Chapter Two
By: Ashley McCall
Rating: PG (once again - to be a little risky)
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"G'bye." Once again, Geraldine watched as David regally walked back to the estates, but she did not leave the door overly joyous.
She pushed her hair back in frustration. "What were you thinking?" she asked the reflection in the mirror. "Did you honestly believe you could entice him through mere flirtations?"
Geraldine walked away in anger from the woman on the other side of the looking glass and began to mock her earlier actions. "Just clasp your hands like this. And tilt your head like this. And bat your eyelashes like this." She flopped onto the sofa and buried her face in her hands, "I ... am ... such ... a moron."
~*~
The year was going by so quickly. Geraldine's life had been one enormous, insane, twisty, and curvy roller coaster. She would even claim a record breaking 10 consecutive loops had been added in there when she was not looking. And now she was chained to the church of St. Barnabas. Although she had not planned on making a spectacle of herself often, this was a matter of life and death - the death of Dibley.
Summer ushered in an unbearable drought, and the water company's solution was to make a reservoir of Dibley. As far as Geraldine was concerned, this was the only logical and productive way of saving her village. Let the media spread the word, and let the people save her Dibley.
There was one problem. There was no press, no media - nil. David had already noticed the slight drawback in Geraldine's plan, and he had made sure she knew what he thought of it.
An entire day had gone by (as had an evening church service and a painfully long Anthea Turner special), and Geraldine's stomach was demanding breakfast (or at least a Curly Wurly bar to tide her over).
At that moment, she saw Alice walking up the path. "Ah! My favorite verger! Please tell me that you have food."
"Noooo. Sorry." Alice drew out while digging in every pocket she had until she found something. She revealed her finds, "Mmm. Dairy Milk."
"That'll do. That'll do," Geraldine begged and licked her lips.
Alice pulled back the paper and took a bite of the chocolate bar. "Mmmm. This is so scrummy."
"I'm sure." Geraldine's mouth was watering, "Alice, could I..."
"Heavenly."
Geraldine's hunger got the best of her, "Alice! If you don't give me a bite of that chocolate, I will make sure that you never know the true meaning of `heavenly'!"
"Oh. Sorry. Did you want some of this?" Alice held out the sweet.
"Yes," Geraldine sighed. Alice placed a decent chunk of Dairy Milk into the vicar's mouth. Geri slowly chewed the milky sweetness savoring every bit of delectable creaminess. The flood of flavor caused her eyes to slightly roll back into her head. She slowly recovered, "You were right. Heavenly."
"So ... still no press, eh?" Alice rewrapped the chocolate and stuck it in her pocket.
"No, Alice. Tons of press! They're all over at the vicarage having tea and biscuits." Needless to say, the vicar did not like to be reminded of her failures.
"Ooh," Alice started for the vicarage.
"No, no, Alice. Come back. Come back." Geraldine hung her head to the side, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so grumpy. There is no press."
"Aw," Alice frowned.
"Your father-in-law paid me a visit yesterday just to make that point." She took a moment to really look at her surroundings. Never had the small village looked so vast. "Maybe David was right. Maybe this is a ridiculous idea."
"NO!" Alice's unexpected resolute stance startled Geraldine. "You can't give in, vicar. Not now. What happened to `Girl Power'?"
"It disappeared along with the Spice Girls," she muttered under her breath. "I just can't do this alone, Alice. One person can't save an entire village."
"That's not what you use to say," Alice looked down in disappointment. "You never believed in the impossible. Remember? You told me, `All things are possible through Jesus Christ.' ... Oh, and a good push-up bra."
Geraldine let Alice's words of encouragement go in one ear and out the other as she held back tears. "I'm here alone, and alone I'll stay." She took in a deep breath and slowly released it, "Always alone." With another deep breath, she spoke, "But it's my own fault. I had my chance." Several tears ran down her face as she wailed, "He doesn't even call me Geraldine anymore!"
"Aw," Alice hugged the vicar around the waist.
Geraldine quickly pulled herself together - sniffling and blinking away lingering tears. "Thanks, Alice. I think it's just the lack of sleep. I don't know how much longer I can last."
The verger finally let go, "Do this for little Geraldine."
~*~
Soon after, Jim paid Geraldine a visit allowing her to take a break. Meanwhile, Alice had gathered the rest of the parish council at the Horton's residence.
"We've done all that we can. We've written our MP. We've signed petitions. All we can do is wait for results," David refused to be sold on Alice's idea.
She thought they should all join the vicar in her village saving strategy, but Owen was the first to correct David. "The vicar isn't just sitting around waiting for results! And I, for one, do not plan to sit around and wait for someone else to save my home either!" Without another word, he stormed out of the house.
Frank was the next to stand, "I second that motion," and rushed to join the vicar in her crusade.
"Go on!" David taunted them. "Make spectacles of yourselves. It won't be anything out of the ordinary!" He called to Frank and Owen as if they could hear him.
"You're right, Father." Hugo grabbed his jacket from the coat rack. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Extraordinary - just like the demi-Paradise our vicar is trying to save."
David turned away from the words he had spoken of Dibley only a few days ago as his son left to defend his homeland. His words had come back to haunt him and echoed in his mind mingled with Hugo's declaration. "This other Eden! This demi-Paradise! ... the demi-Paradise our vicar is trying to save. Extraordinary ... what an extraordinary woman you are."
He was saved from his own torment when someone placed a hand on his shoulder, "Mr. Horton?" It was "our Alice", "Aren't you coming with us?"
David only huffed. He had become so accustomed to being the antagonist.
"If you could just see her little face," Alice remained in her baby-talk tones, "she's so sad and lonely. I'm sure it would mean so much to her if you came." This time, he did not even acknowledge his daughter-in-law. Alice picked up baby Geraldine to leave, "Teletubby bye-bye."
~*~
There they stood - Frank, Jim, Hugo, Geraldine, Alice, and even baby Geraldine - chained to the church of St. Barnabas. Much press and many groups of supporters had finally gathered. Friends of the Earth were there; there was even a group especially for the vicar's bottom (thanks to Jim's interview with the BBC News).
Her plan was finally working. Geraldine was experiencing extreme pride - not for her accomplishments - for her village and for her fellow townspeople especially those standing with her in this crusade. Nothing could bring her down.
Then David appeared, "Still here, eh?"
"Yes," Geraldine answered indignantly. "Still standing firm. Despite what you think."
"I think, in the end, it's not a bad idea." He unzipped his jacket revealing a "Save Dibley" T-shirt and removed handcuffs from his pockets. "Chain me up, Scotty!"
~*~
Someone snuggly chained David between Geraldine and Alice.
"Nice of you to bring your own handcuffs, David," Geri could not give up her chance to tease him.
He raised an eyebrow (Geraldine swore that he almost blushed) but quickly looked down the line of protestors. "Where's Owen?" No one had seen the asinine farmer since he left David's house.
~*~
At dusk, the press, the supporters, and other lookers-on dwindled away van by van, group by group, one by one, and the Dibley protestors were left to entertain themselves. After a hundred rounds of "Guess What I Can See" hosted by Alice Horton née Tinker (objects included the tiniest blade of grass exactly one centimeter away from the outside of her left heel and a purple bunny with white spots that were polka-dotted themselves named Silly Sesame Stan in her brain), Geraldine just could not handle anymore.
"How about a sing-a-long?"
Geraldine thought it was going along much smoother than Alice's game, but they had only sung one song. Then Frank chose to sing "100,000 Green Bottles." After that tedious song, Hugo insisted on singing Kylie Minogue's "I Should Be So Lucky" followed by a few encores. Even during the first encore, Geraldine's eyes began to slowly close.
David softly nudged her, "Vicar? Are you O. K.?"
As slowly as she closed her eyes, she opened them again, smiled, and nodded. Geri turned around so that David could not see her smile grow wider as she thought, "David Horton in chains. Teehee. Now, now - be a good girl."
~*~
It was finally over. There had been word about the crowd that the Water Company was going to make an official announcement concerning Dibley and the water shortage.
Suddenly, a wave of mumbles parted with the crowd. The weasel of a spokesman from the Water Company pushed his way through until he got to a clearing. The mumbles quickly died as he began his speech, "After careful consideration of all the facts, I am instructed to inform you that the board has decided to proceed with Dibley Reservoir."
There was a mixture of gasps and shocked statements being swapped through the crowd. The six protestors were even more voiced, "What?! ... No ..."
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," he apologized, "...have decided not to proceed with Dibley Reservoir." He was interrupted by shouts and whoops of jubilation. The protestors would have clapped if their hands had been free. "We wish to point out that this decision has nothing to do with the recent protest."
"Sure!" the vicar heckled from behind.
"We have listened very carefully to the more detailed environmental arguments. And after the discovery on a local farm of a blue-crested, one-legged chicken, we believe the area to be of unique natural importance."
David looked at Geraldine in puzzlement as she noticed Owen in the crowd with a chicken nestled under his arm, "So that's where he's been?"
"And therefore, we'll look for other solutions to the water shortage."
~*~
As extra security, Hugo had swallowed the key for the handcuffs. There were no longer any animals on Owen's farm with the correct number of legs. The protestors' bodies were screaming for sleep. And David was wearing casual clothing. Unusual or extraordinarily unusual, Dibley was Dibley yet glorified.
They all congregated once more at the vicarage to celebrate. "We won!" Geraldine exclaimed triumphantly.
"This is indeed a great day for Dibley," David agreed; "and the right moment to announce that we have decided to have a millennium statue after all and chosen our subject."
Geraldine noticed that David was extremely proud of his announcement - with his hands shoved in his pockets and his ineffable smile. She had not seen him smile like that in a while. "Really?"
"We haven't discussed it with you, Vicar. But we feel there's only one person it could possibly be," Hugo explained. "In fact, everyone I asked gave me the same answer. ... And that answer was, `A statue of Geraldine.'"
She was slightly taken aback, slightly embarrassed, slightly flatter, slightly honored, and slightly speechless, "Well, I don't know what to say."
David supplied an option, "We just hope you'll honor us with your presence at the unveiling."
"I certainly will."
~*~
On the day of the unveiling, Alice joined the vicar in preparation of the big event. Geraldine still could not grasp the thought of being immortalized on the Village Green. In the meantime, she had time to think about the occurrences of the protest - the sleepless nights and days, the emotional breakdown, the crazy thoughts that could have been accidentally verbalized and entrusted to naïve Alice.
Alice was looking in the mirror trying to place her hair band in the perfect place as Geraldine joined her. The vicar opened her compact to powder her nose, "Um, Alice?"
"Yeah?"
"You remember that day, during the protest, that I just broke down and cried?"
"Yeah, that was so sad," Alice put her head on Geraldine's shoulder.
"Yeah," she patted the verger on the arm. "And you remember how I got upset about David not calling me by my name?"
"Is that who you were talking about?"
"Well, yeah. I mean ... No. Well," Geraldine had started this conversation to make an excuse for the things she said earlier, but it was an unnecessary conversation she discovered. All she could do now was babble senselessly, "It's just my feelings weren't really hurt. Well, they were hurt when he ridiculed my village saving plan, but that's beside the point. He did show up and stood by me ... us. Just as he had stood up for Dibley with his eloquent speech like the man I love. I mean really like ... I mean ... I never said I loved him."
"Right," Alice was mesmerized by the image in the mirror as she applied lipstick as blusher in clown style.
~*~
After the two had decided they were gorgeous enough, they joined the rest of the village for the dedication of the millennium statue. Just as they approached the site, David began the ceremony.
"And so it gives me the greatest pleasure, now that our heroic vicar has joined us," he nodded towards her as she took her place next to him, "to unveil the Dibley Millennium Statue. We'll call it simply `Geraldine'."
As silly as it seemed, Geraldine melted when David said her name. Her knees went weak, and she was giggly until the statue was revealed. It had an extreme likeness to Baby Geraldine in her crib. While everyone was giving applause, Geri was dumbfounded; therefore, her clapping was delayed greatly.
David continued, "We didn't want to commemorate the past, but look to the future."
Geraldine gave a few more claps in confusion.
"What do you think, Vicar?" David was very sincere.
"I think it's perfect." He squeezed her arm and left to join his family.
~*~
The crowd left. Jim left with the Swedish journalist Ana Greta and her twin sister. Owen returned to his Farm of Terror, and Frank was in a hurry to get home to watch "EastEnders". The Hortons congregated at David's home while Geraldine was left alone.
David cooed over his granddaughter as Alice looked on. The baby squirmed and smiled. Alice aided the reaction by tickling her baby's tiny feet and teasing her with baby talk, "You love your, Grandpoppy, don't you? Your granddaddydiddypoppypoo." David rolled his eyes at the insane name Alice had given him. "Yes. Yes, you do!"
Alice sat back with a sigh. "It just feels so nice to know that I won't wake up tomorrow morning in the middle of a reservoir. I know the vicar is especially glad you decided to join in the protest."
David handed baby Geraldine to her mother. "No more than she appreciated the rest joining her protest." He poured himself a drink, "I am sure the vicar was shocked by my appearance if anything at all."
"No. She was just saying that you defended Dibley just like the man she loved although she never told you that she loved you. Although I'm not sure why. She's always been one to speak her mind, don't you think?"
~*~
Geraldine shuffled through her CDs mumbling, "Where are Gloria Gaynor and Alanis Morisette when you need them?"
Suddenly, a CD caught her eye. Her gaze softened. Geraldine slid the CD into the player. The soft tones of Roberta Flack's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" began to play. Geraldine made her way around the sofa and sat on her legs. While pulling a quilt up to her neck, she propped herself up taking in every note and every word. Reminiscing.
There was a knock on the door.
"Eh, um ..." she tried to slide her legs around. "Just a moment!" She pushed herself off the sofa.
She did not bother to turn down the volume or to alter the player in anyway. She went directly to the door.
Geraldine opened the door and saw the person she least expected. "David?"
With no expression on his face, David took Geraldine by the waist, pulled her closer, and seized her lips with his own. The song continued to serenade them (rather appropriately):
"The first time ever I kissed your mouth..."
Geraldine responded taking David's face in her hands.
"I felt the earth move in my hand..."
Reluctant to pull too far away, David rested his forehead on Geraldine's. Speechless. Quaking.
"Like a trembling heart
Of a captive bird
That was there at my command..."
Both - senseless.
Geraldine finally managed to look up into David's eyes, but only for one brief moment. Now cheek-to-cheek, she whispered in David's ear, "I love you too."
~*~
Alice and Geraldine shared their ritual coffee chats while the latter took another stab at humoring the other.
"You know, Alice, serving Jesus is like taking a leak in your wetsuit," Geri said rather matter-of-factly.
"Oh. Really?"
"Yeah, other people may not know what you're doing, but you feel warm all over." Geraldine gave her usual appreciative laugh.
"I know exactly what you mean," Alice took a sip of her coffee never breaking a smile. "I've had to take a leak in my wetsuit on several occasions. Once you're in a wetsuit, there's really no way you're getting out."
~THE END~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~To "Manda" - for editing, encouraging, and giggling. You are "the beauty and the brains" of this team.
With Deepest Gratitude - From "The Rest" ;o) ~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By: Ashley McCall
Rating: PG (once again - to be a little risky)
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"G'bye." Once again, Geraldine watched as David regally walked back to the estates, but she did not leave the door overly joyous.
She pushed her hair back in frustration. "What were you thinking?" she asked the reflection in the mirror. "Did you honestly believe you could entice him through mere flirtations?"
Geraldine walked away in anger from the woman on the other side of the looking glass and began to mock her earlier actions. "Just clasp your hands like this. And tilt your head like this. And bat your eyelashes like this." She flopped onto the sofa and buried her face in her hands, "I ... am ... such ... a moron."
~*~
The year was going by so quickly. Geraldine's life had been one enormous, insane, twisty, and curvy roller coaster. She would even claim a record breaking 10 consecutive loops had been added in there when she was not looking. And now she was chained to the church of St. Barnabas. Although she had not planned on making a spectacle of herself often, this was a matter of life and death - the death of Dibley.
Summer ushered in an unbearable drought, and the water company's solution was to make a reservoir of Dibley. As far as Geraldine was concerned, this was the only logical and productive way of saving her village. Let the media spread the word, and let the people save her Dibley.
There was one problem. There was no press, no media - nil. David had already noticed the slight drawback in Geraldine's plan, and he had made sure she knew what he thought of it.
An entire day had gone by (as had an evening church service and a painfully long Anthea Turner special), and Geraldine's stomach was demanding breakfast (or at least a Curly Wurly bar to tide her over).
At that moment, she saw Alice walking up the path. "Ah! My favorite verger! Please tell me that you have food."
"Noooo. Sorry." Alice drew out while digging in every pocket she had until she found something. She revealed her finds, "Mmm. Dairy Milk."
"That'll do. That'll do," Geraldine begged and licked her lips.
Alice pulled back the paper and took a bite of the chocolate bar. "Mmmm. This is so scrummy."
"I'm sure." Geraldine's mouth was watering, "Alice, could I..."
"Heavenly."
Geraldine's hunger got the best of her, "Alice! If you don't give me a bite of that chocolate, I will make sure that you never know the true meaning of `heavenly'!"
"Oh. Sorry. Did you want some of this?" Alice held out the sweet.
"Yes," Geraldine sighed. Alice placed a decent chunk of Dairy Milk into the vicar's mouth. Geri slowly chewed the milky sweetness savoring every bit of delectable creaminess. The flood of flavor caused her eyes to slightly roll back into her head. She slowly recovered, "You were right. Heavenly."
"So ... still no press, eh?" Alice rewrapped the chocolate and stuck it in her pocket.
"No, Alice. Tons of press! They're all over at the vicarage having tea and biscuits." Needless to say, the vicar did not like to be reminded of her failures.
"Ooh," Alice started for the vicarage.
"No, no, Alice. Come back. Come back." Geraldine hung her head to the side, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so grumpy. There is no press."
"Aw," Alice frowned.
"Your father-in-law paid me a visit yesterday just to make that point." She took a moment to really look at her surroundings. Never had the small village looked so vast. "Maybe David was right. Maybe this is a ridiculous idea."
"NO!" Alice's unexpected resolute stance startled Geraldine. "You can't give in, vicar. Not now. What happened to `Girl Power'?"
"It disappeared along with the Spice Girls," she muttered under her breath. "I just can't do this alone, Alice. One person can't save an entire village."
"That's not what you use to say," Alice looked down in disappointment. "You never believed in the impossible. Remember? You told me, `All things are possible through Jesus Christ.' ... Oh, and a good push-up bra."
Geraldine let Alice's words of encouragement go in one ear and out the other as she held back tears. "I'm here alone, and alone I'll stay." She took in a deep breath and slowly released it, "Always alone." With another deep breath, she spoke, "But it's my own fault. I had my chance." Several tears ran down her face as she wailed, "He doesn't even call me Geraldine anymore!"
"Aw," Alice hugged the vicar around the waist.
Geraldine quickly pulled herself together - sniffling and blinking away lingering tears. "Thanks, Alice. I think it's just the lack of sleep. I don't know how much longer I can last."
The verger finally let go, "Do this for little Geraldine."
~*~
Soon after, Jim paid Geraldine a visit allowing her to take a break. Meanwhile, Alice had gathered the rest of the parish council at the Horton's residence.
"We've done all that we can. We've written our MP. We've signed petitions. All we can do is wait for results," David refused to be sold on Alice's idea.
She thought they should all join the vicar in her village saving strategy, but Owen was the first to correct David. "The vicar isn't just sitting around waiting for results! And I, for one, do not plan to sit around and wait for someone else to save my home either!" Without another word, he stormed out of the house.
Frank was the next to stand, "I second that motion," and rushed to join the vicar in her crusade.
"Go on!" David taunted them. "Make spectacles of yourselves. It won't be anything out of the ordinary!" He called to Frank and Owen as if they could hear him.
"You're right, Father." Hugo grabbed his jacket from the coat rack. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Extraordinary - just like the demi-Paradise our vicar is trying to save."
David turned away from the words he had spoken of Dibley only a few days ago as his son left to defend his homeland. His words had come back to haunt him and echoed in his mind mingled with Hugo's declaration. "This other Eden! This demi-Paradise! ... the demi-Paradise our vicar is trying to save. Extraordinary ... what an extraordinary woman you are."
He was saved from his own torment when someone placed a hand on his shoulder, "Mr. Horton?" It was "our Alice", "Aren't you coming with us?"
David only huffed. He had become so accustomed to being the antagonist.
"If you could just see her little face," Alice remained in her baby-talk tones, "she's so sad and lonely. I'm sure it would mean so much to her if you came." This time, he did not even acknowledge his daughter-in-law. Alice picked up baby Geraldine to leave, "Teletubby bye-bye."
~*~
There they stood - Frank, Jim, Hugo, Geraldine, Alice, and even baby Geraldine - chained to the church of St. Barnabas. Much press and many groups of supporters had finally gathered. Friends of the Earth were there; there was even a group especially for the vicar's bottom (thanks to Jim's interview with the BBC News).
Her plan was finally working. Geraldine was experiencing extreme pride - not for her accomplishments - for her village and for her fellow townspeople especially those standing with her in this crusade. Nothing could bring her down.
Then David appeared, "Still here, eh?"
"Yes," Geraldine answered indignantly. "Still standing firm. Despite what you think."
"I think, in the end, it's not a bad idea." He unzipped his jacket revealing a "Save Dibley" T-shirt and removed handcuffs from his pockets. "Chain me up, Scotty!"
~*~
Someone snuggly chained David between Geraldine and Alice.
"Nice of you to bring your own handcuffs, David," Geri could not give up her chance to tease him.
He raised an eyebrow (Geraldine swore that he almost blushed) but quickly looked down the line of protestors. "Where's Owen?" No one had seen the asinine farmer since he left David's house.
~*~
At dusk, the press, the supporters, and other lookers-on dwindled away van by van, group by group, one by one, and the Dibley protestors were left to entertain themselves. After a hundred rounds of "Guess What I Can See" hosted by Alice Horton née Tinker (objects included the tiniest blade of grass exactly one centimeter away from the outside of her left heel and a purple bunny with white spots that were polka-dotted themselves named Silly Sesame Stan in her brain), Geraldine just could not handle anymore.
"How about a sing-a-long?"
Geraldine thought it was going along much smoother than Alice's game, but they had only sung one song. Then Frank chose to sing "100,000 Green Bottles." After that tedious song, Hugo insisted on singing Kylie Minogue's "I Should Be So Lucky" followed by a few encores. Even during the first encore, Geraldine's eyes began to slowly close.
David softly nudged her, "Vicar? Are you O. K.?"
As slowly as she closed her eyes, she opened them again, smiled, and nodded. Geri turned around so that David could not see her smile grow wider as she thought, "David Horton in chains. Teehee. Now, now - be a good girl."
~*~
It was finally over. There had been word about the crowd that the Water Company was going to make an official announcement concerning Dibley and the water shortage.
Suddenly, a wave of mumbles parted with the crowd. The weasel of a spokesman from the Water Company pushed his way through until he got to a clearing. The mumbles quickly died as he began his speech, "After careful consideration of all the facts, I am instructed to inform you that the board has decided to proceed with Dibley Reservoir."
There was a mixture of gasps and shocked statements being swapped through the crowd. The six protestors were even more voiced, "What?! ... No ..."
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," he apologized, "...have decided not to proceed with Dibley Reservoir." He was interrupted by shouts and whoops of jubilation. The protestors would have clapped if their hands had been free. "We wish to point out that this decision has nothing to do with the recent protest."
"Sure!" the vicar heckled from behind.
"We have listened very carefully to the more detailed environmental arguments. And after the discovery on a local farm of a blue-crested, one-legged chicken, we believe the area to be of unique natural importance."
David looked at Geraldine in puzzlement as she noticed Owen in the crowd with a chicken nestled under his arm, "So that's where he's been?"
"And therefore, we'll look for other solutions to the water shortage."
~*~
As extra security, Hugo had swallowed the key for the handcuffs. There were no longer any animals on Owen's farm with the correct number of legs. The protestors' bodies were screaming for sleep. And David was wearing casual clothing. Unusual or extraordinarily unusual, Dibley was Dibley yet glorified.
They all congregated once more at the vicarage to celebrate. "We won!" Geraldine exclaimed triumphantly.
"This is indeed a great day for Dibley," David agreed; "and the right moment to announce that we have decided to have a millennium statue after all and chosen our subject."
Geraldine noticed that David was extremely proud of his announcement - with his hands shoved in his pockets and his ineffable smile. She had not seen him smile like that in a while. "Really?"
"We haven't discussed it with you, Vicar. But we feel there's only one person it could possibly be," Hugo explained. "In fact, everyone I asked gave me the same answer. ... And that answer was, `A statue of Geraldine.'"
She was slightly taken aback, slightly embarrassed, slightly flatter, slightly honored, and slightly speechless, "Well, I don't know what to say."
David supplied an option, "We just hope you'll honor us with your presence at the unveiling."
"I certainly will."
~*~
On the day of the unveiling, Alice joined the vicar in preparation of the big event. Geraldine still could not grasp the thought of being immortalized on the Village Green. In the meantime, she had time to think about the occurrences of the protest - the sleepless nights and days, the emotional breakdown, the crazy thoughts that could have been accidentally verbalized and entrusted to naïve Alice.
Alice was looking in the mirror trying to place her hair band in the perfect place as Geraldine joined her. The vicar opened her compact to powder her nose, "Um, Alice?"
"Yeah?"
"You remember that day, during the protest, that I just broke down and cried?"
"Yeah, that was so sad," Alice put her head on Geraldine's shoulder.
"Yeah," she patted the verger on the arm. "And you remember how I got upset about David not calling me by my name?"
"Is that who you were talking about?"
"Well, yeah. I mean ... No. Well," Geraldine had started this conversation to make an excuse for the things she said earlier, but it was an unnecessary conversation she discovered. All she could do now was babble senselessly, "It's just my feelings weren't really hurt. Well, they were hurt when he ridiculed my village saving plan, but that's beside the point. He did show up and stood by me ... us. Just as he had stood up for Dibley with his eloquent speech like the man I love. I mean really like ... I mean ... I never said I loved him."
"Right," Alice was mesmerized by the image in the mirror as she applied lipstick as blusher in clown style.
~*~
After the two had decided they were gorgeous enough, they joined the rest of the village for the dedication of the millennium statue. Just as they approached the site, David began the ceremony.
"And so it gives me the greatest pleasure, now that our heroic vicar has joined us," he nodded towards her as she took her place next to him, "to unveil the Dibley Millennium Statue. We'll call it simply `Geraldine'."
As silly as it seemed, Geraldine melted when David said her name. Her knees went weak, and she was giggly until the statue was revealed. It had an extreme likeness to Baby Geraldine in her crib. While everyone was giving applause, Geri was dumbfounded; therefore, her clapping was delayed greatly.
David continued, "We didn't want to commemorate the past, but look to the future."
Geraldine gave a few more claps in confusion.
"What do you think, Vicar?" David was very sincere.
"I think it's perfect." He squeezed her arm and left to join his family.
~*~
The crowd left. Jim left with the Swedish journalist Ana Greta and her twin sister. Owen returned to his Farm of Terror, and Frank was in a hurry to get home to watch "EastEnders". The Hortons congregated at David's home while Geraldine was left alone.
David cooed over his granddaughter as Alice looked on. The baby squirmed and smiled. Alice aided the reaction by tickling her baby's tiny feet and teasing her with baby talk, "You love your, Grandpoppy, don't you? Your granddaddydiddypoppypoo." David rolled his eyes at the insane name Alice had given him. "Yes. Yes, you do!"
Alice sat back with a sigh. "It just feels so nice to know that I won't wake up tomorrow morning in the middle of a reservoir. I know the vicar is especially glad you decided to join in the protest."
David handed baby Geraldine to her mother. "No more than she appreciated the rest joining her protest." He poured himself a drink, "I am sure the vicar was shocked by my appearance if anything at all."
"No. She was just saying that you defended Dibley just like the man she loved although she never told you that she loved you. Although I'm not sure why. She's always been one to speak her mind, don't you think?"
~*~
Geraldine shuffled through her CDs mumbling, "Where are Gloria Gaynor and Alanis Morisette when you need them?"
Suddenly, a CD caught her eye. Her gaze softened. Geraldine slid the CD into the player. The soft tones of Roberta Flack's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" began to play. Geraldine made her way around the sofa and sat on her legs. While pulling a quilt up to her neck, she propped herself up taking in every note and every word. Reminiscing.
There was a knock on the door.
"Eh, um ..." she tried to slide her legs around. "Just a moment!" She pushed herself off the sofa.
She did not bother to turn down the volume or to alter the player in anyway. She went directly to the door.
Geraldine opened the door and saw the person she least expected. "David?"
With no expression on his face, David took Geraldine by the waist, pulled her closer, and seized her lips with his own. The song continued to serenade them (rather appropriately):
"The first time ever I kissed your mouth..."
Geraldine responded taking David's face in her hands.
"I felt the earth move in my hand..."
Reluctant to pull too far away, David rested his forehead on Geraldine's. Speechless. Quaking.
"Like a trembling heart
Of a captive bird
That was there at my command..."
Both - senseless.
Geraldine finally managed to look up into David's eyes, but only for one brief moment. Now cheek-to-cheek, she whispered in David's ear, "I love you too."
~*~
Alice and Geraldine shared their ritual coffee chats while the latter took another stab at humoring the other.
"You know, Alice, serving Jesus is like taking a leak in your wetsuit," Geri said rather matter-of-factly.
"Oh. Really?"
"Yeah, other people may not know what you're doing, but you feel warm all over." Geraldine gave her usual appreciative laugh.
"I know exactly what you mean," Alice took a sip of her coffee never breaking a smile. "I've had to take a leak in my wetsuit on several occasions. Once you're in a wetsuit, there's really no way you're getting out."
~THE END~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~To "Manda" - for editing, encouraging, and giggling. You are "the beauty and the brains" of this team.
With Deepest Gratitude - From "The Rest" ;o) ~
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