Author's note: This chapter is among my favourites in this story. I truly hope you
will like it too.
Fiddlesticks is something Marilla says in "Anne of Green Gables" written by Lucy
Maud Montgomery. Not mine, just borrowing.
Chapter Text
After some time spent at skating both Grace and Lucas decided that four falls were more
than enough. It wasn't so much anymore due to Grace's clumsiness that they ended up
laying on the frozen ground. It was more due to the fact that both of them couldn't stop
laughing so much which affected their balances more than it normally would!
"I give up", Grace barely spoke through laughter "For now."
Lucas' shoulders shook from laughter and he wiped his eyes as he tried to stop the tears
that came from laughing so hard.
"Well, one more fall and you would have to piece me back together", he quipped as he
pretended to limp, holding onto his beautiful fiancée's shoulders.
Grace snorted as she gently kissed his cheek.
"I'll make it up to you", she said with a warm smile "How abouuuut I take you to the flea
market so you can check that old man's records collection?"
Lucas gasped slightly as he turned to look at her, his eyes widening in excitement.
"Where you bought me King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band record?", he asked and as Grace
nodded, smiling warmly at his excitement, he smiled happily "I'd love to go!"
Grace's smile widened and she took his hand in her gloved palm. Tugging him gently to
follow her, she turned left and said:
"Come on, let's go!"
—-
Grace picked up a tiny glass bird and bringing it closer to her face, she playfully squeezed
her eyes.
"It's a sparrow", she deadpanned.
Lucas leaned down to look at the glass bird.
"No. That's an oriole", he said, holding an old leather handmade notebook in his hands.
Grace looked up at him sideways.
"Pffff…Fiddlesticks!", she huffed, making Lucas laugh.
"Oh, don't go all Marilla on me!", he said, chuckling.
Grace grinned as she placed the little glass bird down and leaned over Lucas' shoulder to
peek at the item he held in his hands.
"That's a lovely leather binding", she commented.
Lucas nodded as he opened the notebook.
"Yeah. It's so soft, look", he handed it to Grace and she touched the notebook before
nodding in approval.
In the next moment she grabbed it from his hand and quickly turned to saleswoman and
gave her some money.
"Hey!", Lucas called out as she rushed to run away. He rushed to catch up with her and she
turned around with a victorious grin, handing him the notebook over. Lucas smiled as he
gave her a pointed look, taking a notebook from her hands "Sweetheart, you don't have to
spend your money on me".
Grace grinned.
"I know that I don't have to", she winked at him before walking quickly toward the next
stand and adding on her way "But, I want to!"
Lucas shook his head and quickly followed her throughout the flea market, his fingers
reaching her fingers and they intertwined.
Grace smiled happily at the feeling of his hand in her.
And in the next moment she gasped quietly and rushed to the stand on their left. It had
masks on sticks in shades of gold, silver and black. She took one and held it haughtily in
front of her face.
"We should have had the Ball under the masks", inching closer to Lucas who was smiling at
her playfulness, Grace quipped "That way we could have even bring peace to at least some
of war parties."
Lucas let out a chuckle and Grace grinned as she put the mask down and reached for the
red feather scarf. Tossing it around her neck, she looked back at her handsome fiancé.
"We could have had thematic masked Ball! Oh, imagine all the confusion!", she giggled
"Nobody would recognize anybody!"
Lucas snorted slightly, picking up a top hat.
"You know what, you are right! And this", he tapped his index finger at the top hat "This
could have been used as a part of a mask and I'd get to keep it for my magician tricks."
Grace glanced at the top hat then at Lucas, her smile turning appreciative.
"Aaaaah, double benefit!", she leaned in and whispered "Intelligent AND handsome!", her
eyes looked up at him with adoration.
Lucas' smile turned shy and he placed the top hat down before wrapping one hand around
Grace's waist and whispering:
"There might be one little problem in your plan."
Grace creased her eyebrows as she looked back at him.
"Really?", she asked.
Lucas nodded, acting all serious.
"Mhm", huddling closer to her, he leaned down to reach her ear and whispered conspiratolly
"Your fiancé might show up at that kind of the Ball."
Grace gasped and her eyes went comically wide.
"Oh, my God, you are right", pulling him away from the stand by taking his hand in hers
Grace rushed through the crowd as she added "Better not to risk it!"
Both of them laughed as they moved quickly through the crowd until she stopped and put
her palm in the crook of his arm as she smiled happily.
"Are you ready to meet the human jukebox?", she asked.
Lucas smiled as he replied:
"Absolutely", he followed Grace as she walked by the stands until she reached the one filled
with boxes full of various records. A man was hunched down behind the stand as he was
picking something up from the ground.
Grace smiled as she leaned across the boxes.
"Good morning, Mister John", she said joyfully.
A man with a longer, gray hair, slightly curled at the end as it reached his shoulders,
straightened up and smiled warmly at the sight of a young lady in front of him.
"Good morning, Miss Grace", he picked up his index finger as his facial expression turned
mischievous "I got a whole box of new records arrived yesterday", with a joy on his face he
pointed to a box close to Lucas and grinned "All rares and golds".
Grace leaned toward Lucas as he started to browse through the records.
Lucas gasped quietly as he pulled out one record.
"Grace, look! Sidney Bechet!", he turned the record in his hand and read the back of it.
Grace peeked at the record and smiled.
"Oh, he is wonderful! I heard him playing in one club in New Orleans", she said as she read
the back of the record.
Lucas glanced at her in awe.
"You did? When were you in New Orleans?", he asked as he gave a record to Mister John
and said "We'll take it."
WE'll take it.
Grace's heart warmed up at his words. They rolled out from his lips so natural and normal
that she had to take a breath in to try and calm her racing heart down.
"Two years ago. I took three kids there for adoption and heard that he was having a gig",
shrugging, she smiled as she pulled out another record from the box and looked at it "I
spent my last dime to get a ticket, but it was worth it!"
Lucas' hand wrapped itself around her waist and gently squeezed her side. She glanced at
him with a soft smile and went back to browsing through the records. Suddenly, she gasped
quietly in surprise:
"Lucas, look! Bessie Smith! Oh, I love her!", she turned the record in her hands and
huddling closer to Lucas she asked "Did you know that she also lost her parents when she
was young and she and her six siblings survived by performing on street corners", Grace
shook her head, completely enthralled by her found "She is such an inspiration."
Lucas pulled her closer to him and he slowly took the record from her hand and gave it to
Mister John with a small nod.
Glancing at his fiancée he asked gently:
"Are you okay, angel?"
Grace nodded and looked up at him with a small smile.
"I am", she replied quietly "I am not alone anymore. I got you and Lillian", glancing back
down at the records she added "That's more than I could ever hope for."
Lucas smiled softly and gently kissed her hair as they both continued to look through the
records.
About half an hour later they had their own box filled with records and John nodded in
appreciation at the young couple.
"You and your beau, Miss Grace, have a great taste in music!", he said, his eyes twinkling.
Lucas smiled.
"Well, I could say the same about you too, good sir", he took the box from the quirky
gentleman and added "You got some real treasure here."
John smiled.
"It's always a joy to meet people who enjoy the good music", he offered his hand to Lucas
"John, nice to meet you, young man"
Lucas accepted John's hand and shook it, his smile widening.
"Lucas. And the pleasure is all mine, John", he glanced around the stand and chuckled "I
might become your regular customer. I could spend hours here just looking through your
records. You have a very impressive collection."
John nodded.
"Thank you. I have been collecting for more than two decades", he grinned "Came to
Canada with two boxes and it just continued to grow."
Lucas' smile grew curious and he placed the box in front of him as he asked:
"Where did you come from?"
"Alaska", replied John "I gotta say I prefer the climate you have here. But I miss the
peacefulness of it."
Lucas' eyes widened in surprise.
"Wow, Alaska. I have never been there and I did my share of traveling", he commented
"And you lived in Canada for how long?"
"Six years", replied John "I could have found a job that doesn't include sitting outside in all
kind of weather, but I got thick skin. Perks of being an Alaska native", he grinned and both
men chuckled "Besides, I like this place. I like to talk to people, meet new ones, and make
friends. I met some of the best people selling these records", he slightly pointed with his
cup of tea toward Grace who went to look at the stand right next to John's, deciding to
leave the men to talk and connect "Your lady is one of the best ones. A heart of pure gold
and a smile that could melt the glaciers. Those kids are lucky to have her."
Lucas felt a surge of pride at John's praise of Grace. He was glad that people recognized the
goodness and kind heart of his fiancée.
"She is truly one of a kind", Lucas murmured gently, his lips curling up in a smile "And I am
so lucky to have her in my life."
John nodded.
"Well, I can tell that she is the lucky one too", said John as the sound of Grace's crystal
laughter reached them. Both men smiled as they watched her trying on some funny looking
hats with the older saleswoman chuckling at something Grace said "I don't remember that I
ever saw her so happy like she is now."
As three people stopped by John's stand he smiled apologetically to Lucas before he went to
greet his new customers. Lucas smiled with understanding and picked up his palm in
greeting to John before he picked up the box and went toward the stand where Grace was.
She smiled as she saw him approaching.
"Ready to go?", she asked as she dropped the silly looking hat she was holding and smiled
at the saleswoman in greeting.
Lucas nodded.
"Yeah, I'm good to go", he felt Grace's gloved palm gently squeezing the crook of his arm
and he smiled at her "Let's go home."
—-
Walter the war hero he's there from opening till time, time, time
There's Mary the housewife who's slumped at the bar drinkin' wine, wine, wine.
They get Kylie on a wednesday, the Stones on a friday,
Bob to the Beatles on a saturday night
He's Dylan on a monday and Bowie on a sunday,
Does Beegees on a thursday as high as a kite.
And they call him the human jukebox,
he plays second-hand rock n' roll
And they call him the human jukebox,
yet only he's healing hearts with his soul.
Skyvers with fivers shine up their shoes for the show, show, show
and they all sing along to the songs till it's time please to go, go, go.
They get Kylie on a wednesday, the Stones on a friday,
Bob to the Beatles on a saturday night
He's Dylan on a monday and Bowie on a sunday,
Does Elton on a thursday if you lend him your tights.
And they call him the human jukebox,
he plays second-hand rock n' roll
And they call him the human jukebox,
yet only he's healing hearts with his soul.
They're karaoke kings for the evening,
it's their only real shining time,
And if you ever stop believin', and the real world gets you down
Go see the human jukebox, he plays second-hand rock n' roll
Yeah they call him the human jukebox,
Yet only he's healing hearts with his soul
Yeah they call him the human jukebox,
He plays second-hand rock n' roll
Yeah they call him the human jukebox,
Yet only he's healing hearts with his soul
("Human jukebox" - Sandi Thom)