The German Christmas market was bustling. Stalls were set out with beautifully decorated gingerbread houses, sugar icicles dripping from their gabled rooftops, gingerbread men accompanying them wearing‘eat me’ smiles. Bregenwurst hung from hooks and illuminated reindeer peeped out among the Christmas trees that resided on the rooves of the colourful, well stocked stalls. The spicy fragrance of mulled wine intermingled with the more pungent smell of coffee and the comforting aroma of hot chocolate with marshmallows coiled in around the stalls tempting everyone with their warming qualities.
Their eyes
met across the cheese stall, he with the silver grey tousled look of a gypsy,
she sporting tumbling auburn locks with the aid of Nutrisse. She was coy, didn’t
want him to catch her looking.
‘Good God
woman,’ ran the thought through her head, ‘you’re pushing sixty, you don’t want
the angst of an obsession over a man messing with your brain at your age. All
that was done and dusted in your teens. Jog on, old fool.’
She
continued to browse the stalls looking for little extras to hang on the tree
for the grandchildren. She fancied some tasty cheese but she’d wait until he’d
moved on. Wandering on she found herself at a stall selling mulled wine.
“I got you a
cup, I hope you like it.”
The gypsy
type was at her side.
“Er, yes,
thank you, but you shouldn’t have.”
“I thought
it would be a festive ice breaker. I’m Damien. You are?”
“Oh, like
the devil child in The Omen.”
“Not so
demonic I hope.”
“No
hopefully not. I’m Regina – I blame my mother for that choice.”
Just then
the couple behind him began to have a bit of a spat. She pushed her man, he
knocked into Damien sending his face smack up against the side of the stall.
Mulled wine spilled from the rims of the cups and something flew from his
mouth.
“My God you’ve
knocked your teeth out!” she exclaimed.
“Not quite
as bad as that, it’ my crown, but where’s it gone? Cost me a fortune!”
“It flew
towards me,” she said, immediately getting down on her knees to look for it.
He joined
her and they scrabbled along the ground until her fingers closed over the tiny
pebble like object.
“Here we
are.”
“Thank
goodness for that. Now I need to put it somewhere safe until I can get to the
dentist.”
“I’ve got
just the thing.” She rummaged in her bag and extracted a small tin that displayed,
‘Hello Kitty’ with a cat’s smiling face on the lid. “I keep mints in it but you
can have it, I’ve got another one at home.”
“Thank you,
you’ve saved the day. My, what an introduction.”
“Could have
been worse, it could have been your teeth then you’d have had blood dripping
down your chin like a vampire and been more at home on Halloween.”
“Certainly
would! Anyway, looks like we’d better get some more mulled wine.” He held out
his arm indicating for her to lead. “Shall we?”
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