THE MARY BROWN STORIES: BOX SET THREE by BLOOM BERNICE

Author:BLOOM, BERNICE
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gold Medals Media Ltd
Published: 2023-10-14T00:00:00+00:00

DON’T MENTION THE HEN WEEKEND

SPOSAMI

‘OK, my lovely, I’m going to blindfold you,’ says Ted.

‘Why on earth do you want to do that?’

‘Stop asking questions and do as you are told.’

He’s being terribly assertive. Not like Ted at all. He takes my bag off my shoulders and shuffles me to the side of the hallway.

‘What is going on?’

‘No questions,’ he repeats, like some mafia boss.

It’s 6 pm, and I’ve just arrived back from work in the stifling heat to find my boyfriend Ted behaving like Al Pacino while dressed like James Bond. He’s got a tuxedo on, and he’s polished his shoes. He’s even wearing aftershave, for heaven's sake. And he’s been off work today. He rarely gets out of his pyjamas on a day off, let alone showering and dressing like he’s off to a film premiere. This is odd.

Then he holds up the blindfold again, and ‘odd’ doesn’t seem a strong enough word.

‘This is going on your eyes whether you like it or not.’

‘Look, Ted, I’d like to know what’s happening. And where’s Elvis?’

Elvis is my new puppy. He usually jumps up and down like he’s on a trampoline when I arrive home in the evenings, but there‘s no sign of him tonight.

‘Elvis is fine. Sarah has taken him for a walk. They’ll be back in an hour.’

‘And what’s that smell?’

A delicious aroma wafts through from the kitchen, mingling with the smell of aftershave to create an intoxicating and rather alluring combination.

‘Have you got us a takeaway?’

‘Nope.’

‘Yes, you have. I can smell it.’

‘I’ve been cooking. Now keep still so I can put this on you.’

He’s been cooking? Frankly, that’s odder than him trying to blindfold me. I didn’t think he knew where the kitchen was.

Ted leads me into the dining room. It’s quite a painful experience, to be honest. I mean - I don’t want to seem ungrateful when he’s put so much work into this surprise, but he’s not a good leader, and by the time he gets me to the dining chair, I’m bruised from bashing into the doorframe and every piece of furniture en route to my seat.

‘OK, safely there. Now sit still.’

Ted leaves the room, and I’m dying to tear off the blindfold and check for bruises, but that’s not really in the spirit of things. So, instead, I sit quietly while lights flicker in front of me, visible through the material around my eyes. There are candles on the table, but I can’t see much else.

An air of mystery pervades.

The door squeaks as it opens, and I hear Ted come in and lay something down heavily on the table. Then there’s a scraping of crockery as he takes the lid off the pot, and a lovely smell lifts into the air. It smells like a Viennese cafe. He leaves the room again and returns with what sounds like more pots. Then, there’s the sound of wine being poured. Excellent: like music to my ears.

‘OK, are you ready?’ he asks, moving behind me. ‘Here's a surprise for you.

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