Wednesday 23 December 2020

Snippets of Downshire Life – The Joint Present’s

 

Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in the north but our story takes place in the southern town off Abbottsford which was the biggest in Downshire, its administrative capital and the seat of the Downshire government.

It was also a place of learning thanks to the Downshire University and was a Cathedral City and was also home to Abbottsford Town football club.

Abbottsford was also the location of the Abbottsford’s Phoenix Shopping Centre and Hanratty’s Department Store therein.

It was at Hanratty’s where lifelong friends, Kristine Perrin and Lily Parsons, worked.

Krissy was the eldest of the pair by two weeks and was a very slim, very pretty girl with dark brown pixie cut hair, while Lily was a small skinny girl with long curly chestnut hair.

Neither of them had particularly happy home lives so they were naturally drawn to each other from an early age.

So, they did everything together and were seldom ever home as they were always off on some adventure or other.

 

They spent all their spare time together and when they were at school and college they also worked together, evenings and weekends at Stephenson’s Supermarket.

Most of their adventurous escapades were during the holidays and they chalked up a lot of happy times and their friendship was their most precious possession and they loved each other, and they complimented each other.

 

Although there were similarities between them, they were both pretty for a start, their likes and dislikes, their sense of humour, but really as individuals they couldn’t be more different.

Kristine had no fear whereas Lily would tremble in the shadows on her own.

Krissy was an extrovert, confident, self-assured and brave, though not cocky in any way.

Lily on the other hand, was shy and she lacked self-confidence but being with Krissy made her feel more confident, daring to do things she would never have done alone, such as leaving Northchapel and moving to Abbottsford.

 

Abbottsford was a place of particular significance to the girls because it was on one of their adventures, to see the Mardis Gras Parade, where they both declared that the unquenchable love they felt for each other was not one of sorority or friendship. 

 

When they had finished college, life at home for Krissy became intolerable so she left, and because of the love they shared, Lily left too.

Luckily Lily had a maternal Grandmother living in Abbottsford who had also fallen out with the family, so they went there, and Grandma Alice was hesitant, from past experience, to get involved but she reluctantly agreed they could stay for a couple of weeks, it was only sleeping bags in the spare room, but they didn’t mind that, they had had plenty of experience of sleeping bags.

Staying with her was conditional upon them getting work, and paying their way, but that didn’t bother them as they had always been hard workers.

Despite the two-week limitation they were still there six months later, because her worst fears were not realised.

Initially the girls got work at Stephenson’s because they had a history with the stores and a couple of phone calls to Northchapel had them vouched for. 

On the other hand, Alice Parsons, worked for Hanratty’s Department Store, and had done for more than twenty years and once she knew how reliable they were she was able to get them jobs at the store, which gave them full time hours, and Hanratty’s paid better than Stephenson’s.

 

They really enjoyed living with grandma Alice and working at Hanratty’s and as their lives were so content there had been a curtailing of their adventures, apart from the night they got drunk at the Christmas party and fell asleep in the disabled toilet and got locked in the store for the night.

 

Other than that, they had grown into very responsible young women and had impressed Grandma Alice and their employers which earned them a Christmas bonus.

The store had been dressed in tinselled Christmas garb and twinkling lights almost from the beginning of October and the girls found it very exciting as it was a constant reminder of the fact that they were heading for their first Christmas as a couple.

But they knew that their happiness was due in no small part to Grandma Alice, so they wanted to use some of their bonus to get her something special for Christmas, and it didn’t take long for them to decide on the very thing, a Clock.

Or to be more precise a Stylish chiming Mantel clock with Roman numerals and a wooden case, and a loud tick because Grandma Alice always said a ticking clock was the heartbeat of a home.

 

They used some of their bonus and their staff discount to buy it and they had it gift wrapped at the store as well, as they were both rubbish wrappers.

They bought a few other little bits over the weeks as well, but they wrapped them themselves.

 

The girls had to work right up until six o’clock on Christmas Eve, but Alice had the 23rd and 24th off so she could get ready for the best Christmas she’d had in years, ever since her estrangement from her daughter she had celebrated Christmas alone, but this year it was going to be different, plus there was an important delivery to the house on Christmas Eve.

 

It was a really busy day at Hanratty’s and the girls were exhausted by the time they got home at 7 o’clock.

“Hi Grandma!” Lily called “We’re home”

“Hello darlings” she retorted as she came to greet them “Dinner is almost ready”

“Great we’re starved” Lily said and laughed

“Have we got time to change?” Krissy asked

“Yes, but before you go up I’ve got a surprise for you both, a joint Christmas present, but you have to have it today because, I can’t keep it hidden until tomorrow, you’ll understand what I mean when you see it” she said “go up and see”

“It’s upstairs?” Krissy asked

“Yes”

“Tell us, tell us” Lily insisted

“All I will say is that I’ve got you something to sleep on” she said, and the girls waited for her to elaborate.

“Well you’ve been sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags for six months, so I’ve got you something proper to sleep on”

And the girls looked at each other and then ran upstairs, but then they stopped at the top of the stairs.

“Go on, in you go” Grandma urged

So, Lily pushed open the door and then they stood open mouthed as they looked at the King Size bed with a pink velvet Queen Anne headboard and made up in contrasting shades of pink, with a Patchwork quilt Duvet Cover decorated with Flowers & Butterflies

“It’s a bed” Lily said “A beautiful bed”

“What were you expecting a hammock?” Alice asked and laughed

“I was expecting bunk beds” Krissy said 

“Why would I get two beds, when you’d only use one of them anyway?” she retorted

“You know?” Lily asked

Oh darling, I’m not blind, it’s clear to anyone who cares to look at the two of you” she replied

“And you don’t mind?” Krissy asked

“Why would I mind? I’m hardly going to chastise you for being in love”

“You can tell that too?” Lily asked

“You are adorable” Grandma Alice said

“She is, isn’t she?” Krissy said

“And so are you” 

“We love you Grandma” they both exclaimed and they all merged into a hug fest

“This is going to be the best Christmas ever” Grandma said

“It already is” Lily said

“For me too” Krissy agreed

After a few minutes Krissy said urgently

“Ooh, you have to open yours now”

“Yes, yes” Lily agreed “Come on it’s under the tree”

 

By the time Alice got down the stairs Lily was already on her hands and knees under the tree

“This is the one” Lily said and pushed the brightly coloured beribboned package towards her. 

“Ok but let me sit down first” Grandma said laughing

When she was seated, Krissy sat beside her, and the she took the package and began unwrapping

 “Open it, open it” Lily urged her

“I’m savouring it” Alice said

When she had carefully removed the paper and put it aside she opened the box.

“Wow” she exclaimed and began to cry

“Do you like it?” Lily asked

“The beating heart” she replied “that’s what you girls are to me, you are the beating heart in my life”

Then all three were hugging, crying and laughing.

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