…

Michelle, to Henry, was the proverbial black widow, having arrived with every stitch of clothing black or near enough.

They settle into an uneasy co-existence, by the fire, waiting out the rain and weather, not avoiding meals because it would require explanation, but stumbling over the conversation, mainly because of Henry’s shyness and reserve.

The arrangements come to a head when she goes out and comes back soaked.  She stands by the fire to get warm; Mrs Mac brings a towel for her to dry her face and hair, and here Henry discovers her injuries make it difficult.

He helps but makes a mess of it through inexperience and fear of, yes, making a mess of a moment, which, word-wise, he does.

At this point, we discover a lot more about who she is and why she is there, and why she can never have a relationship, friendship or anything with that enigmatic, shy, boy.

Then the weather breaks.

Alone, Henry goes out to explore the coast, finds a way down to the beach, goes for a walk to be alone with his thoughts, and remembers where he had seen her before.

In magazines, ads.  Not only a model but a lot more.  A woman he realizes he is way out of his depth when with her.

She ventures to the beach, and they talk, he discovers small talk is not something that comes easy and is left in despair at his ineptitude.

I know this feeling from experience, and it makes this story easy.

…

…

Some people are not who they appear to be.

Henry, for instance, had suffered the tragic loss of what he believed to be his one true love.  That, in essence, had led him to that life at sea, away from everything and everyone, because all it did was remind him of what he had lost.

And, yes, he was not going to fall in love again, it was far too painful.

Trying to get over the overwhelming grief, still raw a year later, he hears the arrival of another guest, and curious discovers it is a woman about his age, one who is quite at odds with what he would expect as a guest, at this hotel, at this time of year.

It raises that inevitable question, why would someone like her be there?

This leads to an awkward dinner where, with only two guests in the hotel, would it not be better if they sat together?  Neither thought so, but it seems impolite not to.

From there, of course, the conversation could only get worse, with each emphasising, in their thoughts, just how much they didn’t want to be there.

It is here we discover how these two are going to get along, or not, as the days proceed, not having realised that meeting others was a possibility, but meeting someone else who might be a match, never.  Both know they’re at that hotel to stay away from everyone else, but, in the coming days, that wasn’t going to be possible.

Plans must be made.

…

…

Some people are not who they appear to be.

Henry, for instance, had suffered the tragic loss of what he believed to be his one true love.  That, in essence, had led him to that life at sea, away from everything and everyone, because all it did was remind him of what he had lost.

And, yes, he was not going to fall in love again, it was far too painful.

Trying to get over the overwhelming grief, still raw a year later, he hears the arrival of another guest, and curious discovers it is a woman about his age, one who is quite at odds with what he would expect as a guest, at this hotel, at this time of year.

It raises that inevitable question, why would someone like her be there?

This leads to an awkward dinner where, with only two guests in the hotel, would it not be better if they sat together?  Neither thought so, but it seems impolite not to.

From there, of course, the conversation could only get worse, with each emphasising, in their thoughts, just how much they didn’t want to be there.

It is here we discover how these two are going to get along, or not, as the days proceed, not having realised that meeting others was a possibility, but meeting someone else who might be a match, never.  Both know they’re at that hotel to stay away from everyone else, but, in the coming days, that wasn’t going to be possible.

Plans must be made.

…

…

There are moments in our lives when events happen that stick with us forever.

This story is based on personal experience, with a few twists in the tale.  Like the main character, I spent a year as a purser on a cargo ship, a situation I managed to fall into by accident rather than pursue as a career.

Like the main character in the weeks, I had off the ship I used to find out-of-the-way, almost forgotten places to stay, in essence, hiding from the world, and home.  I was painfully shy and had always avoided contact with girls for fear of making a fool of myself.

Love seemed eons away, and that hiding process just took it to the nth level.

And, as mentioned before, having read Mills and Boon, the stories my wife devoured, as did her mother, I thought I could write a story that fitted into the confines of the standard 187 pages or so.

All it needed was the key three elements, the boy finds the girl, the boy loses the girl, boy and the girl find each other in the end.

Thus we find the main character, Henry, finds himself on a train, heading to what is metaphorically, the end of the world, in reality, a small seaside town with a hotel that takes the odd guest.  It’s winter, it’s cold, wet and miserable.

It suits his mood.

I’ve stayed in small hotels, where the owner is larger than life, the receptionist, barmaid, cook, cleaner and basically does everything, including, at times, the resident psychologist.

At one, I met a girl, a painfully shy female equivalent to me, hiding away because she could no longer take the stifling nature of her parents, and their expectations she is married, with children.  Happiness had nothing to do with what the believed was her lot in life.

That week, in a place that was as magnificent as it was forgettable, is a memory that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

The story that came from it, is not what happened, but it just shows what the imagination can do with bare bones.

Did I meet her again?  No.  I don’t think that was the purpose of it.

What it did do was take that painfully shy boy and give him the necessary courage to go out into a world he had always been afraid of, and find what was eventually his true love.

…

At the start, we learn about Henry, and why he doesn’t want to be at home.  A father that is overbearing, a man who wants his son to be more than what he is.  It’s that old story, the parent who cannot accept a son for who he is.

…

…

There are moments in our lives when events happen that stick with us forever.

This story is based on personal experience, with a few twists in the tale.  Like the main character, I spent a year as a purser on a cargo ship, a situation I managed to fall into by accident rather than pursue as a career.

Like the main character in the weeks, I had off the ship I used to find out-of-the-way, almost forgotten places to stay, in essence, hiding from the world, and home.  I was painfully shy and had always avoided contact with girls for fear of making a fool of myself.

Love seemed eons away, and that hiding process just took it to the nth level.

And, as mentioned before, having read Mills and Boon, the stories my wife devoured, as did her mother, I thought I could write a story that fitted into the confines of the standard 187 pages or so.

All it needed was the key three elements, the boy finds the girl, the boy loses the girl, boy and the girl find each other in the end.

Thus we find the main character, Henry, finds himself on a train, heading to what is metaphorically, the end of the world, in reality, a small seaside town with a hotel that takes the odd guest.  It’s winter, it’s cold, wet and miserable.

It suits his mood.

I’ve stayed in small hotels, where the owner is larger than life, the receptionist, barmaid, cook, cleaner and basically does everything, including, at times, the resident psychologist.

At one, I met a girl, a painfully shy female equivalent to me, hiding away because she could no longer take the stifling nature of her parents, and their expectations she is married, with children.  Happiness had nothing to do with what the believed was her lot in life.

That week, in a place that was as magnificent as it was forgettable, is a memory that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

The story that came from it, is not what happened, but it just shows what the imagination can do with bare bones.

Did I meet her again?  No.  I don’t think that was the purpose of it.

What it did do was take that painfully shy boy and give him the necessary courage to go out into a world he had always been afraid of, and find what was eventually his true love.

…

At the start, we learn about Henry, and why he doesn’t want to be at home.  A father that is overbearing, a man who wants his son to be more than what he is.  It’s that old story, the parent who cannot accept a son for who he is.

…

…

There are moments in our lives when events happen that stick with us forever.

This story is based on personal experience, with a few twists in the tale.  Like the main character, I spent a year as a purser on a cargo ship, a situation I managed to fall into by accident rather than pursue as a career.

Like the main character in the weeks, I had off the ship I used to find out-of-the-way, almost forgotten places to stay, in essence, hiding from the world, and home.  I was painfully shy and had always avoided contact with girls for fear of making a fool of myself.

Love seemed eons away, and that hiding process just took it to the nth level.

And, as mentioned before, having read Mills and Boon, the stories my wife devoured, as did her mother, I thought I could write a story that fitted into the confines of the standard 187 pages or so.

All it needed was the key three elements, the boy finds the girl, the boy loses the girl, boy and the girl find each other in the end.

Thus we find the main character, Henry, finds himself on a train, heading to what is metaphorically, the end of the world, in reality, a small seaside town with a hotel that takes the odd guest.  It’s winter, it’s cold, wet and miserable.

It suits his mood.

I’ve stayed in small hotels, where the owner is larger than life, the receptionist, barmaid, cook, cleaner and basically does everything, including, at times, the resident psychologist.

At one, I met a girl, a painfully shy female equivalent to me, hiding away because she could no longer take the stifling nature of her parents, and their expectations she is married, with children.  Happiness had nothing to do with what the believed was her lot in life.

That week, in a place that was as magnificent as it was forgettable, is a memory that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

The story that came from it, is not what happened, but it just shows what the imagination can do with bare bones.

Did I meet her again?  No.  I don’t think that was the purpose of it.

What it did do was take that painfully shy boy and give him the necessary courage to go out into a world he had always been afraid of, and find what was eventually his true love.

…

At the start, we learn about Henry, and why he doesn’t want to be at home.  A father that is overbearing, a man who wants his son to be more than what he is.  It’s that old story, the parent who cannot accept a son for who he is.

…