In the north
of Downshire is the old market Town of Nettlebridge which was quainter and more
peaceful than its neighbour Nettlefield, which was a Military Town whereas
Nettlebridge prospered from the sheep and wool trade, which is
evidenced by the road names, Sheepfold Street, Woolsack Lane and Shepherds Bridge,
and this trade had historically generated a great deal of
wealth, and it was also the village where the family home of the Porthnall’s
was which was where the family were expected to return to for Christmas.
There were
four daughters in the family Julie, May, April and June, the older two were
married and had been in Nettlebridge since the schools broke up for the
Christmas Holidays but the younger pair couldn’t get there until Boxing Day
because they were both Nurses at the Winston Churchill Hospital in Abbottsford
and were both on duty on Christmas Day.
April and June lived together and were as different as chalk
and cheese, June was tall, slim and blonde while April was shorter and brunette,
in fact the only things they had in common were blue eyes, a surname, a
profession, and a taste in men, in every other way they differed, and the best
way to sum them up would be to say that April had a heart and a brain whereas June
possessed neither.
They set off
from Abbottsford at the crack of dawn after June’s boyfriend Dave Hicks pick them
up from the hospital, he was medium height, black hair, gypsy eyes, a kind
heart and April loved him.
As the
sisters had been on duty all night they slept all the way to Nettlebridge and
when they arrived, refreshed by a few hours’ sleep, they found there was a
house full at the Porthnall’s and a great day followed, a huge family dinner and
plenty of wine and as they were staying the night they all got a bit merry,
apart from June who got hammered after gorging herself.
It was a big
house but even so a reshuffle on the accommodation front was required, due to
their mother’s insistence that June and Dave sleep in separate rooms, because
their mother was a good Christian woman and didn’t believe in that kind of
thing.
The result of
the reshuffle meant that Dave shared the spare room with Cousin James while April
was forced to endure her sisters’ constant drunken snoring and farting as they
each slept on a sofa in the lounge.
April found
it difficult to drop off, partly because of June and her horrendous snoring,
but also because her head was full of images of her sister’s boyfriend.
After tossing
and turning for about an hour her attempts to drop off were further frustrated
by an acute need to pee so she got up and tiptoed her way upstairs to the loo.
April was
yawning as she left the bathroom and stepped back onto the landing not really
paying attention to what she was doing and subsequently bumped into David
coming the other way, who wrapped his arms around her and carried her back into
the bathroom where he planted a passionate, sensual kiss on her lips.
“We shouldn’t
be doing this” she said coming up for air
“Why? You
were enjoying it” Dave said and kissed her anew
“That’s not
the point” she protested
“So, you
admit you were enjoying it” he said “so let’s do it again”
“We mustn’t” April
insisted and opened some distance between them
“But it’s
really nice” He said wistfully
“I know but
we can’t be doing it anymore” she said indignantly
“I know you
like me” he continued as he leant against the door
“I’ve seen
you looking at me when you think no one’s looking”
“Ah” she
exclaimed and sat down on the loo.
David had been
going out with June for about three months and April fell in love with him the
instant she brought him home.
But the
thought never crossed her mind to do anything about it, she had a strong moral
compass and you didn’t do things like that, it wasn’t cricket, even if her
sister didn’t deserve him.
So, she just
worshipped him from afar.
“I’m sorry” she
said
“Why are you
sorry?” David asked
“For being
too weak” she replied “I had no right to fall for you”
“I don’t
think you’re weak” David said “Far from it, a weak person wouldn’t have stopped
me kissing them”
“Maybe” she
conceded
“Your sister
wouldn’t have stopped” he added
“I’m not my sister”
she pointed out
“I realize
that only too well” he said and stepped forward
“I’d better
go, but this is for Christmas” he
said and kissed her gently
“Merry
Christmas”
April went back downstairs and tried to sleep but she
found it even more difficult after her encounter with David, than she did
before.
“This is a real Christmas surprise” she thought as he
lay wide awake with only her sisters snoring for company.
When June rolled over onto her side she let out a
ripping fart, which was as a result of her skinny body trying to deal with all
the food and drink she shoved into it during the course of the day.
A minute or so later a cloud of noxious gas drifted
over April and was so foul she decided to leave the room and take sanctuary in
the kitchen.
She walked out into the hall and turned towards the
kitchen and just as he reached the kitchen door a voice from behind said
“Hello again”
She turned
around to see David sitting on the stairs.
“Hi David” she
said, “Are you stalking me?”
“Would you
mind?” he asked
“No comment,
do you want a drink?” she said and went into the kitchen and David followed on
behind.
She made the
drinks and sat down at the table opposite him.
“So, you
can’t sleep either then” she said
“I’m afraid
not”
“Something on
your mind” April asked
“Something”
he agreed but didn’t elaborate so she didn’t pursue it any further.
But after
five minutes he asked
“Would you go
out with me if I wasn’t spoken for?”
“If you
weren’t going out with June I’d go out with you in a heartbeat”
She replied
“Why?” David
added
“Why would I go
out with you?” she said
“Where do I
start? Your hair, your eyes, your smile, your laugh but most of all your heart”
David gave her
a dazzling smile when she had finished her catalogue and said
“I’ve broken
up with her”
“What?” April
asked
“We broke up”
he replied
“When?”
“Last week”
“But why?”
“Well partly
because she’s been seeing my best friend Kenny” he replied “or my ex best
friend Kenny I should say”
“Was she?” April
asked in disbelief
“You didn’t
know then?”
“No, I
didn’t, honestly” she said “she wouldn’t tell me something like that because she
knows I’d disapprove”
“No, that’s
because you are a better human being” David said proudly
“I don’t know
about that” April said, “What was the rest of the reason?”
“What?”
“You said June
and Kenny was only part of the reason”
“Oh yes I
see” he said “well mostly I broke up with her because she’s not you”
April
couldn’t believe her ears, did those words really come out of his mouth, it
wasn’t possible that he was really attracted to her.
“So, if you
broke up with her last week why did you still come today?” she asked
“Because
you’re here” he replied and walked around the table, bent down and kissed her.
It was a long
and lingering kiss and when it was over she enjoyed it so much she was feeling
guilty.
“Does June
know?”
“Yes” he said
eager to resume
“So why
didn’t she say something?” he asked “she’s rubbish at keeping secrets”
“Because I
told her I’d send the nude selfie she’d sent me to all my friends if she didn’t,
especially if it spoiled my chances with you” he replied and kissed her again
before she could speak anymore.
The prolonged
kiss showed no sign of abating until a voice said
“What’s going
on in here then?”
It was Cousin
James who David was sharing the spare room with.
“He’s just
wishing me a Happy Christmas?” April said
“Result”
James remarked as he poured himself a glass of water and then added
“I’ll leave
you two alone”
“Good because
I want to wish her a Happy New Year now” David replied
“I think
that’s a given” April said
They left Nettlebridge
shortly after lunch the next day and had a clear run back to Abbottsford.
David was
driving and April rode shotgun while a rather fragile June sat in the back and
judging by the aromas emanating from back there it was obvious her digestinal
tract was still processing the garbage she consumed the previous day.
It was a very
quiet and uneventful journey home with all of them lost in their own thoughts.
Aprils were
quite philosophical as she pondered the difference a day makes, on the journey
up she was envious of her sister and felt guilty for the way she looked at
David, while on the way back she couldn’t stop smiling and looked like the cat
that got the cream, which of course she had.
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