5
Sharp buzzing penetrated the morning fog of Ianto's mind.
he'd been dreaming of dancing under the moonlight with Jack. Only in his fantasy, a surly tow truck driver hadn't interrupted their kiss.
The buzzing continued.
Phone…ringing…his brain registered. Whoever was calling better have an emergency. A bleeding, broken limb, calling for an ambulance, kind of emergency.
Ianto reached blindly for his cell. "Yeah?"
"So? How did it go?" A chirpy voice on the other end asked without preamble.
"Huh?" he muttered, still battling back to consciousness. "Who is this?"
"Are you still asleep?" The incredulous and familiar voice of his sister asked. "Since when do you stay in bed past seven-thirty?"
"Brianne?" Ianto asked, struggling to sit up. "Why are you calling me? Aren't you supposed to be on vacation?"
"Yes, but I couldn't wait to hear how your date went," Brianne said. "Did you like John Henry? Should we start ordering wedding invitations?"
Oh, right, the bitter divorced doctor with two first names. Ianto had completely forgotten about him in the wake of the fairy-tale-like episode with Jack.
"Yeah, that didn't happen," Ianto said. "My car broke down on the way there. I couldn't get in touch with John Henry, so I ended up calling a tow truck."
Such a bland and uninteresting version of events. Ianto couldn't say why he felt the need to edit out Jack's portion of the evening. Except, the entire episode seemed like it belonged in another world. He didn't want anything in his real life intruding on what had been a perfect evening with a perfect stranger.
"What?" Brianne exclaimed. "You're kidding."
"Nope. My first attempt at changing my life didn't quite go as planned."
Instead, he'd met the man of his dreams and then left him behind on the side of the road, never to be heard from again.
Stupid. Jack wasn't the man of his dreams. He was a charming, gorgeous man who probably thought he was a sad, lonely old nerd.
"Aw, bro I'm sorry," Brianne said. "Call him again and make plans for another night."
Ianto grimaced. John Henry would probably never measure up to the fantasy man he'd met last night. "I don't know. Maybe this was all a bad idea."
"Now, don't give up yet. So what if you had a bumpy start? That's no reason to get scared and quit." Ianto could hear the disapproval in his sister's voice through the phone line.
"I am not scared," Ianto said, with righteous indignation.
He wasn't.
"I think maybe you were right," Ianto said. "I was reacting to the wedding and dad getting engaged, and feeling sorry for myself."
"No, you need to do this," Brianne said.
"Hold on," Ianto said, confused by the complete turnabout by his sister. "Weren't you the one who tried to talk me out of this foolishness?"
Brianne sighed the sigh of sisters who just could not deal with the stupidity of their siblings. "Well, now I'm agreeing with you. Keep up with me. You have sacrificed so much for our family. Now, it's your turn to have the life you want. You deserve someone wonderful."
"Maybe, but I really don't think John Henry is that someone."
"How do you know when you haven't even met? Just give him a call. Give him a chance."
Ianto hated when his sister was right. "Fine, I'll do it."
"Good man. Call him right now, before you chicken out."
"I won't chicken out," Ianto ground out through clenched teeth.
He wouldn't.
"Yeah, yeah." Brianne might as well have said 'bak, bak, bak'. "Call him. We'll be back in two days, and then I want the full scoop."
Sisters were such a pain in the neck.
Taking a deep breath, Ianto scrolled through the saved numbers on his phone. He'd just located John Henry's when his dad knocked on his bedroom door.
"Come in," he called out.
The door opened, and his dad poked his head in. "Ianto, the pastoral search committee is conducting its final interview with their choice this morning. They'd like us both to be there."
"Won't that be too awkward?" he asked.
"It's unusual, but I think they want my blessing on whoever takes my place. Makes everything less traumatic if I'm on board," he said, with a shrug. "You'll be working directly with him as his secretary, and besides, you're a great judge of character. I'm always amazed by how you can sense things about people almost immediately. You get that from your mother, I think."
For perhaps the first time in years, the mention of Jennifer Jones didn't bring an ache of guilt and remorse, but instead a sense of peace.
Which gave Ianto the courage to venture into a difficult subject. "About that," he said. "I'm not sure I'll stay once you retire."
One dark brow winged up in response.
"Not stay?" his father asked in astonishment. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about finally using my English degree. You know I've always loved writing, and Eric Dundee over at the Cardiff Gazette mentioned that they're looking for a features editor the other day so—" Ianto broke off, holding his breath as his father digested the announcement.
He didn't say anything for several moments, but simply gazed into Ianto's eyes, as if searching for an answer. Apparently, he liked the one he found, because a smile spread across his face. "Good for you, Ianto. It's about time you spread your wings."
"I'll look for an apartment once you and Morwen marry, too," Ianto continued.
His mouth turned down. "I hope you don't feel like we're running you off," he said. "You know we would welcome you."
The comment elicited a wry smile. "That's just it. I don't want to be welcome in someone else's house, and once Morwen moves in here it'll be her home. Besides, it's way past time I started acting like a grown-up, with my own place."
"Ianto, you've been a grown-up since the day that policeman showed up at our door." He stepped closer, a fierce light coming into his eyes. "Sometimes, I don't think you fully appreciate everything you've done for this family. I let you take your mother's place, when perhaps I should have pushed you to go make a life for yourself. But I was too devastated and too selfish. I couldn't bear to lose you, too. Then it became a habit to lean on you."
"Oh, Dad, no," Ianto said in a rush. "I made the decision. I don't regret it, but now I need to move on."
"Yes, maybe you do. I'm so proud of you."
Ianto found himself enveloped in a bear hug, the kind his non-demonstrative father didn't often give.
"You were always the one most like your mother," he whispered in his ear. "Having you around was like keeping a piece of her close to my heart. She'd be so proud of you."
Tears stung Ianto's eyes. "I miss her so much."
"I do, too. Always and forever."
When Ianto's father pulled back, his eyes were red. He coughed to cover his embarrassment. "We should go. The committee will be waiting."
The phone call to John Henry could wait. Duty called and Brianne would understand.
Ianto hurried to shower and dress, and soon they were on their way. They were quiet on the drive, as if unsure how to navigate the rapid changes taking place. Ianto was excited about the future, but also slightly sick to his stomach at the thought of stepping into the unknown.
Unlike most of the country, which seemed continually socked in by several feet of snow, Cardiff remained balmy, with crystal-blue skies and a breeze that always carried the faint scent of salt. Ianto didn't mind not having to shovel a car out from underneath a mountain of white. The snowbirds that regularly migrated here during the winter seemed to love it, too.
The citizens of Cardiff did their best to spread holiday cheer, putting up elaborate light displays in their yards. Some had already started popping up. Ianto spied several people congregated on the grass of their homes as he and his father drove down the street, which meant new displays would be joining the ranks by nightfall.
His father turned right at the end of the lane and headed through town. Soon, they passed Bay View Park at the north end of The Strip; the affectionate name locals had given to the two-mile long street of shops and businesses overlooking the bay.
Picturesque buildings, painted in bright, tropical colours of butter-yellow, salmon-pink, lavender, and mustard lined the street. Ianto knew the stores like the back of his hand.
Al's Hardware, the grocery mart, the bank, the library that had once been a train depot, City Hall and the Heddlu office, and the drug store with the original soda counter where you could still get a real root beer float made with homemade vanilla ice cream.
Across from The Strip was a boardwalk that began at the park and wound its way beside the water for about three miles. In the mornings, the boardwalk was usually filled with mothers pushing strollers or senior citizens out for a daily constitutional. After work the path was taken over by joggers and bike riders, and at sunset everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the glowing orange orb slip beneath the horizon.
Christmas had clearly arrived in town. Every light pole was wrapped in green boughs and sported giant wreaths with big, red bows. Sidewalk planters were filled with clusters of red poinsettias, and the store windows were also decorated to the nines. At night, the lights strung up in the trees would twinkle like a billion fairies dancing on the wind.
Today, Ianto took comfort in the familiar sights and sounds of his hometown. He needed to know some things in his life would never change.
A few minutes later, the car pulled into the driveway of Geraint Cooper's home. Geraint was an Elder at the church and the head of the pastoral search committee. His wife, Mary, was also on the committee.
Geraint answered the door. "Ah, Reverend, Ianto, you're right on time as always," he said, ushering them into the foyer.
"The call sounded urgent," his father said. "I wouldn't normally want to intrude on the committee's duty."
"Mary insisted," Geraint said. "It's a bit unusual, but the candidate agreed so everything is above board. He's already here, by the way. Everyone is out on the back patio."
"What do you think of him?" her father asked.
"Seems solid," Geraint said. "Young, but not too wet behind the ears. He's only been in ministry for a few years. Came to his calling later in life from what I understand. I like him."
Mr. Cooper turned to lead them through the house. Ianto and his father shared a look. Geraint was notoriously hard to please so for him to give such a pronouncement was significant.
The marriage of his daughter Gwen to Rhys Williams had been such a performance. Yes, he of the tow truck. He had taken so long to get the Coopers thawed that Gwen had threatened to elope.
Elope.
Ianto sighed internally at the thought of anyone wanting to run away with him.
Chance would be a fine thing.