A little John Standring Story

by theearth

The story is based on the film Sparkhouse with Richard Armitage as the second best. Here, he's playing the leading role. What happens if he said "no" to Carol's proposal?

He had said No. Carol hat proposed to him and he had rejected her. Of course he had heard the rumours that the farm was in debt up to the ears and that Carol's father had not paid the due rent.

It had not come as a surprise to him; since Carole went away, Richard Boton had degenerated more and more and soon done nothing but get drunk. Not long ago he told John after a fierce argument he should not bother to return. Now he was dead of a heart attack and Carol was broke.

First he had thought Carol's proposal a bad joke. She knew that he was in love with her since he could think and for a short time he thought she reciprocated his feelings, too. Whenever he thought of it, he felt the humiliation as clearly as five years ago. He had invited her for a beer in the bar and not expected in his wildest dreams that she wanted to kiss him in front of all these people. HE could not do that; he could imagine the other guests' remarks only too well. And then Carol had suggested… He blushed with the thought of how she had humiliated him. And still he had hoped she had feelings for him and he took his mother's earrings with him the next day. Later he had learned that she had only wanted to get back at Andrew; he had been nothing but a useful fool.

A fool, yes, that was what he was to many people. He knew that many considered him retarded, a child in an adult's body. At age fourteen, he had already been as tall as now and even before, he had always been one foot taller than all the other kids in his class. Had he been an aggressive child, no one would have picked on him but in spite of his height, John was good-natured and friendly and rarely hit back even when he was being attacked. He had always been an outsider, too clumsy for soccer, too quiet for heated discussions, too much by himself by choice.

His mother had been a friendly, simple woman who had had enough on her hands with her two cleaning jobs and the household. She had already been in her mid-forties when John was born, a child no one had expected. "Leave my John alone", his mother had always said. "He is a good child. " John had grown up without anyone really taking care of him. Not that he was being neglected; he had always had enough food and clean clothing, but Mary Standring was content that her son did not make any great demands. When John was fifteen, she died of a stroke and John moved to his grandfather. His life did not change there.

John remained an outsider and in fact, hardly any one really knew him. It would have surprised most people that he liked to read and regularly used his library card. Mostly he read travel books, stories about discoveries, Henry Morton Stanley, Marco and Nicolo Polo. He did not have a lot of spare time, but when his chores were done, he was by himself most of the time anyway. He did not mind much; he loved silence and when he was not reading, he went into his little workshop he had set up for himself. His latest work had been a wooden chest; it gave him satisfaction to see how the rough boards became something, how they turned smooth. But nobody knew about this either; why should he show people?

Carol did not know anything about him either. She needed money. Oh yes, she offered to him a marriage, she spoke of a partnership, spoke of how she wanted to do something important in her life and this was when he realized that he did not want it. The reason for this marriage was that SHE wanted to do something with her life. He was supposed to be the useful fool again. In this moment it became clear to him that he had basically been as obsessed with her as Andrew had been. No, he did not want it and for the first time in his life he could have said so without averting his eyes in embarrassment. Carol hat looked at him like he was a stranger and had left. And this was when he realized one more thing: He did not care.

When John left the house, it seemed to him as if he percieved certain things in a totally different way. It was a beautiful day and he kept turning around as he walked to the library. He had never paid any attention to the new library employee – Sally must have been her name. She had always been nice to him and for the first time he studied her more closely. She was pretty, had straight brown hair and warm brown eyes. When he put his book on the counter, she smiled at him – and John smiled back.

When John Standring turned to leave, he heard the muffled giggle of Alona Vaysey, the librarian. He pretended he had not noticed but of course he knew that, as soon as he had left, she would tell Sally all about the "village idiot" and that Sally, if at all, would do nothing but smile at him in pity at his next visit. It still hurt after all those years although he should have been used to it by now. Quickly he left the library.

Sally saw how John's shoulders almost unnoticeably stiffened and she turned around to Alona. "What is so funny?" she asked, her irritated tone impossible to miss.

"Oh really, Sally" Alona answered, still giggling. "Don't you know who that was? If you don't watch out... The way he was looking at you! John Standring of all people! I don't even know if he reads all those travel books or simply looks at the pictures." Disappointed, she turned back to her work when she noticed that Sally didn't show any interest in asking further questions about John Standring.

Sally was mad. Not only that it was simply mean to make fun of this nice man who never did anything to anyone. Alona hat done it in the presence of three other library visitors and of course they had overheard everything. Sally had not been long in the little town and didn't know the man but she'd rather chew her tongue off than ask the town gossip Alona about Mr. Standring.

John entered his house and put the new books on the living room table. When he left the house earlier that day, he had felt so good, free, different. Apparently there was nothing different after all; here in the village the people would never take him seriously. The feeling of freedom was somehow gone, too; maybe it would come back reading the travel books. John sat down in his easy chair and took one of the books, but after he had read the same sentence three times without really taking anything in, he put the book aside. The image of Sally appeared before his eyes. Yes, she was different from Carol, but still out of reach for him.

Looking around his living room, John noticed for the first time how shabby everything was. His grandfather had wallpapered this room 25 years ago and the furniture was even older. John had never changed anything – what for? He lived alone and nobody saw what his home looked like anyway. Suddenly it bothered him, though, and he would change it.

Fiona knocked briefly and her head appeared in the door. "Sally, are you coming with us tonight? We are going out with a few other girls to have a drink and if you are planning on living here, you have to go out and mingle. You've already finished unpacking and putting up your furniture."

Sally hesitated for a moment but nodded. She really was finished with her room. She hat brought her furniture in a small rented truck and her brother and a friend had carried everything upstairs. Now, a warm rug was lying on the floor boards, pictures, for the most part watercolors painted by herself, on the wall and flowers were sitting by the window and on the shelves. The curtains were a really good choice; it was a light green, a good-mood-green. Soft pillows in bright colors were piled on the studio couch.

When Sally had applied for that temporary job in the library in the little town, he had known that she would have to move. She had gotten the job but known from the beginning that while she could work with Alona Vaysey as long as it was job-related, she and Alona were like cat and dog. This way, she was glad that she had so far only rented a room in an apartment-sharing community, especially since this was her fist job and she did not have a lot of money. The other two young women were very nice. Fiona had moved out of her parents' house because she could not stand the fact that they were controlling her every move although she was already 22. Maike was a German college student, interning here for a year. In this regard, Sally could not have been luckier.

Fiona was apparently right; this seemed to be the only real bar here and obviously half the town was meeting there; at least it was already very crowded. Soon Sally got separated of her new friends but she did not mind. She had not planned on clinging to them the whole time and besides, she wanted to look around first. She liked the music here. But first of all she needed something to drink. Sally looked around for a place to sit – there, by the bar, there was a free stool. She sat down and ordered some ale, mmmm, that was good. Then she turned around and started observing the people.

She remained unnoticed for the most part; she had never been anyone to attract a lot of looks. If she had to describe herself, she would have called herself "normal looking". She had long straight hair that remained straight, no matter what she tried with in. Her eyes were brown, just brown. She was about 5.6 ft and slim. She felt most comfortable in jeans and a sweater.

On the other end of the bar she spotted John Standring. She gave him a friendly smile but he just blinked a few times and looked away, embarrassed, into his beer.

Sally met a few other people she had seen in the library several times and felt at ease soon. Yes, she would come back, but I really was enough for today. She paid and headed for the exit. She had trouble to make her way through the crowd. "Will you let me through, please?" she asked a young man who was blocking her way to the door. He moved over a bit, but only slightly so she had to move by him very closely and brushed him on her way out. "Mhm, stay with me, will ya, ya feeeel niiice" the drunk mumbled and grabbed her arm. Sally tried pushing him away but the grip tightened. While Sally was still trying to pry the man's arm off, she heard a low voice she knew by now. "I think you'd better leave that girl alone."

„All right, don't worry, John," the young man said and turned again towards the bar; he needed refueling.

„Thank you, Mr. Standring", Sally said. For a brief moment the nice smile that she knew already appeared in his face, and then he looked away again. i My goodness, have I ever seen such a shy man? When he smiles, he looks so nice. The sweater he is wearing, though, is the ugliest I have ever seen in my entire life. /i That was very nice, again thank you", Sally repeated and left the bar.

John stared after her. She had been as nice as always; apparently Alona Vaysey had not said anything further about him or Sally had not cared. When John turned around in order to order another beer at the bar, he was looking into the grinning face of the librarian. Obviously she had witnessed everything and his face also; what she would tell everyone tomorrow he could imagine very well already. She had been in John's class, too, and even then she had seized every opportunity to embarrass him. He had never understood how someone could be so spiteful, could enjoy making fun of other people so much. What did she gain by it? Without looking Alona, he sat down on his chair again.

Sally was glad it was the weekend and she could sleep a little longer. Slowly she woke up when the sun started shining before her window and she heard the noise of dishes clattering in the kitchen. Maike was an early riser, she had noticed soon; the smell of coffee was already wafting through the house. After taking a shower, Sally put on her robe again and entered the kitchen. There were rolls, cereal, jam and cheese on the table. It was just so cozy being able to have breakfast with her friends on weekends. Maike grinned happily at her. „Hi. Awake or just up?"

"Just up for the moment but I guess I should be awake after the coffee", Sally replied.
Three minutes later, Fiona joined them. „So, how did you like it yesterday night? " she asked.

"I did enjoy it, there was just this thing with this drunk hitting on me when I wanted to leave. Nothing happened; John Standring intervened. Fiona, tell me, what do you know about this guy? Alona Vaysey made a few nasty remarks the other day."

„Oh, Alona, that mean bth. Well, I don't really know a whole lot about John. He works as a farm laborer on a farm close by; he is pretty much a loner. Last year he inherited the house from his grandfather and is living alone. You know the house, the one up there, right around the corner, No. 8. Some think John is a bit retarded but actually I don't think so. I just think he has never had a girlfriend. A few years ago he was out with Carol Bolton but that can't have been anything serious because at that time she was actually with Andrew Lawton. Yes, he is friendly and always willing to help and he definitely is i too /i good-natured." Then she grinned a little. „In any case it is obvious that his haircut and his taste in clothes are in need of LOT of improvement. Maybe he is just colorblind, that is also possible. Tell me, did he really have to intervene when this guy felt you up? I did not see anything but OK, it was pretty crowded."

„No, all he had to do is tell the guy to leave me alone" Sally said.

„I have never heard either, that he is a bully. He is a big guy and I bet that he is very strong. OK, enough about John Standring, I need to get ready. I am supposed to meet with Paul. Sally, would you clean up for me? I'll do your stuff tomorrow." Sally nodded and Fiona left; a short time later they could hear the shower.

Maike and Sally remained sitting for a while. „And what are your plans for today, Maike?"

Maike frowned. „Well, these are not exactly MY plans; my boss actually gave me this stupid assignment for the weekend. i Miss Berger, this project will be very useful for your thesis, blah, blah, blah, blah. /i You know an intern's life; full employee, no salary. So I'll be stuck in front of the PC for at least a part of the weekend. What about you?"

„I'm going to clean up now and then I've got some stuff to do. After that I'll go out for a run and later I really want to paint again."

While Maike was retreating to her PC, Sally cleaned up the kitchen. She enjoyed it very much to have such nice roommates. If she met more people in the village… She did not have to deal with Alona Vaysey aside from work. She liked her work and maybe there was a chance that her temporary job became permanent.

Sally put on her workout things and took off. The woods were very close to the apartment. The path was still pretty muddy for there had been rain a few times within the last days, but the air was just wonderful. Soon Sally found her rhythm and her running became automatic while her thoughts began drifting away. Why to John Standring of all people, however, she found a little weird, for he was definitely not the right kind of man for her. When he smiled, though, he looked almost cute. Cute! What an expression for a man of his size! - - Aaargh! A tree root! Sally stumbled and although she tried to stop herself from falling, she hit the ground hard. Man, that hurt! Oh no, this could not be true. Sally tried to get up but the pain made her cry out lout and tears came to her eyes. She must have pulled a tendon. It was impossible to walk. Panting, she sat on the ground. She had grazed her arm, too, and it stung badly, but that was not was bad; much worse was the fact that she did not have an idea how to get home; it was at least 4 and a half miles. She did not even have a cell phone with her and on her way he had not met any other joggers so far.

Maike stretched her arms. She had been sitting at the PC for almost 3 hours and felt tense. Strange, it was so silent in the apartment. Sally wanted to go running, but only for a while. She should have been back a long time ago. What if something had happened to her? Maike would have liked to walk the route or take her bicycle but she did not know the area very well either. What if she asked someone? – But whom? She had only been in the area for a few weeks and hardly knew anyone. Wait – a while ago Fiona and Sally were talking about this John Standring; He was obviously a nice persona and Maike also knew where he lived; they had mentioned his address after all. Maike took her keys and took off. It might all be a false alarm but she did not want to risk anything.

Chapter 4

John was standing in this by now half-emptied living room. Some of the furniture and the old rug he had already taken over to the dump, another part of it moved over into different rooms. He had surprised himself with his quick decision. Maybe it had all been triggered by Carol's proposal. He had realized that he wanted a change in his life himself and that maybe he really could change something. He would almost for sure never have the means to travel to one of the countries he loved to read about but he could change his home the way he liked. In one of the books he had seen a house he had liked. It had somehow satisfied him; maybe he would borrow that book again. He would refurbish the old easy chair. It was the only piece of furniture John associated positive memories with; as a small boy he had sometimes sat on his grandfather's lap and he had told him stories. Not often enough but still enough in order to remember. John looked around once more; all the other things he did not want to keep anymore. He would put the little chest he had made in here and he would sand the wooden floor. The wallpaper was old and yellowing, torn in some places; he would need new paper.

The doorbell rang and John opened the door. A young woman he did not know was standing in front of him. "Hello, I am really sorry to interrupt. Are you John Standring?"

John nodded in surprise, but the woman was already talking again. "My name is Maike Berger; I am Sally Wakefield's roommate… I know that sounds a little weird but Sally went out running more than three hours ago and she still hasn't come back yet. I hardly know anyone here in the village yet and Sally mentioned your name and that you had helped her before. I might be wrong and she is just out for a longer run but…" She hesitated.

„I'll come with you", John said, got his keys and closed the door behind him. Together they took off in the direction of the woods. Out of the corners of her eyes Maike looked at the big man. Obviously she had interrupted him at work. He was wearing old baggy and dirty corduroys, a green shirt was peeking out from under a sweater of indefinable color. His brown hair was curly and very thick. He was very broad but not fat as far as one could tell with his baggy clothes. He was in his late twenties. His voice had been very pleasant.

At the first fork in the woods John stopped and stood there, thinking. "Most people who are not familiar with the area take the left path that leads up there. You can hardly get lost there. I suspect Sally took that one." Together with Maike he walked up the path quickly but even 15 minutes later they had not seen or heard anything. Suddenly John paused, though, and then started running, and that was when Maike saw why.

Supported by a thick branch, Sally came limping towards them and stopped, relieved, when she noticed John and Maike and sat down on a tree stump at the side of the path.

„When you didn't come back after this long time, I got worried. You mentioned Mr. Standring at breakfast, so I asked him whether he would help me look for you", Maike explained. "I fell and pulled a tendon", Sally said, gritting her teeth. „It hurts like hell."

John looked at her ankle, which was already badly swollen. "I will get my car. I just won't be able to drive up this narrow path here. I will have to… carry you down." John felt his cheeks blush slightly. "If you like, I can also call an ambulance; the paramedics can carry you down as well."

Sally looked up at John gratefully: „That is really nice of you; we won't need the paramedics and… if you like… you seem to be my rescuer of the day. Maybe…"She extended her hand to him. "My name is Sally."

John hesitated briefly, then he took her hand cautiously. "John. – But we've got to get going now. Ready?" Effortlessly he lifted her up and carried her down the mountain. It was a very strange feeling to be so close to him. She felt his heartbeat and… somehow he smelled good. And what else she noticed: This tall, a little clumsy man had really nice hands. With a man of his size and occupation she had expected rough hands but he did have beautiful thin fingers. i Sally, you are nuts i she berated herself. i You've probably pulled a tendon and now you are thinking about John Standring's hands. /i

Three hours later, Sally was sitting in her room with a cup of tea. John had put her down at the fork, gotten his car and driven her to the doctor. It was like she had feared; a tendon was torn. Now she was sitting here with a bandage and a splint and was supposed to realx. Relax! She i could /i not relax. If she did not show up for work on Monday, she might as well kiss her job goodbye. But how was she supposed to get there? She could not drive a car in this condition. Fiona could not give her a ride since she had a totally different work schedule, and Maike did not have a car. She could not ask John either, for he always hard to start really early on the farm. Just great!

To make matter worse, her mother had called. i Yes, she was fine, the work was satisfying and yes, she had met nice people. /i Sally would never have told her about the accident; she could imagine her reaction only too well. Mia Wakefield had been against this from the start; her daughter accepting this job there. But had her mother ever agreed to anything Sally had planned? Sally's parents and her elder brother Ethan were all corporate consultants and together they ran the small, but in their circles renowned company 'Wakefield & Son' in London. Ever since she was little, she knew that she was expected to enter the company at some point but it soon became clear that she neither had talent for nor interest in mathematics, statistics and business administration. She had always liked to paint and to read. If Sally had been an artistic genius or at least been gifted above average, maybe her mother would have accepted it, but the way things were, Sally was simply the i ordinarily/i gifted daughter and Sally had to learn that it was a misdeed to be middle-rate. To her parents, the company was all that mattered, no, that was wrongly put, the company i was /i the world; after Sally had decided not to be a part of that world, she had turned unimportant somehow. She knew that it was not ill will of her parents. Probably, Sally thought, grinning, there is something missing in their brains that takes notice of the rest of the world. Luckily, Ethan was not quite like that – yet, how he would turn out after twenty years in the company, Sally preferred not to imagine. If there was one thing, though, that she had inherited from her parents, it was a certain stubbornness. She was different and wanted to be different. Reluctantly, Mia Wakefield had acknowledged her daughter becoming "just" a librarian. i Then at least let me call some friends, child, who can get you a really good position in a renowned library. It is beneath you starting in a small town library…" /i Sally could very well remember that conversation. Her mother could not understand that she did not want to get the job because of her parent's connections. i You are old enough; you've got to know what you are doing. But don't you come saying I didn't warn you. /i Sally's mother had said at some point. During the move, her brother had helped her; her parents were on a business trip at that time.

If she had told her mother about the accident, she would have tried for sure to persuade her to move back home. Yes, it was definitely better she didn't know.

There was a knock on the door; Fiona came in and sat down next to Sally. "Oh Sally, I just heard what happened. That is so bad; does it hurt a lot?"

„Not right now, but this is not really what I am concerned about. I have to get to work on Monday, otherwise can forget about the job."

Fiona was thoughtful. „We'll work it out, don't worry. Just leave it to me."

Chapter 5

After he had taken Sally to her apartment, John had returned home. In the bathroom he splashed cold water on his face in order to make his get a clearer mind. Still he could feel how it had been to hold Sally in his arms. What would it have been like to i really /i hold her and not just because she was injured? Except for Carol, he had never held a girl, and she stirred up nothing but thoughts of shame. John looked up into the mirror: Who would want a guy like him? It was better not to waste any more thoughts on that subject; getting back to work, yes, that would distract him. Determinedly, he started moving out the rest of the furniture.

It had been simply incredible how Fiona had organized a little driving team for Sally; she was born here and knew a lot of people. The neighbors hat also offered to give Sally a right from time to time. It was really different in a little town; obviously the people took care of each other. Alona Veysey had smiled a sour smile when Sally entered the library with her splint and had made a few pointed remarks about having to do part of Sally's work now since she was only fit for work to a limited extend. Sally could not get up like before and pull out a book for a visitor; everything just took a little longer now. The visitor's didn't mind, however; they liked coming over to her to have a little chat. All in all, everything went a lot better than Sally had actually hoped. John Standring she had not seen all week; someone had mentioned that he was remodeling his house. Maike had told her that he had come with her without hesitation although he had been busy. Just how could Alona Veysey make such cruel jokes about such a nice man? If you had someone like John as a friend, you could really be grateful. Sally decided to go over to his house and to thank him; she had her crutches after all, and it was not very far.

John had stripped the layer of paint off the floor. Now the beautiful floorboards could be seen, and he had waxed those, too. He had also stripped most of the old wallpaper. He was happy to have an occupation after work that required his full attention. Although John told himself over and over not to hope that a girl like Sally could ever be interested in him, her image kept reappearing in his thoughts. Even new, while he was having dinner, he could see her big brown eyes in front of him. The doorbell interrupted his thoughts. When he opened the door, Sally was standing right in front of him with her crutches.

„Hello John. …May I come in? "She asked, a little self-conscious, when John did not show any inclination of greeting her.

„Of course! I'm sorry", John replied and helped Sally up the two steps. Then he preceded her into the kitchen, „Everything is a little messy right now; I am remodeling." he explained. „Have a seat."

Sally sat down carefully and so did John, as soon as he had hastily put away his dinner. Sally took a little package out of her bag and put it on the table. "I wanted to thank you and I thought you might like it." John looked at Sally in surprise – a gift? When he unwrapped the package carefully, he was holding in his hands a travel book about Norway of the kind he liked to read.

„I looked at your library card. You had borrowed all the others already and I thought… Don't you like it?", she asked, turning self-conscious again when she saw John's bewildered face.

„I do, of course!" John protested and smiled an embarrassed smile. „It is just… you shouldn't have… Everyone would have done the same thing and I didn't expect a reward or anything."

„I didn't mean it like that either. I just wanted to something nice for you and…" She swallowed. „I would like it if we could be friends."

Had she made a mistake? John did not seem to like her idea at all. He blushed and didn't reply.

„I, I don't mean to impose..." Sally chewed her bottom lip. i Man, that was embarrassing! /i She got up. „Well, anyway, thank you again."

„No wait, Sally… I… I would like that, too. – Uhm, would you like to see what I have been doing in the house this past week?"

Sally was surprised. Was this John's way of showing her that they could indeed be friends? "Yes, John, I'd like that very much." She followed John with her crutches, limping. "Oh John, the floor is just beautiful!" Then she made a face and grinned. "Thank goodness, you're stripping the wallpaper. It is truly dreadful."

When Sally returned home later that day, she could not believe how long she had talked to John; she had spent more than an hour at his house. This man, who usually never opened his mouth, could speak when it came to wood and travels. How could anyone who had ever really taken the time to talk to him think that he was retarded! But that was probably the problem; obviously it happened very rarely.

John knew that the had made a mistake in accepting Sally's offer of friendship. He should have found some kind of excuse; she had already been half gone when he didn't answer. What had possessed him? Oh, he know exactly what it was. He wanted more than friendship and deep down he was still hoping that one day, she would look at him and see more than just one of her friends, although he knew exactly that this would never happen. Over the past years, John had come to accept that he would remain single. The girls who did not mind being seen with him, he didn't want. John sighed; maybe he could be content with just being her friend for she was really nice. Yes, that was it, nice.

Sally's accident had helped he make so many friends and acquaintances, more than she could have imagined. While it usually took a while for people to warm up to newcomers, the accidents and its consequences had changed everything. Of course, the fact that Fiona was her friend and that she took Sally with her everywhere. Sometimes all this was a little to much for Sally, too, and she was happy whenever she could visit John. She felt this incredible feeling of peace when she was with him. He never talked much but he was a great listener and he had loosened up around her now. He was really great with wood, and one day he had even shown her his little workshop; she had soon noticed, however, that he preferred to work alone and she had pinched him amicably, leaving the workshop. "Man and their toys one should better leave by themselves. Bye, John."

Finally she was rid of the splint! It would take a while until Sally could use her foot properly, even longer before she could go running again, but this was great progress compared to the situation before. She could drive again and didn't need the "Driving team" anymore. When she opened the trunk to get her grocery bags out, she heard a car Stopp behind her and a short while after that, a man's voice. "Hi sis, I thought I'd stop by and see you."

Sally looked up and saw her brother standing next to his car. "Ethan!" She ran towards him and he hugged her tightly. Ethan was 6" 4 and standing next to him, she felt like a dwarf. "Oh, I am so happy that you are here to visit me. Why didn't you call? Come on, just help me carry my bags upstairs and then we'll talk."

While Ethan was getting the bags out of the car, Sally saw John standing on the other side of the street. Oh, that was right, he has wanted to drop by today! But John was standing there, simply watching, lifted up his hand briefly and turned around to leave.

"John! Wait! Stay here!" Sally shouted and actually dragged her brother behind her across the street.

John had no choice but to stop. Obviously this man was Sally's boyfriend – the way she had hugged and kissed him. Why hadn't she mentioned him before?

"Ethan, this is a good friend of mine, John Standring. John, this is my brother, Ethan. I didn't know that he was coming; he didn't call. Can me meet tomorrow instead?"

John nodded, shook Ethan's hand and said goodbye hastily. Sally stood there, staring after him. The expression in John's face and his eyes when he had looked at her brother… first withdrawn, then surprised, and at last hopeful. This was when Sally knew that John's feelings for here were much more than friendship.

Chapter 6

Ethan had not noticed anything, thank goodness. He carried the grocery bags upstairs that Sally had left next to the car in all that hurry and sat them on the kitchen table while Sally was preparing coffee. Ethan sat down and his gaze went up and down his sister. "You look good, Sally. Mother did not say much but when I look at you, I must say that it was wise of you to move here. My guess is though that she will never understand." This was when she heard the door open. "Hang on, this must be one of my room mates. – Maike?"

"Just a minute, I'll be right there! I can smell the coffee already!" Maike put her things back in her room and opened the kitchen door. "Man, I'm totally beat; I…" Spotting than, she stopped dead but got herself back under control pretty quickly. Sally made the introductions: "Maike, this is my brother Ethan – Ethan, this is Maike Berger; she is a college student from Germany and currently interning here." She was used to this kind of reaction when people met Ethan for the first time. Her brother had dark brown, permanently disheveled hair, light green eyes and a smile he made friends with easily. Sally had always had trouble, however, keeping track of his girlfriends' names; the girls were changing so frequently. Ethan smiled warmly at Maike and addressed her then in fluent German. Sally could see that Maike was impressed. "Maike, I've got to warn you. He may be my brother, but I think I owe you this." She grinned.

"Really, Sally! And you call yourself my sister", Ethan cried out, an offended expression on his face, but Maike saw his eyes glitter mischievously.

"There is no danger anyway. Men who know exactly how good-looking they are, I avoid them as a rule," Maike joked. "All right, now I need some coffee." She got a cup for herself, sat back down at the kitchen table, sighed and just closed her eyes while Sally was putting her groceries away. Ethan watched Maike out of the corners of his eyes. She was really pretty, about 5 ft 7 and thin, but not too skinny, with short black hair and blues eyes. He had never cared for Twiggies. And – it seemed as though she had meant it when she had said that she was not interested in him; at least she did not pay any further attention to him after the introductions. OK, maybe she wanted Sally and her brother to have some time for themselves and some privacy. Maybe he would be able to talk to her a little more tomorrow.

Ethan followed Sally into her room. Now she noticed how much she had missed him. Unlike her parents, he had simply accepted that she had different goals and perspectives. Ethan left a few hours later. He was planning on staying in the area for a few days, so he would look for a hotel first. Sally had told him that she would visit John the next day and he had not pursued the topic any further, but instead suggested to Maike that she go to explore the area with him. Happily, she had agreed.

When Sally had closed the door behind him, she was suddenly aware of what she had been pushing into the back out of her mind for the past few hours: John! At first, she had told herself that this had come as a complete surprise to her, but had it really been? If she was being honest to herself, it had already been strange on her part to be thinking about his hands or to consider his eyes beautiful, if he was just a friend. On the other hand, a man like John really was not for her! Or was he? She didn't care for appearances, but she had to admit that even she was sometimes thrown off by John's sweaters and jackets. And also his hair… well… one could not even call it a haircut… But this man had the nicest smile one could imagine. He did not smile a lot, but WHEN he did… He almost looked handsome then and… had she ever felt so at ease in the presence of a man the way she did with John; not self-conscious at all, and very calm? With him, she didn't have this feeling of constantly having to prove herself, to always have a few cool words ready in order to prove to others that she was witty or smart. Had her subconscious been deceiving herself when she offered John her friendship? Sally didn't know, but she did know that she didn't ever want to lose John's friendship.

John had hurried home after he had said goodbye to Sally and Ethan. He had noticed that Sally had been staring after him; had she noticed? It had hurt so much to see her with another man, and he had been so relieved when Sally had introduced him as her brother. It was strange, he had only known Sally for a short time but she had become so important to him; he almost didn't recognize himself. Suddenly John became aware of the fact that he HAD been a fool for years as far as Carol was concerned. Against his better knowledge he had hoped that there could be something between them. Was he about to make the same mistake with Sally now? Sally was different; he already know that she would never use him. She was open, friendly, pretty… He could be more open around here than with any other person, but he also knew that in some regards they came from different worlds. Sally was a librarian, an he was a laborer on a farm. She had never given her any sign that there might be more than friendship between them. The best thing would be if he withdrew now, but maybe.…

John slept badly that night; only at dawn he truly fell asleep and woke up shortly after with his head pounding. That on top of all things! Man, his head hurt like after a boozy night, just without the fun. A hot shower would do him good. The hot water was pouring heavily down on him and John gradually became awake. He put on some jeans and went into the kitchen in order to prepare some coffee. Rrrrring! The doorbell rang. That had to be Sally; was it that late already? Without thinking any further, he walked over to the door and opened it. Only when he saw Sally staring at up at him with wide eyes, did he realise what he had done: He wasn't wearing anything aside from his jeans.

Chapter 7

Sally gulped. That was underneath those horrible sweaters? Not that she had much opportunity of looking at John much longer. "Excuse me!" John stammered, disappeared into the house and left the door open. Sally entered the kitchen and five minutes later, John came inside fully clothed. He had buttoned his shirt up to the very top. He poured coffee for Sally but hardly looked at her. Usually they would have joked about the whole situation and everything would have been fine, but Sally did not feel the feeling this time. Before, she had been thinking about his hands and eyes and now she had been confronted with a lot more all of a sudden. And if she was being honest… she had liked what she had seen. John was muscular and tanned, which was to be expected with his job. But there had not been any body fat; underneath his thick sweaters, he had always seemed much bigger than he really was. While she was sitting at the kitchen table and stirring in her coffee cup, she realized what she had already decided subconsciously a long time ago: It was not absurd to be thinking of John as a man and not simply as a friend.

"I've got that part for your easel", John finally said. After the move, a little piece of Sally's easel had broken off, and John had offered her to make a new one for her. He went into his workshop and took the wooden part of his work bench; when he turned around, Sally was standing in the door, looking at him, for a long time and in a totally different way. "John," she said simply, then put her hand on his arm. It was but a small touch and only on his shirt, but to John it was like the whole world had changed.

He looked into Sally's eyes; yes, she really meant it. Hesitating, as if he wanted to give her time to change her mind, John touched her hand first and then put his arm around her waist. Sally noticed that his hands were shaking slightly." John", she repeated, leaned on him and closed her eyes while John enfolded her into his arms. Never had she imagined it could be as wonderful as this. For a while they were just standing like this and Sally could feel his hands who were stroking her shoulders and her back gently. After some time they let go of each other. Sally looked into John's face and saw his expression. His blue eyes were looking down at her gently and still amazed, then he removed a loose strand of hair from here face. At first, they were both afraid to say something, as if the spell would be broken, but then John smiled. "I am glad", he said, and then she felt his lips on hers lightly. It was but a trace of a kiss, then he withdrew.

John was not the kind of man who could or wanted to display his emotions in public. In their spare time, they went for a walk or John joined Sally when she was painting. Sometimes they read travel books together or Sally helped John with painting the walls. Most people didn't seem to notice that they were a couple. Fiona was one of the few people that knew about them. She had been in the apartment when Sally came home beaming, and said to her a few days later with a small wink, "John is here pretty often. – Sally, I am so happy for you; he is a good man and I think most people don't recognize him for what he is." Then she grinned. „But maybe you should buy him a couple of new sweaters."

When they were by themselves, he kissed her often now, but in public he had not even held her hand once. Sally would not have minded but she knew that it was impossible for John. She did not know that there were more reasons, other than his shyness. John was happy, happy as he had never been in his life before, but would it last?

At the library, Sally had come to feel at home, too. She knew that Alona Vaysey would do her best in preventing her temporary position being changed into a permanent one, but the people in administration that mattered knew that the visitors liked Sally and that she did her job well.

Weekend! Sally sighed; her mother had announced she wanted to visit that day. Sally liked her mother; on the other hand she knew that they came from different worlds. Mia Wakefield had always been ambitious and could not understand that her daughter was so totally different from herself and her whole family. Sally did not expect this weekend to be a great success. Fortunately, her mother would arrive on Saturday morning, so at least she would have some time with John tonight.

As usual, John came over after work. He had brought some dinner with him and they were sitting together in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. When Sally opened the door, she stopped to face Mia Wakefield. "I was able to leave the company earlier, so I thought we'd spend a little more time together", she declared and entered the apartment without noticing that Sally was rather put out by her early arrival. Sally had always felt small and insignificant in her mother's presence, and this was no exception. Mia Wakefield was a stunning woman who did not look her 46 years; she had pinned up her hair and she was, as always, impeccably dressed. Sally preceded her into the kitchen, where John rose at Sally's mother's entry. "Mother, this is my friend John, John Standring", she introduced him. Mia Wakefield scrutinised the tall, coarsely dressed man sitting in her daughter's kitchen. "Nice to meet you", she replied, but her tone left no doubt about the fact that this was merely a polite phrase. Sally's mother sat down; an uncomfortable silence settled over the kitchen. "And what do you do for a living?" Mia Wakefield asked stiffly.

"I work as a laborer on a farm here in the village", John replied. Shortly after, he turned to leave and was already in the hall when he heard Sally's mother's voice. "So this is the kind of people with whom you consort? You cannot be serious, I hope." The door latched.

Chapter 8

After her mother's snide comments Sally had stood there speechless for a minute. It took a while for her to regain her voice and composure.

"Yes, mother, this is exactly the kind of people I consort with and that I WANT to consort with. John is not just a friend, he is my boy-friend and this is none of your or anybody's business!" Looking back, Sally didn't know how she had been able to work up the courage to stand up to her mother, neither did she remember what else she had said to her. Mia Wakefield's visit had been short and intense and she had left the very same night.

Still fuming, Sally walked over to John's house. He didn't answer the door, strange, but there was his car, sitting in the driveway. John saw Sally walk up to his door and heard the doorbell, but he remained sitting at the kitchen table. What good would it do to open the door? It was over; he had known that this was all to good to be true. Sally's mother had made him understand the hard way that his relationship with Sally was just a nice dream. Although Sally preferred jeans and sweaters, she was from a different world. While he was nothing but a laborer and would remain a laborer, Sally had a college degree and, judging by her mother's car, money as well. It hurt so much and it had obviously been inevitable. John buried his face in his hands and cried. Then he retrieved the big bottle of whiskey from the back of the kitchen cupboard and poured his first glass; it would help him forget everything at least for tonight.

The next day, Ethan called Sally. "Listen, Sally, mother came back, telling us a true horror story about a strange man you are involved with; apparently you two had a fight or so…"

"Ethan, you know mother. She can be so elitist and yes, John is just a laborer, but I love him and I will not justify myself to you or anyone."

Ethan remained silent for a while, then he answered "You have always known what you're doing and I will not interfere this time either. When I come by the next time, I want to take a look at this guy, though. Uhm, is Maike there?"

"Those times, when women had to have their brothers' approval, are over, thank goodness, bro", Sally teased him, a little more relaxed now. "By the way, I did suspect that you had an ulterior motive for calling. Want me to go get her?"

Why isn't John calling? He doesn't know that my Mom left on Friday already, but it is Monday now. Disappointed, Sally hung up the phone. He didn't seem to be home the next day either, when Sally rang his doorbell, and neither did he call. Suddenly it hit Sally: John must have heard what her mother had said, and drawn conclusions, wrong conclusions. If she didn't go after John now, it was over. She loved him and simply the thought of losing him…

The next day, Sally waited for John in front of his house when he returned from work. He unlocked his door and Sally followed him into the kitchen. "John, what is going on?" she asked. John didn't look at her when he took off his jacket and sat down. Please, John, I know that you overheard what my mother said, but you cannot just withdraw just because she doesn't approve."

At last, John gazed at her. "Yes, I heard what your mother said and… I also noticed that you didn't say anything back. I am not reproaching you. Leave it, Sally, it is no use, there probably was none from the beginning. Please, just go."

He stood up and started to clean up the table without paying her any further attention. Sally knew that he did not mean it like this; she had seen his agonized face and red eyes.

Sally felt numb. It was much worse. He had heard her mother's nasty words, but not what Sally had answered her. "No, John Standring, I won't let you off so easily. Not now, after I have basically kicked my mother out because of you", she answered hotly.

Abruptly, John turned to face her. "You did what?" he asked incredulously.

„My mother left Friday night after I had told her that you are my boyfriend and that I would not tolerate any butting in", Sally explained in a softer tone. "John, please, I need you and I don't want to lose you." Tears were streaming down her cheeks; John enfolded her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Sally", he moaned. "Sally, I thought everything was over."

"You thought I'd let you down", Sally said softly. "Why? Don't you know that I love you?" John's face told her everything; he had hoped but he had not been sure. His arms around her tightened, while his lips grazed hers lightly. "I love you, Sally, please don't go tonight", he whispered.

After Sally had fallen asleep in his arms, John remained awake. How wonderful it had been with her. How close he had come to losing her, and on his own fault! If she had not been so determined to fight for their relationship, it would be over now. This way, it was really starting now. He knew it would not be easy; there were Alona Vayseys everywhere, but John knew that he would never just withdraw like that. Sally had told him that there would be people, too, that supported them. "Fiona is happy for us. She just told me to buy you some new sweaters", she had joked.

Sally had gotten up with John at dawn. He had to leave the house early, and she needed to get back to her apartment to get ready for work. John had kissed her tenderly when left. "There are some very important things I have to take care of this week, Sally. Can I pick you up Friday night?"

Sally had her hands full the next two days anyway. The incident with her mother and her almost-breakup with John had numbed her. She had done her job at the library but had been unable to do anything at the apartment. Maike was on a business trip for her company and Fiona seemed constantly busy, too. At last it was Friday! John had even called ahead and told her that he would pick her up at 8 o' clock. At precise 8 o' clock, the doorbell rang and Sally opened. "John, I…" She was at a loss for words. In front of her, there was John, but a totally transformed John. His thick curls had given way to a modern, shorter haircut; he was clean shaven and wearing a fashionable suit. "May I come in?" he asked, laughing, when he noticed that Sally did not show any inclination to let him in. His smile had become more self-confident and he carried himself differently. Fiona poked her head in. "And? Good?" she grinned. "Fiona helped me pick a haircut and a suit", John explained. Sally nodded, still flabbergasted. "You look great" she finally said and followed John into her room.

"Sally, there is something I wanted to tell you… I mean…" His expression became insecure. "Actually…" John took a small box out of his pocket and opened it: a ring with a small perl was inside. He swallowed. „Will you marry me, Sally? We haven't been together very long, but…"

Sally looked at him. Yes, he was right, they had not known each other for a very long time, but she knew exactly that she loved this man an that she did not want any other. "Yes, John.", she said simply.

John had reserved a table for them at a restaurant. John waited in the kitchen while Sally changed once more. Her jeans were really not appropriate tonight!

When they both entered the restaurant, the whispers started from all the other guests. Of course everyone knew John Standring, but nobody had every seen him wearing suit and also Sally, in her chic, black dress with narrow straps, caused a quite a stir. When they were being taken to their table by the waiter, they spotted Alona Vaysey on a table close by. Alona stared and then raised her eyebrows. "Oooh! Is it a special occasion?" she asked, ready for some juicy gossip.

"Yes", John said and held her gaze. "Our engagement."

Epilogue:

A month later, Sally and John got married at the church of a little village called Dibley and went on to Norway for their honeymoon. Sally's parents took some time to get used to their son-in-law, while Ethan realized very quickly that John was the right man for his sister. He took a little longer until he realized that Maike was the right woman for him, but he managed to convince her more quickly to stay in England after her graduation and to marry him.

One year later, John and Sally, bought a small farm with the money they made of the sale of John's house and a bigger amount Sally had inherited from her grandmother, and after some more years, two girls and a boy were roaming the neighborhood.

And if they are living on, then they haven't died.

(Translator's note: Instead of "They lived happily ever after", Germans write "And if they haven't died, they are living on." Kind of figures doesn't it, but it does sound pretty romantic in German. This version we found in a movie.)