Page 9 - Leighton News December 2018
P. 9
-9-
“I don't get enough of those” he quipped softly, as he soon. “I have a large delivery here for a Miss Dolly
dipped back out of the door and out of her life. An Bell?” he twinkled. “Wow—so soon—thank you, yes,
absurd sense of impending loss made her follow him that'll be me.” “Well hello Dolly—that was my old
outside and round to the large yellow delivery van, as mum's name”, said the warm voice that she'd tried so
she fished through her mind for prolonged often to conjure up from her pillow in the last week.
conversation. It defaulted to the forecast of impending “Gosh,that's amaaazing. And urm, your name?” ''I'm
bad weather, as she wondered how far he had yet to just Harry",he purred. She gasped.”"Wow, that was
travel? Back over the mountains to Shrewsbury, and my grandfather's name!” He grinned. “So where do
home before dark, I hope. Pushing her hair back from you want it, Dolly? The delivery, that is.” “Well, it's a
her face, she abandoned all attempts to extend the bench kit, so out in the garden please. I'm hoping to
exchange, and threw him her best smile. put it together this afternoon.” She turned away
“Goodbye,she squeaked. “I really like your style, my quickly lest he see the rising blush. He swept up the
lady. Take care.” He blew a kiss through the murky heavy box as if it were empty, and followed her down
windscreen, and rumbled off. into the garden to a patio by the water. She strove not
to wiggle or giggle, as he appraised the beauty of the
Back in the now profound emptiness of the kitchen garden and the charm of the stream. “Can I maybe
she still sensed the clutch of the pulse that had risen in offer you a coffee?” she suddenly announced,
her throat. Her heart clamoured to make itself felt and wondering at her own bravado. “That's so tempting,
a rare chill of loneliness crept through her. She Dolly- but I'm running way too late today. We need
brusquely slipped into the Pavlovian routine of filling to go get that signature of yours again now.” "Of
the kettle and found herself reaching for the dusty old course", she wittered, fumbling with a tall rosemary
Cinderella mug at the back of the cupboard. That was bush, as he strode back up to the house. He was
when she spotted the large grey glove on the floor. waiting by the top step, where she briefly teetered in
She picked it up and shocked herself that she raised it her silly shoes. In an instant a strong arm caught her,
straight to her cheek. his hand briefly on her shoulder, his face close to
hers. There was an imperceptible pause
Being an experienced counsellor, Dolly spent a couple
of days diagnosing and defusing her absurd “Whoah, steady there, my dear. Mmm do I smell
infatuation as some displaced abandonment glitch. Gucci?” She quivered and flustered ahead of him to
Unlike bloody Cinderella, she would be 68 in a few the kitchen, but he remained by the van with the
weeks,when she would probably fall for the lnterflora signing gadget. She bumbled back outside, and they
delivery man too, when he'd arrive to swamp her with went through the old routine, but this time she just
the twins' annual avalanche of guilt. What she chose finished with a flourish. “I don't recognise that
not to observe, however, was the growing number of signature today, Dolly- where's my x?” She giggled
subversive activities that she was getting involved in. and blushed a little and placed her mark. “There's my
Her heart and brain had teamed up on Google for one girl”, he said softly, “Good luck with the bench”.
thing, to casually explore the realms of internet Then he winked, and he was gone. No blown kiss.
shopping,where they were soon trawling for urgent
items that wouldn't quite fit through the cat flap. Yet again she felt bereft. In the flummox, she'd totally
Meanwhile, her bedroom mirror was conspiring to forgotten to return the trophy glove. No progression,
tweak up her appearance. A quick trim and an but she now had no doubts whatsoever about the
upsweep of the madness of her hair, the re-discovery significant spark between them. The pace would be
of the earrings that reflected her blue-grey eyes,and slow, sure and dignified from now. She rehearsed the
the reinstatement of a lick of mascara and a blush of lines for deepening their exchanges, to slowly
the cheeks. Soon the funky grey dungarees re- introduce and explore their personal backgrounds. He
discovered themselves, along with an assortment of was probably a fair bit younger than her, but she was
shapely and interesting garments that had slunk to the good for her age. Was he spoken for? Pffft! no
back of the wardrobe. problem. After a deliberated pause, she placed her
next order—-for a Victorian garden arch kit. The
And so it was that, a week after their first delivery date was flagged up for Thursday. She
encounter,the yellow van came rumbling back up the popped out to the post office on Wednesday, and on
track to deliver a rather nice new garden bench. By the her return found a note on the kitchen table.
time it pulled up, Dolly was sitting pretty in the
kitchen deeply immersed in a seed catalogue. When It read 'Dolly? Where are you? Parcel in the
the bell rang,her heart lurched for her throat as she greenhouse. Nice bench for a coffee x' She ran to the
chirped “Come in!” And lo and behold, there he stood, river, sat on the bench and roared her disappointment.
beaming again through the Gandalf grey beard, as she She hastened the next order: a rather expensive
faked surprise that it should be him, yet again, so standard lamp for the bedroom. She would ask him to
carry it upstairs for her, so that he would see the
“I don't get enough of those” he quipped softly, as he soon. “I have a large delivery here for a Miss Dolly
dipped back out of the door and out of her life. An Bell?” he twinkled. “Wow—so soon—thank you, yes,
absurd sense of impending loss made her follow him that'll be me.” “Well hello Dolly—that was my old
outside and round to the large yellow delivery van, as mum's name”, said the warm voice that she'd tried so
she fished through her mind for prolonged often to conjure up from her pillow in the last week.
conversation. It defaulted to the forecast of impending “Gosh,that's amaaazing. And urm, your name?” ''I'm
bad weather, as she wondered how far he had yet to just Harry",he purred. She gasped.”"Wow, that was
travel? Back over the mountains to Shrewsbury, and my grandfather's name!” He grinned. “So where do
home before dark, I hope. Pushing her hair back from you want it, Dolly? The delivery, that is.” “Well, it's a
her face, she abandoned all attempts to extend the bench kit, so out in the garden please. I'm hoping to
exchange, and threw him her best smile. put it together this afternoon.” She turned away
“Goodbye,she squeaked. “I really like your style, my quickly lest he see the rising blush. He swept up the
lady. Take care.” He blew a kiss through the murky heavy box as if it were empty, and followed her down
windscreen, and rumbled off. into the garden to a patio by the water. She strove not
to wiggle or giggle, as he appraised the beauty of the
Back in the now profound emptiness of the kitchen garden and the charm of the stream. “Can I maybe
she still sensed the clutch of the pulse that had risen in offer you a coffee?” she suddenly announced,
her throat. Her heart clamoured to make itself felt and wondering at her own bravado. “That's so tempting,
a rare chill of loneliness crept through her. She Dolly- but I'm running way too late today. We need
brusquely slipped into the Pavlovian routine of filling to go get that signature of yours again now.” "Of
the kettle and found herself reaching for the dusty old course", she wittered, fumbling with a tall rosemary
Cinderella mug at the back of the cupboard. That was bush, as he strode back up to the house. He was
when she spotted the large grey glove on the floor. waiting by the top step, where she briefly teetered in
She picked it up and shocked herself that she raised it her silly shoes. In an instant a strong arm caught her,
straight to her cheek. his hand briefly on her shoulder, his face close to
hers. There was an imperceptible pause
Being an experienced counsellor, Dolly spent a couple
of days diagnosing and defusing her absurd “Whoah, steady there, my dear. Mmm do I smell
infatuation as some displaced abandonment glitch. Gucci?” She quivered and flustered ahead of him to
Unlike bloody Cinderella, she would be 68 in a few the kitchen, but he remained by the van with the
weeks,when she would probably fall for the lnterflora signing gadget. She bumbled back outside, and they
delivery man too, when he'd arrive to swamp her with went through the old routine, but this time she just
the twins' annual avalanche of guilt. What she chose finished with a flourish. “I don't recognise that
not to observe, however, was the growing number of signature today, Dolly- where's my x?” She giggled
subversive activities that she was getting involved in. and blushed a little and placed her mark. “There's my
Her heart and brain had teamed up on Google for one girl”, he said softly, “Good luck with the bench”.
thing, to casually explore the realms of internet Then he winked, and he was gone. No blown kiss.
shopping,where they were soon trawling for urgent
items that wouldn't quite fit through the cat flap. Yet again she felt bereft. In the flummox, she'd totally
Meanwhile, her bedroom mirror was conspiring to forgotten to return the trophy glove. No progression,
tweak up her appearance. A quick trim and an but she now had no doubts whatsoever about the
upsweep of the madness of her hair, the re-discovery significant spark between them. The pace would be
of the earrings that reflected her blue-grey eyes,and slow, sure and dignified from now. She rehearsed the
the reinstatement of a lick of mascara and a blush of lines for deepening their exchanges, to slowly
the cheeks. Soon the funky grey dungarees re- introduce and explore their personal backgrounds. He
discovered themselves, along with an assortment of was probably a fair bit younger than her, but she was
shapely and interesting garments that had slunk to the good for her age. Was he spoken for? Pffft! no
back of the wardrobe. problem. After a deliberated pause, she placed her
next order—-for a Victorian garden arch kit. The
And so it was that, a week after their first delivery date was flagged up for Thursday. She
encounter,the yellow van came rumbling back up the popped out to the post office on Wednesday, and on
track to deliver a rather nice new garden bench. By the her return found a note on the kitchen table.
time it pulled up, Dolly was sitting pretty in the
kitchen deeply immersed in a seed catalogue. When It read 'Dolly? Where are you? Parcel in the
the bell rang,her heart lurched for her throat as she greenhouse. Nice bench for a coffee x' She ran to the
chirped “Come in!” And lo and behold, there he stood, river, sat on the bench and roared her disappointment.
beaming again through the Gandalf grey beard, as she She hastened the next order: a rather expensive
faked surprise that it should be him, yet again, so standard lamp for the bedroom. She would ask him to
carry it upstairs for her, so that he would see the
