I had always been a contented person and altogether happy with my lot.
Though not a wealthy person by any measurement I had everything I wanted and all was well in my world.
I had a job that I enjoyed I had a family that I loved and got along well with and I lived in my own modest cottage in the pleasant English village of Bushy Down.
I had everything a man could want and I was content, that was, until a few weeks after my twenty ninth birthday when I met Dorcas Fox-Martin.
It was a glorious Sunday morning in June and the Village of Bushy Down was looking particularly picturesque.
I was on my way to St Lucy’s Church in the village, not somewhere I was completely unfamiliar with but somewhere I hadn’t been as often as I should have.
Though on that particular morning I had a more pressing need to be there other than the neglect of my spiritual wellbeing.
Because on that morning Ben Overton, that’s me, was to be Godfather to his nephew Connor.
My sister Helen was three years younger than me and was the baby of the family and now had a baby of her own who was about to be christened.
It was as I walked to the church, preoccupied by thoughts of pride at my impending Godfatherhood that my life was changed forever.
Having caught sight of Helen on the Church steps I quickly crossed Church Lane and was brought rudely to my senses by the blast of a car horn.
I jumped out of the way and reached the safety of the footpath and braced myself to launch a tirade at the impatient shit on the other end of the car horn.
But when I turned to face the driver I was greeted by a beautiful smiling brunette.
Who mouthed the word “sorry” which completely disarmed me.
Helen and her husband Mark watching from the Church steps thought it was highly amusing that I had nearly been turned into road kill.
I turned around to give them a withering look and when I returned my attention back to the pretty vehicular assassin she had gone and that was that or so I thought.
It was at the end of the main service when the Reverend Hunter began the Baptism of my nephew Connor Innes into the faith that I saw again.
It turned out that “Penelope Pitstop” the beautiful, if dangerous brunette, was a close friend of my sister Helen and was also to be a Godparent to my nephew.
I have to confess as proud as I was to be Godfather I didn’t really follow proceedings as closely as I should have as my eyes were constantly drawn to the beautiful girl on the other side of the font.
But at the end I lost sight of her in the melee as everyone decanted from the Church and such was the affect this beautiful stranger had on me that I drove to my mum’s house in Kiddingstone full of trepidation that she was gone forever.
I parked in the street outside my Parents house and went in.
“Hey Ben” Helen said as I entered the kitchen “you got here safely then?”
“Very funny” I countered
“You’re obviously safer as a driver than you are as a pedestrian” She said and roared with laughter.
“Shut up and give me a beer lippy” I replied
She went to the fridge and took out a bottle, opened it and handed it to me.
“Thanks sis,” I said “have you got a glass?”
I didn’t like drinking from the bottle, I couldn’t stand it, and it was a bit of a joke within the family I thought it was common.
“You are so old” Helen said laughing
“I just have standards” I retorted pompously “Where’s Mark?”
“He’s in the lounge showing Gran the video” She replied.
My Gran was 91 and quite frail and wasn’t well enough to attend the Christening so the ceremony was videoed by my brother Danny and it was being played back for her so she would feel included in proceeding.
“You should go and watch it yourself” she added “as you missed most of it as you were ogling Dorcas”
“Dorcas?” I asked playing dumb
“Yes the pretty brunette you couldn’t take your eyes off” she said
“I think you’re imagining it” I answered as I left the kitchen
“I think you’re smitten” she shouted after me
I was about to unleash a witty retort in response but I was suddenly knocked sideways into the wall slopping my drink down my trousers.
“Sorry” she said “I wasn’t looking where I was going”
I turned around to face my assailant
“That’s…” and that was all I could say as I gazed upon the smiling face of the beautiful girl I knew to be, though we had not been introduced, Dorcas.
I don’t know how long I stood there staring at her or how long I would have continued to stare had she not broken the silence.
“This is becoming a bit of a habit” She said “my name is Dor…”
“Dorcas” I continued
“Yes” she answered “and you’re Ben”
And so the introductions were complete and from the first moment we met she bought something into my world that I hadn’t even noticed I didn’t have, love.
I was besotted with the diminutive young woman with the immense personality and a heart as big as the moon.
As I said when I began I was quite content with my lot and I had not felt my life suffered for the want of love, I had not craved it nor coveted it, I just thought it was something that was inflicted on other people and I was immune but once I tasted it I was hooked.
Had it not been for the fact that she had almost run me down and had fate not also decreed we both be Godparents to the same child I don’t think I would ever have spoken to her, let alone asked her out but ask her out I did and furthermore she said yes.
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