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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Love stories / Romance
- Subject: Life Experience
- Published: 11/30/2015
Sense and Sensitivity.
Born 1941, M, from Whitby, United KingdomSense and Sensitivity.
“You’re 23 years old now and you should be going out with some nice young boy. Not walking the flaming dog in all you’re spare time. People will start thinking you’re a real old maid.”
“That’s a bit old fashioned isn’t it Mum? But it’s no good mother. I have tried with the boys but I’m just too shy. I can’t do anything about it. It won’t go away no matter what I do.”
She had in fact, just a few minutes earlier, passed a boy walking his Border Collie. She had seen him from a distance a few times before. Never this close though. Her first glance confirmed that he was exactly right. The right size. Right shape. Right body movements. Definite boyfriend material. Then he smiled at her as she passed and she panicked immediately and altered her course away. Frightened and embarrassed. This problem had been with her as long as she could remember. Friends that had brothers seemed to be able to break the ice with boys straight away. She could not break any ice but was dumb struck after any verbal contact. Boys might as well have been aliens from another planet. They were equally as unapproachable to her.
“I’m off to the park café now, Mum. See you later. I’ll probably be bringing back the boyfriend to introduce to you!”
“Huh, don’t joke; the chances of that happening are about the same as me being the Mother - of - the - Bride!”
She entered the park again complete with Sam, her spaniel. She remembered her Dad saying it was good to take a dog into a park “......gets them used to meeting different people and knowing what they all smell like.” He would say.
She looked to her usual outside corner bench at the cafe and was pleased to see her best friend there half way down her first coffee.
“Hi there, I’m glad you’ve come in. I’ve got something to tell you. My sister has this friend that is a hairdresser and he comes to our house every now and then to do her locks. Well, I heard her say that he had seen this girl walking her spaniel in Pringle’s Wood and guess what?”
“I can’t think. Guess what?”
“Yes you can. It’s you, you daft ‘apporth. It’s you. Not only that I reckon he fancies you!”
She had just taken a first swallow of coffee and coughed some of it up. She tried in panic to stop it coming out but only made it worse and it sprayed across the bench. The owner came over and wiped it up, smiling.
“Went down the wrong way, eh?”
“Yes, yes - I’m so sorry.”
“Look, I’m in just the right place to fix you up. You just have to do it some time.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m not very good chatting up boys.”
“I know that, don’t I? You really want to though don’t you?”
“Yes, I suppose I do at the bottom of it”
“Right then. I’ll see what I can do.”
She went home that night full of excitement and coffee. The next morning however, the false confidence had worn off and she began worrying. At first it was just a little niggle in the pit of her stomach but it began to grow as time passed.
“I’ve done it, I’ve done it! He’ll meet you at the stile that leads out of the wood about half past seven tomorrow.”
“Oh, God!”
The little niggle escalated into full grown butterflies, just like that.
“Now, don’t you get cold feet. It’s like swimming, it’s great when you get into the water.”
At seven o’clock the next day she was approaching the stile with feet like lead balls. She went over with Sam clearing it. She was deliberately early. A Silver Birch had fallen at the edge of the wood. Its branches and leaves still growing even though it had toppled. Just like me she thought. She looked about, saw no one and walked into the green umbrella of broken tree cover. A peeping tom. Her heart fell to her leaden boots.
Before half past he came, dog on lead. He waited at the stile and looked about .Sam was down wind of them and was picking up their scent. Making him restless.
She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t cross the ground between them. She was rigid. She felt both relieved that she had made the subconscious decision and desperately, deeply aware of her own short comings. Time passed slowly.
He looked around again. Then at his watch and walked away.
She went straight to the park café as fast as her now unleaded feet could take her. It was empty. The owner looked concerned at the young girl he knew with new black looks and brought her a free coffee.
There was a rattle of a chain behind her. When she looked up it was---- him and his dog.
“I love Spaniels.” he said quickly. “Especially like yours with the long hair. I bet you find it difficult to groom him don’t you?”
“Why yes, I do. I have one of those combs with a razor in it. I think it’s old fashioned but it works OK.”
“That’s funny; I have one just the same. He’s called Benji by the way.”
Benji and Sam had immediately made lifelong friends. Must have been the scent or something!
And that was it. She was in the water and away, swimming really was easy once you got into the water.
Sense and Sensitivity.(Ossie Durrans)
Sense and Sensitivity.
“You’re 23 years old now and you should be going out with some nice young boy. Not walking the flaming dog in all you’re spare time. People will start thinking you’re a real old maid.”
“That’s a bit old fashioned isn’t it Mum? But it’s no good mother. I have tried with the boys but I’m just too shy. I can’t do anything about it. It won’t go away no matter what I do.”
She had in fact, just a few minutes earlier, passed a boy walking his Border Collie. She had seen him from a distance a few times before. Never this close though. Her first glance confirmed that he was exactly right. The right size. Right shape. Right body movements. Definite boyfriend material. Then he smiled at her as she passed and she panicked immediately and altered her course away. Frightened and embarrassed. This problem had been with her as long as she could remember. Friends that had brothers seemed to be able to break the ice with boys straight away. She could not break any ice but was dumb struck after any verbal contact. Boys might as well have been aliens from another planet. They were equally as unapproachable to her.
“I’m off to the park café now, Mum. See you later. I’ll probably be bringing back the boyfriend to introduce to you!”
“Huh, don’t joke; the chances of that happening are about the same as me being the Mother - of - the - Bride!”
She entered the park again complete with Sam, her spaniel. She remembered her Dad saying it was good to take a dog into a park “......gets them used to meeting different people and knowing what they all smell like.” He would say.
She looked to her usual outside corner bench at the cafe and was pleased to see her best friend there half way down her first coffee.
“Hi there, I’m glad you’ve come in. I’ve got something to tell you. My sister has this friend that is a hairdresser and he comes to our house every now and then to do her locks. Well, I heard her say that he had seen this girl walking her spaniel in Pringle’s Wood and guess what?”
“I can’t think. Guess what?”
“Yes you can. It’s you, you daft ‘apporth. It’s you. Not only that I reckon he fancies you!”
She had just taken a first swallow of coffee and coughed some of it up. She tried in panic to stop it coming out but only made it worse and it sprayed across the bench. The owner came over and wiped it up, smiling.
“Went down the wrong way, eh?”
“Yes, yes - I’m so sorry.”
“Look, I’m in just the right place to fix you up. You just have to do it some time.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m not very good chatting up boys.”
“I know that, don’t I? You really want to though don’t you?”
“Yes, I suppose I do at the bottom of it”
“Right then. I’ll see what I can do.”
She went home that night full of excitement and coffee. The next morning however, the false confidence had worn off and she began worrying. At first it was just a little niggle in the pit of her stomach but it began to grow as time passed.
“I’ve done it, I’ve done it! He’ll meet you at the stile that leads out of the wood about half past seven tomorrow.”
“Oh, God!”
The little niggle escalated into full grown butterflies, just like that.
“Now, don’t you get cold feet. It’s like swimming, it’s great when you get into the water.”
At seven o’clock the next day she was approaching the stile with feet like lead balls. She went over with Sam clearing it. She was deliberately early. A Silver Birch had fallen at the edge of the wood. Its branches and leaves still growing even though it had toppled. Just like me she thought. She looked about, saw no one and walked into the green umbrella of broken tree cover. A peeping tom. Her heart fell to her leaden boots.
Before half past he came, dog on lead. He waited at the stile and looked about .Sam was down wind of them and was picking up their scent. Making him restless.
She couldn’t do it. Couldn’t cross the ground between them. She was rigid. She felt both relieved that she had made the subconscious decision and desperately, deeply aware of her own short comings. Time passed slowly.
He looked around again. Then at his watch and walked away.
She went straight to the park café as fast as her now unleaded feet could take her. It was empty. The owner looked concerned at the young girl he knew with new black looks and brought her a free coffee.
There was a rattle of a chain behind her. When she looked up it was---- him and his dog.
“I love Spaniels.” he said quickly. “Especially like yours with the long hair. I bet you find it difficult to groom him don’t you?”
“Why yes, I do. I have one of those combs with a razor in it. I think it’s old fashioned but it works OK.”
“That’s funny; I have one just the same. He’s called Benji by the way.”
Benji and Sam had immediately made lifelong friends. Must have been the scent or something!
And that was it. She was in the water and away, swimming really was easy once you got into the water.
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