Alive ... and in Love

By Maureen Waller

ALIVE ...and in Love

Jon held Denni close and danced, she loved to hold him and feel his warm body. She loved everything about Jon. His blue eyes were so bright; she was drawn to them like a moth to a flame.
Her heart was beating fast... as though she was scared. In fact she was scared, but not scared of Jon. No, not of Jon...it was her own feelings that scared her!
She felt comfortable with Jon, her usual shyness with men had not been a problem. He was attentive to Denni, and his manners were impeccable. In fact she could not have found fault with him even if she tried.
Jon walked Denni back along the ocean front to her hotel. He held her hand and she felt wonderful...
She felt alive, and in love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CUSTOM BOOK PUBLICATIONS
• Release date: Oct 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311806468

Maureen Waller

Maureen Waller is a writer and historian, specialising in social and family history, and in the history of the English monarchy. She read Medieval & Modern History at University College, London and subsequently took a Master's at Queen Mary College, London. She is the author of 1700: Scenes from London Life, Ungrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole their Father's Crown, London 1945: Life in the Debris of War, Sovereign Ladies: The Six Reigning Queens of England and The English Marriage: Tales of Love, Money and Adultery. Maureen lives in London.

Book preview

ALIVE …and in Love

Jon held Denni close and danced, she loved to hold him and feel his warm body. She loved everything about Jon. His blue eyes were so bright; she was drawn to them like a moth to a flame.

Her heart was beating fast… as though she was scared. In fact she was scared, but not scared of Jon.

No, not of Jon…it was her own feelings that scared her!

She felt comfortable with Jon, her usual shyness with men had not been a problem. He was attentive to Denni, and his manners were impeccable. In fact she could not have found fault with him even if she tried.

Jon walked Denni back along the ocean front to her hotel. He held her hand and she felt wonderful…

She felt alive, and in love.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maureen Waller, born in England, is an Australian citizen. She worked in retail sales before opening a craft and antiques shop. Two, now adult daughters kept her life full, however now retired to the south coast of New South Wales, she and her husband travel whenever they can.

She started writing at young age, enjoyed writing essays and assisting with school publications. After her short stories were published in magazines and she received an award for a romance story, her writing became more serious and she joined local writing groups. Invited to read her poetry and stories at assorted venues culminated in her first novel Man on a String published in 2012. This encouraged her to write Alive… and in Love, initially inspired by a cruise around the delightful Greek islands.

Copyright © 2015 Maureen Waller

All the ch

aracters are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

ALIVE … and in Love

One of a series byMaureen Waller

Denni stepped down on to the tarmac. She could feel the intense heat through the thin soles of her shoes. Hurrying to the shade offered by the customs building she stood in line, her head was thumping unmercifully; she was hoping she would not have to stand too long.

‘Next,’ said the customs officer. Denni stepped forward and handed over her passport.

‘What is your reason for visiting Greece?’ he asked,

Denni answered briefly, ‘Holiday.’

‘Where are you from?’ the clerk asked tonelessly.

‘London… er… England.’

‘Occupation?’

‘Hairdresser.’

He studied her face then looked at her passport photo, and without any expression he said in a flat voice, ‘Okay, enjoy your stay.’ He motioned her through the checkpoint.

Denni went to the baggage conveyor and was relieved to see her suitcases arriving. She picked them up and looked around. There was a young woman going through the crowd with a list in her hand. She called out several names as she walked ‘Denise Michaels?’ she queried.

‘Yes,’ said Denni quietly. ‘That’s me.’

The woman said, ‘Follow us, please.’

She joined a disorderly trail of people and boarded a dusty bus. Twenty minutes later the bus pulled up outside of a plain whitewashed building, a swinging sign read Parthe. Several of the groups including Denni were ushered inside. As Denni was entering the hotel, the front door was held open by a tall man who was just leaving. As he stood allowing her to pass he accidentally brushed against Denni’s bare arm, she jumped as though she had been burned. The man spoke to her, his voice pleasant and his accent unusual. ‘I am sorry, I made you jump, you must be very nervous?’

He smiled down at her with the brightest blue eyes that Denni had ever seen. She answered briefly. ‘Yes, maybe I am.’ She smiled and thanked him before walking inside to the desk to wait for her room key. Noticing her reflection in a large mirror behind the counter, she was horrified at what she saw. Her pale face stared back, her hazel eyes were rimmed with dark shadows, she appeared older than her twenty years. It had been a long time since she had looked so tired; Denni sighed and pushed back her long fair hair. The disinterested clerk gave her a key.

‘Room seven,’ he said gruffly.

Carrying her suitcase along a narrow hallway she hoped seven might be her lucky number; that is until she found her room. It was plain, small, and hot. She locked the door, opened the window, and kicked off her shoes. Laying down on top of the bed she immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.

It had been a tiring day today; beginning with a taxi ride to the station then the underground into Heathrow. The busy airport was crowded with tourists and there seemed to be utter chaos. Denni had never flown before, this trip was going to be a great adventure for her and her friend Carol… But already the plans had changed, and she was alone. Denni had not really wanted to go on her own but she gritted her teeth and with her optimistic nature all fired up she set off on her first overseas trip.

Once her luggage was checked in Denni had joined a queue of people making their way towards the plane. The huge Airbus was full to capacity, with not a single spare seat. There were holidaymakers of all ages, every locker was crammed with luggage, and there was a touch of excitement in the air. Denni failed to feel excited, however.

She tried to recapture the joy she had felt when she had finally collected her ticket. Trying her best to look cheerful she settled into her seat. Eventually the plane was cleared for take off and they were on their way. The four-hour flight was uneventful but noisy. In the seat in front of her there was a baby who cried almost constantly, the high pitched screaming made enjoying the flight impossible. When the plane landed, Denni stepped out into the sunlight with a sigh of relief… the Greek island of Rhodes!

Awakening to find that it was quiet and already dark, Denni was disorientated for a moment or two and groped around the unfamiliar room. She had slept quite a while. By the time she had showered and changed she felt a whole lot better, her headache had cleared, and she felt a little touch of the excitement that she had been expecting. Stepping outside into the evening air was magic. It was a warm evening and she could feel a soft breeze on her face. Walking along the gravelly road she could hear the low murmur of the sea.

On the way in from the airport, she had noted some attractive, small cafes along the seafront. She began walking back and forward until she found a place she thought looked clean and appealing. There were only two people eating in there at the moment, thank goodness. For tonight at least she wanted to sit somewhere nice and quiet. The waiter came over for her order; she chose a simple dish of vegetarian spaghetti and crusty bread with a Greek salad. The service was prompt and the waiter was friendly.

When he brought her meal he bowed slightly and said, ‘Good evening madame, I am Theo, welcome to Rhodos, how long are you staying?’

‘I have booked four weeks here,’ answered Denni. ‘I know it isn’t going to be long enough to see everything.’

The waiter laughed.

‘A lifetime would not be enough to see everything! Are you travelling alone?’

‘Yes I am… rather unexpectedly my friend could not make it.’

‘That is a shame but I am sure you will enjoy yourself here. Please, relax and enjoy your meal.’

Denni succeeded in eating most of the delicious food. Feeling much better she had a second cup of hot tea. She said goodnight to the friendly waiter and walked back to her hotel. After she unpacked her few possessions, she pulled up a chair and sat on the tiny verandah for some time. The glint of waves could be seen breaking softly on the beach, a few minutes walk away.

As she sat, she found herself thinking about the chain of events that brought her here alone… the best laid plans. There was great excitement when Carol joyfully waved the tickets in the air. So much had happened since then, both girls had so much looked forward to this trip. A nasty slip on the kerb had spoiled Carol’s holiday. They had spent nearly all night in casualty until the doctor told them that Carol had a nasty break in her ankle, and would require surgery. A phone call to the travel agent confirmed Carol could have her ticket refunded but Denni had to travel alone or forfeit her ticket money. Reluctantly she chose to travel. Trying to put the circumstances of the last day out of her mind she was determined to enjoy this trip even if it killed her!

The following morning was glorious, and Denni decided to take a walk down to the beach. Golden sunshine shone on the sea and the water was the clear blue of a picture postcard. People already swam, the sand was hot, with the cooling breeze just enough to make slight ripples on the water. Denni spread her towel on the sand and stretched out. So this was one of the Greek islands. She breathed deeply and stared out into the horizon. The white wave caps glistened, washing against sand that was so clean it was almost white. The sun rose higher and the sky became so bright, Denni now knew why tourists flocked to this part of the world, because it was so beautiful.

Closing her eyes, she tried to relax but it was the aroma of fresh coffee that finally made her move, the fragrant smell making her hungry. A slow walk along the beachfront brought her to the small village of Falaraki where all along the main street there were lots of open-air cafés. Finding a small inviting place, she ordered coffee and tiny pastries; covered in icing sugar with a nutty filling, they were crisp, fresh, and delicious. Enjoying her brunch she noticed a tall, blond man stop at the counter and speak to the proprietor. There was a familiar look about him but Denni did not realise who it was until the man turned back towards the street. Then she caught a quick glimpse of his blue eyes and she remembered the incident at the doorway when she arrived. Watching him walk away she thought he was the best looking man she had ever seen. Finishing her coffee she walked from one end of the street to the other delighting in the unaccustomed scenery.

Window-shopping as she walked back to the hotel Denni realised she would have to try to sell the assortment of hair accessories, clips and combs that they had bought wholesale. They had a plan to open a business starting with the things they knew most about; both being hairdressers, hair accessories had been an easy choice. It had really been Carol’s decision to sell while on holiday, just to see where it might take them. Denni felt overawed that she now had the job of dealing with it herself.

The next morning Denni was waiting by the bus stop early, hoping to be out and about before it became very hot. Even so the sun was already beaming down with a burning force by the time the bus arrived. Olive groves flanked the dusty road to the old walled city of Rhodes; Goats or sheep grazed on the distant hillsides but the ground was rocky and sparse. The hills looked dry and uninviting, but the beautiful blue of the sea was magnificent against the gleaming sand. The dusty road followed the coastline all the way to the walled city. Entering this ancient town was like stepping back into time and Denni was glad of the cool shadows within the narrow, dark little lanes. She walked on; once again looking in store windows, searching for shops that might take some of the hair care items. It seemed as though she had walked miles so when she found a café with its striped awning she sat down at one of the outside tables. She sipped a fresh orange juice, it was cool and refreshing. The blistering heat on Rhodes was a bit scary; she managed to find the bus stop again