm May sunshine, hand in hand and talked like they had never talked before.

And by the time they returned to the others it was almost evening.

“Come on you two” Lorraine called “We’re going to the pub as soon as we get back, you in?”

“Count us out we’ve got plans” Sam said

“Oh where are you two going then?” Lottie asked and he turned to look at Sam because he didn’t know what plans they had either and Samantha squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

“A treasure hunt” she replied and they both giggled

Everyone looked completely bemused by her answer and his response to it but suffice is to say they were in Samantha’s caravan until midafternoon on Bank Holiday Monday treasure hunting.