Johnnie - by Jackie Lane

Lucy’s life was very mundane. She worked in the small town of Hollingham at Gerald and Cooke, the local Estate Agent. There she met many interesting people, who were always so involved in the purchase of their new home to notice her. She was a pretty girl with strawberry blonde hair, a freckled nose and tiny frame making her appearance almost elfin like. She did have one annual event to look forward to though. It was the lighting up of the Christmas tree followed by a carol service hosted by the Salvation Army and then the purchasing of little gifts from the quaint shops in the town. The shops were open until 9 p.m. displaying windows full of festive gifts to entice the crowds of revellers.

Lucy and her closest friend Lydia mingled with locals. The festive spirit was in the air as they watched the lights appear on the giant fir tree, cheering loudly and joining in the carols. After a while they moved away from the throng, peering in the shop windows looking for unusual gifts for family and friends. Their final destination was their favourite coffee shop ‘Bonbons’ at the end of the high street. Bonbons was a favourite meeting place for the locals because of the delicious cakes always available to satisfy their sugar cravings.

They entered the cafe to be greeted with an air of excitement, chattering shoppers sipping freshly made coffee and sampling the newly baked cakes. They soon found an empty table. Wanting to be part of the celebrations, they removed their coats and settled down to enjoy the festivities. As Lucy looked around the cafe for the waitress she noticed a stranger seated alone at the corner table. He was dark skinned with a mop of curls - quite handsome, she thought. The stranger had also noticed Lucy, smiling as he caught her glancing across at him. She averted her eyes feeling a little embarrassed by this unexpected attention. Suddenly, the man pushed back his chair and made his way to their table.

“Hello I’m Johnnie; can I join you?” he asked.

“Of course,” Lucy replied, surprised at her boldness. Lydia raised her eyebrows amazed that her shy friend was acting out of character.

“Three coffees please,” he requested to the passing waitress in a strong but friendly voice. Lucy’s knees began to tremble, unable to cope with the unknown situation she had brought about.

”I can’t believe you’re going to meet a total stranger tomorrow,” remarked Lydia to Lucy as they quickly made their way home along the frosty pavements.

“I really like him,” she replied breathlessly as her body quivered with excitement at the thought of seeing him again.

The following day after a sleepless night Lucy hurried towards the arranged meeting place. She was nervous as she approached Bonbons, wondering if he would really turn up or if she was making a fool of herself. Johnnie was there, more handsome than she remembered. He greeted her warmly, boldly hugging her as if they had been friends for a long time.

“Shall we walk in the park?” Johnnie asked Lucy, “I’ve brought some bread to feed the ducks.”

“I would love to! I expect the ducks would welcome some food in such icy weather,” she answered unable to suppress the excitement of actually being in his company.

“I haven’t felt like this before,” she thought to herself.

They walked in the park hand in hand. Lucy felt so relaxed and natural to be with him - unlike anything she had experienced before. They finally made their way to Bonbons which now was ‘their place’. They talked endlessly, quite unaware of anyone else, recalling past experiences, exchanging information about themselves - likes , dislikes, family history - unable to exhaust the knowledge they needed to tell each other.

The months that followed were full of romantic meetings sharing every moment they could with each other. One morning Lucy scrambled from her bed, dressing quickly as she anticipated the exciting day that lay ahead. She decided to wear her favourite blue woollen dress which matched her unusually beautiful eyes. Breakfast was forgotten as she grabbed her coat and warm scarf from the hat stand in the hall. She almost skipped as she covered the short distance to Hollingham. There was a slight breeze but it was dry underfoot. The town, with its row of little shops displaying their Christmas wares, was attractively decorated for the festive season. Lucy headed for Bonbons. Her heart rate began to quicken as she opened the solid oak door, the bell announcing her arrival .The delicious aroma of freshly ground coffee greeted her as she scanned the rows of gingham covered tables to see if Johnnie had already arrived. He was seated at their usual table at the rear of the cafe. She smiled as she made her way towards him.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said breathlessly looking lovingly into his eyes. She sat down as the waitress approached the table.

“Two coffees please,” Lucy said in a cheerful voice.

The waitress looked down at her with a puzzled expression on her face. Lucy fumbled in her canvas bag retrieving a small package covered in shiny gold paper.

“I’ve bought you a present,” she said. The couple at the next table stared at her whispering between themselves. They didn’t know Johnnie had died almost a year ago. The ice on the pond had suddenly cracked sucking him down into its icy depths.

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