The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (176) The Christmas Wagon

 

Emily Parsley lived in St Pierre in what was previously her family’s home, and she had lived there all 26 years of her life; and she had lived alone in the house for 2 of those years.

She worked in St Pierre for the St Pierre and District Council, but she had many more strings to her bow.

Emily was very active in the church, at St Joan of Arc as well as farther afield.

This involved among other things, being a greeter at the church services, delivering Parish Magazines, helping at the Christmas Bazaar, Summer Fete, and Sunday School, you name it, and she did it and that was only on the island.

Her wider good works included the Soup Kitchens in Pipershaven, who were always desperate for volunteers.

The Christmas Wagon in St Pierre and Spaniards Creek, which was an old Mornington Brewery dray, pulled by two of the Beaumont shire horses, which was bedecked with tinsel and lights and carried on the back, a multi denominational choir singing Christmas Carols.

Emily was not however, among those going from door to door, as the wagon drove around the town, collecting donations in plastic buckets and handing out sweets to the excited children, no she was in the choir on the back of the Dray because she had the voice of an angel.

The wagon plied its festive trade on three consecutive nights on the week before Christmas, starting in the Townsquare they travelled on three different routes so that by the end of the third evening they would have covered all of the town, they then did a fourth trip through Spaniards Creek. 

The collectors with the buckets were dressed as Elves, whereas Emily and the other choir members were dressed in Victorian costume.

 

There were always plenty of helpers, most of whom she already knew, but there was often a new face or two, and that Wednesday was no difference, but one helper fell into both categories.

She had just got aboard the wagon when a voice behind her said

“My God its Herbie”

Only one person had ever called her Herbie, and that was Clayton Cooper, but she hadn’t seen him since they were at school together when they were 14, because he moved away from the island, she didn’t know where to.

She turned around to face the speaker,

“It is you” he said and laughed, and the schoolgirl crush she had on him as a 14-year-old girl flooded over her again, even though the tall man with broad shoulders and hands like shovels, short brown hair, neatly trimmed beard, and hazel eyes, was so different from the boy she worshipped, only his infectious laugh was the same.

“Clay!” she exclaimed

“The very same” he replied

“Not the same” she corrected him “but definitely you”

She had never believed in love at first sight or in soul mates, she thought them rather fanciful notions, the stuff of romantic fiction and sentimental movies.

That was until she met the grown-up incarnation of Clayton Cooper when she was instantly smitten, but she doubted he would feel the same.

“What are you doing here?” she asked

“The same as you”

“That’s not what I meant” she said, but then became aware that they were moving off

“Here we go” she said regretfully  

“I would love to catch up though” she called over her shoulder

“Me too” he shouted after her

 

She did catch sight of him a couple of times after that, the first time was when one of the Elves, Lily Farmer managed to trap him in a bus shelter armed with a bunch of mistletoe and only when she had satisfied herself in the pagan ritual did, she let him go.

Irrationally, having witnessed the kiss, she was not at all happy about it, but she did enjoy seeing him again.

The second time she saw him was when they returned to the square and she disembarked, when her own cousin Ellie kissed him and said goodbye.

Sadly, she never got to speak to him again, not that day at any rate.

 

As she walked back home, she was rerunning the evening’s events in her head and just as she opened her front door, her phone rang, so she stepped inside and answered it.

“Hello!”

“Hi Emily” her cousin Ellie said

“Guess who asked me for your number today?”

An hour later her phone rang again and this time it was Clayton and two days later they had their first date.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (175) Secret Love

 

28-year-old Darren Beckley was a freelance Landscape Gardener and always walked to and from work, and on the way home he liked to call in at the shop, to see someone special.

Rebecca O'Toole, who was the Postmistress at Jardine’s General Store/Post Office in Spaniards Creek, her husband Peter played the role of shop manager, but it was his younger wife who did all the work, along with a few additional staff.

Rebecca was a year older than Derren, and he loved her to distraction, unfortunately she was already married.

It all began with some harmless flirtation, he would flirt outrageously with her and she would flirt back, but then one day as she handed him his magazine, she let go of it before he had hold of it properly in his grip and as they both reached to recover it, their hands touched and he thought it was like a mild electricity passing between them, and he could tell by her expression that she felt it too.

There were many such momentary touches, and they were always accompanied by the same tingling sensation but other than the flirting and brush of fingertip on hand nothing ever came of it because she was not free.

Also, it was all tacit, nothing had been said, no feelings had been expressed, and he had wanted to make it plain to her, and not just flirt and accidentally caress her hand.

So, on one Tuesday before Christmas when he went to buy the Christmas Radio Times, she was alone in the shop and there were no prying eyes, and as they were in a CCTV blind spot, he blatantly held her hand in his and caressed the back of it with the other, he would have liked to kiss her too, but he knew that was going too far.

“You’re not free, so I can’t say that I love you” he said

“I know” she gasped 

“But it’s true nonetheless”

“I know that too” she replied quietly

“And I would kiss you if I could, but I know I can’t, so you will have to imagine me doing it instead, until I can”

“I do that every day” She replied and squeezed his hand and would not have relinquished it if another customer hadn’t entered the shop.

So, their intimate moment had passed until another day.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (174) Moral Support

 

As Molly and Danny were walking to the Church Hall for the committee meeting on Monday, they were surprised to see Dr Cameron leaving the vicarage and get into his car, they said good morning, but he didn’t respond or stop and as he drove away, they wondered what the Doctor was doing there, when making house calls was not in vogue. 

When they got to the Church Hall, they were almost the last to arrive and they found the assembled group in sombre mood.

Also in the room was Henry Noble who was standing in for Arielle for the rest of the week.

It seemed that the stresses and strains of the Christmas calendar had taken its toll on Arielle.

But by all accounts, she would appear to be no more than thoroughly run down and had been advised to take a complete rest.

That was obviously the reason why the Doctor was leaving the vicarage.

Full bed rest for the week would hopefully put her right and she would be strong enough to participate on Christmas Eve.

Reverend Noble would be standing in for her wherever and whenever necessary until then.

There was still a busy program to get through, an advent Sunday, midnight mass and Christmas morning itself as well as the Christmas Wagon and the proceeds from the Christmas Bazaar to discuss.

The meeting moved on at a pace once they got started and they covered a good deal of ground.

 

As she had a day off on Monday, Fiona decided to take the water taxi to St Giles so she would have a chance to see Simon again and met them just as they were leaving the Seaview.

“This is a nice surprise” Jeannette said and embraced her friend

“I thought I would give you some more moral support” Fiona said but Jeannette knew that was only part of the reason she was there.

They walked with her as far as the Meteorological Station and wished her luck and watched her walk in then Simon and Jeannette took a walk round the Hastings Lake and got to know each other a little better.

He was from Northchapel like Jeannette but was living in Sharpington until he sold his house.

His marriage had just ended, and he just wanted to off load the house and draw a line under an unhappy episode in his life.

“I wouldn’t mind living on the islands” Simon said “first impressions and all that”

“I wouldn’t live anywhere else” Fiona admitted “but you’re not even seeing it at its best”

“I’m looking for a change once the house has been sold” he said “And I like what I see”

When Fiona looked up, she saw he was looking at her and it flustered her.

“Houses don’t come up for sale very often, and tend to remain in the family” she said

“That’s a shame” he said

“But tied properties are a different matter” Fiona suggested

 

When Jeannette finally reappeared it was clear that she had got the job and couldn’t keep quiet about it for the rest of the day because she was so excited, but for Fiona and Simon they were excited for quite different reasons because they had shared a kiss beside Hasting Lake.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (173) The Third Sunday of Advent

 

Fiona Phippen approached St Clara’s and was surprised to find her friend Jeannette Kenny among the congregants.

Jeannette was from the mainland and was staying at the Seaview Hotel on St Giles as she had an interview on Monday morning at the Meteorological Station

“What are you doing here? I thought we weren’t getting together until lunchtime” she said and embraced her,

“Simon came with me as moral support for the interview, and he didn’t want to miss Church and as they only have the chapel on St Giles, we got the water taxi early and thought St Clara’s would fit the bill, so here we are” she said and then almost as an afterthought added

“Oh, by the way this is my brother Simon” And gestured to the tall good-looking man a year or two older than her, and there was an almost instant mutual attraction and to be quite honest Jeannette might just as well not have been there.

Simon was as different from Jeannette as it was possible to get, he was stocky to her slim, the tall to her short, and the quiet to her outgoing.

But in one obvious way there was no difference at all, he also had a friendly open face, and a kind heart.

 

As they came out the church Jeannette said

“I rather enjoyed that”

“So, you’re not a regular churchgoer?” Fiona asked

“That’s right, not for years, I don’t know why I lapsed” she replied, “Simon is a regular though”

 

For Reverend Cheryl Mackender the third weekend of advent was a test of endurance with the success of St Lucy’s day already under her belt earlier in the week, Christingle on Friday, and the Carol Concert on Saturday night.

Part of the success was the refurbed sound system, which was excellent, and the new visual displays which came into their own.   

It meant after another success with the morning service and the lighting of the third candle of advent going off without a hitch.

So by Sunday lunchtime it was over, Cheryl had got through the Christmas marathon, St Lucy’s Day, Christingle, The Christmas Concert and two advent services had all been completed and she looked visibly relieved and hugged Lee who had been on hand at every stage of the proceedings, watching, supporting and worshipping.

It certainly had been an eventful week, a week in which Steve Sharpe had saved the day with his technical expertise, as well as her sanity and she had found her soulmate in Lee Barnaby.

So there was just time for a light lunch before she was off again with renewed vigour as the fourth Sunday of Advent, Midnight Mass and Christmas Morning were still on the horizon.

 

Later at lunch in Philips Folly, the conversation turned back to the upcoming interview.

“So how are you feeling?” Fiona asked

“You know me, I’m not an optimist and over confidence would be very out of character,” she said “But I’m feeling very confident”

“No worries” Simon said, “I like your chances”

“Good” Jeannette said, “It’s good to have your support”

“I think so too” Fiona said

 

Adrian Greig’s return to the island was a cause of celebration and at lunchtime on the Third Sunday of Advent there was a big family Sunday Lunch at Beales family home with Adrian as the guest of honour.

It was a noisy and raucous occasion fuelled in no small measure by the liberal consumption of some homemade wine.

By 2 o’clock dinner was served, and Lily’s mother had done them proud with the table groaning under the weight of the celebratory fare.

It was no mean feat to cook such a sumptuous feast for 9 people, but as usual it was achieved effortlessly, which was made all the more remarkable, as her mother appeared not to have a single hair out of place, and everyone enthused at the magnificence of the spread and all the trimmings and subsequently all the plates were cleared.

 

Finally, the pudding was served, a New York Cheesecake, which was Adrian’s favourite, and then as the final scrapes of spoons on China echoed around the room Adrian stood up and called for order, and when he finally had everyone’s attention, he firstly proposed a toast to the cook, then to the master brewer and finally he proposed to Lily.

“Wha…?” she said

“Will you marry me?” he repeated holding the ring box out to her

“Of course, I’ll marry you, you fool” she said and wrapped her loving arms around his neck and kissed him.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (172) The Carol Concert

 

The Carol Concert at St Joan of Arc on Saturday night was an all-ticket occasion and as always was performed to a packed house.

The sound system was excellent, and the new visual displays came into their own.   

But as successful as the concert was there was no time for Katy to rest on her laurels because the next morning brought the Sunday Service and the lighting of the third Advent Candle.

It wasn’t the only Christmas Concert on the island that night as there was also one at St Clara’s in Spaniards Creek, a more modest event it has to be said but equally well attended.

 

Nathan Overton was going to the Christmas Concert at St Clara’s which was well attended as usual and when he went inside “Ave Maria” was playing softly in the background.

It was a big night for Nathan as his contribution to proceedings was as soloist in the choir in which he was performing “o holy night”.

He waved to his many kith and kin as he walked towards the vestry and as he did so his mind was preoccupied with two things, the first was a wish to give a faultless performance in front of such a large congregation and the second was his hope of getting Sara Pacciarella under the mistletoe at the party afterwards.

 

Sara was two years younger than him and was new to the choir and he was besotted with her and had been from the first moment he saw her.

She was a bit of a tomboy but he quite liked that she wasn’t a girlie girl and didn’t present with all the girly paraphernalia.

Such as the fact that she never carried a handbag, instead she had a backpack with her at all times, she also wasn’t fashion conscious, which was another plus for him, she always wore a loose-fitting black dress, black tights and coloured baseball shoes and wore her long Brunette hair in plaits.

He really liked everything about Sara, her prominent chin which she thrust out proudly, her green thoughtful eyes behind thick framed specs and her broad smile that made her nose wrinkle.

In short, he thought she was perfect, he just needed to work up the courage to ask her out, which is where he hoped the mistletoe would come to his aid.

 

So after the service the clergy, verger, altar boys and choir members all made their way at some point to the vestry to change into their street clothes, he made sure he stayed close to Sara as he still held out a hope that he might suddenly grow a backbone and ask her out.

 

He kept her in view at all times while he spoke with various members of his family, who were congratulating him on his solo performance, until most of the people who had gone in the vestry had come out.

When Sara looked over to where he was standing and went into the vestry herself, he followed a few moments later and as he went inside, the Verger left, leaving just him and Sara, who was just hanging her surplice in the cupboard.

“Hello” he said nervously

“Hi Nathan” she retorted as she slipped off her shoes and replaced them with her baseball shoes “great solo”

“Thanks” he said and started to panic as he couldn’t think of anything else to say, because as he watched her change her footwear his mind went blank, until he caught sight of the Christmas lights through the vestry window, and he asked.

“Are you looking forward to the party?”

“I was” she replied

“Why aren’t you now?”

“Because I’m not going” Sara replied, and he sat down heavily on a chair as his heart sank and she smiled when she saw his reaction then she said

“My mums ill”

“Oh I’m sorry” he said sympathetically and bent down to tie his shoelace and when he sat up again Sara was holding a sprig of mistletoe above his head.

“I was going to use this at the party” she said and leant forward and kissed him, but not just a peck, it was a proper kiss, his first proper kiss, and it was everything he’d hoped it would be and more.

“Wow that’s good mistletoe” she said

“Definitely” he agreed and then added

“I’ve got some mistletoe for the party as well”

“That’s good to know” Sara said as she slipped her coat on

“So I think we should check if it’s as good as yours” he asked

“Fab idea” she grinned, and they kissed again.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (171) Ava and Max

 

At Terrell’s Acre’s down in Spaniards Creek 30-year-old widow Ava Adderley was on notice from her sister Sarah to allow herself to be courted again, after spending too long in virtual “widows weeds”.

Ava was the younger sister at thirty and the tallest at 5ft 8, but she was also the least confident, and was oblivious to how attractive she was, with her willowy figure and long brown hair.

Unlike her sibling she was painfully shy, and was a quiet studious girl, who never went out, preferring to immerse herself in books, in fact she only ever left the home for deliveries and Church, and she hadn’t left the island since her husband died.

She had attracted the attention of Courier Driver Max Dickinson who was a regular visitor to the Acre’s picking up packages of plants and seeds for delivery.

He had asked Ava out a number of times and she had always said no, but Sarah insisted

“The next time he asks you out, say yes”

The problem was since she had resolved to follow her sister’s advice, he hadn’t asked her again.

So when he called for the parcels on Friday afternoon, she acted completely out of character by taking the initiative and when he knocked on the door, she greeted him by standing in the doorway brandishing a sprig of mistletoe above her head.

Her boldness took him completely by surprise, so he stuttered, blushed and basically ignored her as her brushed past her and went to find the packages.

“Merry sodding Christmas” she exclaimed and threw the mistletoe across the room.

 

Ava slammed the door and went to find Sarah and was on the verge of tears when she found her

“What’s happened?”

Sarah asked and Ava blurted out the full story out of her.

“He ignored you?” Sarah asked

“Yes”

“But he’s crazy about you” Sarah said

“Not so much apparently” Ava said

 

When she left her, Sarah went in search of Max and when she tracked him down, she read him the riot act.

“I thought you liked her”

“I do”

“So why did you ignore her?” Sarah asked

“I panicked” he admitted “She took me by surprise”

“You’re an idiot” Sarah rebuked him

“I know” he said and after a minute or two Sarah asked

“Do you want her or not?”

“More than anything” he admitted

“Then come with me” She ordered and took him to the poly tunnel she was working in, where Ava was watering, then she gestured to him with her head to go in.

He walked in and after a moment he said

“I came to apologize”

He saw her bristle at his words and then she replied

“I’m not bothered”

“But I am” he said 

“I don’t care” she insisted

 

Max walked back out of the tunnel and was immediately confronted by Sarah

“What are you doing out here you idiot?”

“I said I was sorry, but she said she didn’t care” he replied

“You have a lot to learn about women” she said shaking her head and thrust a sprig of mistletoe into his hand

“Now get back in there and kiss her”

“But…” Max protested

“Do you like her or not?” she asked

“Well yes” he replied

“Then get back in there” Sarah instructed “trust me”

 

Max pushed open the door and walked in

“You don’t have to apologize again” she snapped “I really don’t care”

“I’m not here to apologize” he said, and he held up the mistletoe and then his voice cracked as he said

“I’ve come for a kiss”

“A what?” she asked and turned around “Oh”

And then he stepped towards her and when they stood facing each other, there was a moment of hesitation but then Max kissed her, and it was a perfect kiss that brought all the feelings that she had been suppressing bubbling to the surface and Max felt the love that filled her generous heart spill out from her every pore and gratefully gathered it up and wrapped her in his everlasting love.

 

Molly and Danny arrived back on the island with their Christmas shopping mid-afternoon which gave them plenty of time to freshen up before walking to St Clara’s for the Christingle.

 

All three main Churches on the island where holding their Christingle Service’s on Friday evening.

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

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

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

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

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (170) Emmaline’s Christmas Emporium

On Thursday morning, fortified by a good breakfast, Molly and Danny drove to the multistorey car park at the Phoenix Shopping Centre, and it was jammed and when they reached the main concourse that was busy too.

“Oh wow” Molly said, “It’s even busier than last year.”

“It really is” Danny agreed.

So they braved the crowds and joined the melee for about an hour then they split up to look for gifts for each other.

They met up back by where they had come in and went back to the hotel for lunch.

 

Back at Woodside Farm, Eden Hills could barely contain her excited anticipation when she walked into the yard, but then her heart sank when there was no sign of Dale Power.

After a few minutes of shuffling around staring at her feet, she was interrupted.

“Hello Bliss” a voice said from behind her and when she turned around it was Dale.

“Oh hello” she responded, “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming today.”

“No, it’s tomorrow that I’m not coming” he replied.

“Oh, I see” Eden said, “So why are you not coming in?”

“I need to go and do my Christmas shopping” he said, “I’m going to the mainland.”

“Oh, lucky you”

“Why don’t you come with me?” he asked.

“Me?”

“Yes” he said.

“I won’t be able to get the day off at short notice” she said.

“You won’t know if you don’t ask” he remarked.

“Natasha would never agree” she said resignedly.

“What would Natasha never agree to?” Natasha Baker asked, after entering the yard.

“Dale just asked if I wanted to go Christmas Shopping on the mainland” Eden explained “But I said it was too short notice to take a day off.”

“Nonsense” Natasha said, “Of course you can go, as long as Dale looks after you.”

“Absolutely” he assured her and then Natasha nodded and left them alone.

“So that’s settled then” he said, “I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

“That’s a date then” she said and immediately got flustered.

“I mean…sorry… I didn’t mean date.”

“Really?” Dale said “I did”

 

Danny and Molly were planning to leave after breakfast on Friday morning Danny was the first to rise and showered first, leaving Molly sleeping and reflected, as he showered, on the delightful events of the two years since they met and was thinking about how he would begin the day with another delight before breakfast.

So, he got out of the shower and hastily dried himself and was just about to open the bathroom door and put his plan into action when the door burst open, and Molly rushed in.

“Morning” she said and kissed him

“Hi Moll” he replied, and she bustled him out of the door and closed it.

When he heard the toilet seat go down with a bang, he shuffled away disappointed at not being able to put his plan into action, so he dried off and with the towel wrapped around his waist he sat on the bed in front of the TV while he waited for the object of his lust to emerge clean and fresh from the bathroom.

 

When Molly finally appeared pink and pristine from the bathroom wrapped in towels she said

“Are you not getting dressed?”

“In a minute, I’m just watching the news” he lied as his eyes surveyed every curve of her beneath her towelling sarong.

A curvaceous form he had become very familiar with in the short time they had known each other.

As Molly stooped over her bag and fished out a pink bra and matching pants, Danny walked up behind her and as she stood up, she gasped and leant back in his arms, her red hair, still wet against his skin

“You made me jump” she gasped

“I thought you might want some help” he lied

“Help with what?” she asked suspiciously

“To get you dry of course” Danny said innocently

“Really?” she asked doubtfully

“You are such a cynic,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I know it’s a character flaw” she said as he nibbled her ear, and then

Molly breathed sharply in and out through her nose as he un-tucked the sarong and it fell open to expose her nakedness.

“We’ll miss breakfast” she said as he kissed her neck, but it was said with no conviction, and he wasn’t really listening.

 

When they collapsed in a breathless heap on the bed and just lay there, spent and panting, Molly said.

“Can I have breakfast now?”

“You have a one-track mind” he replied and then he suddenly realized the time, so they had to jump in the shower together to wash away their lust, so they could make the restaurant in time for breakfast and only made it by the skin of their teeth to satisfy a different kind of appetite.