From Autumn in Kensington

"Okay...what do I do?" Chrissie asked me. I sighed.

"You take this stack of flyers and you pass them out, you also put them up anywhere you can!" I instructed her.

"What if no one takes them?" Chrissie asked.

"You force the flyer on them..."

"No, Lydia...I can't do this. I can't just shove these things on people!' Chrissie fought me.

"...Do if for Brian, Chrissie." I told her. She blushed.

It had been a whirlwind month. October had bled into November before anyone had realized it. It was now barely November and the semester was coming to a close. There were less than four weeks to go before finals. Brian sat at his desk as his graduate assistant Erin came into the room. "Okay. Okay, yes. Yes, I'll call you after I'm home from my parents' house. Oh, I can't wait. I can't wait to tell them all about you. Okay, sure, Be careful going to work. Alright, talk to you soon." Brian hung up the phone and looked up to Erin with an enormous smile.

"Well, hello there Professor May. You seem to be in the best of moods." Erin said, pulling the chair out on the opposite end of the desk.

"I met a girl. I met a girl, Erin. She's absolutely amazing. I'm going to my parents' house tonight to tell them all about her." Brian beamed to his graduate assistant. She giggled and smiled at him.

"Oh my god! I've never seen you like this!" she said, opening her notebook. It made Brian blush horribly.

"I...I really like her. I'm seriously thinking about asking her to be my girlfriend." Brian shared with his graduate assistant. Erin smiled back at him slightly.

"Well since you've found someone I guess I can tell you how...how very attracted I am to you. I know I have a boyfriend and everything but...you're rather enticing Professor." Erin blushed and looked down into her notebook. Brian, felt his heart stop. His graduate assistant thought he was enticing and he had met a girl whom he thought was enticing. Brian was living large today.

And down at Kensington Market, Mary folded clothes from Brenda's latest batch of new arrivals. "I'm seeing him." She said to Brenda out of nowhere.

"I'm sorry, what?" Brenda asked of Mary. Mary gave her friend a nervous smile.

"He's...he's I guess my boyfriend now. The guy I told you about? We had a long talk. We had a really long talk in fact. He wants more with me than...than you know, just being friends. He asked if I wanted that too and...well, I said yes!" Mary said excitedly and nearly dropping what she was folding.

"Oh my god! Are you serious? You've been...hangin' out with this guy for a long time! Mary!" Her stall mate stopped what she was doing and demanded more details. "I saw him the other day down here at his stall. He was yellin' at his friend about somethin'." Brenda gave her a big smile, demanding to know more. "We're going to need to discuss this over lunch, you know?" She insisted. Mary looked away and tried to hide her smile.

"It's really not that big of a deal." She tried to convince Brenda.

"It is a big deal! You've barely even dated anyone since I've known you! Oh my god, this is quite exciting! Mary smiled at her friend.

"Now don't go gettin' all excited. I'm not even sure where things will go between us. There are days when I think Freddie can't be anything more than a friend to me. BUT we're going to try and see how this goes." Mary insisted to her friend. The truth was that Freddie was just as panicked as she over their new relationship that was technically less than three days old. Freddie would now have the challenge of keeping his new girlfriend under wraps until he was well and ready to introduce her to his circle of friends. Now that they were more than friends, and each of them had to determine the extent of their feelings for each other. Mary wouldn't dare tell her friend that she and Freddie had a date tonight. Mary was tickled because their date was at a bingo hall. She had never played bingo for money before but Freddie made her promises of hot tea, foods carried in by the bingo board members and all the shouting she could handle. How would she ever say no to something like that?

Veronica sat across from the director of the early childhood center where she worked as regularly as they would have her. She swallowed hard because she had received a phone call from one of the sight supervisors, "Dr. Reed needs to speak with you." was all the supervisor said. She had no idea what this was all about. She nervously shook her leg as she awaited Dr. Reed to appear. She could only figure this had something to do with the fact that an aunt picked up a little boy from the center who wasn't on the approved provider list. She tried to calm herself, wondering how severe an outcome in which this meeting would result. Dr. Reed came into the office, closing the door behind him. "Hello, Veronica. Thank you for responding to the request to see me this afternoon." Dr. Reed began, pulling Veronica's cumulative student file and log hours of work at the center from his filing cabinet. She shook her head, not responding for the dryness in her mouth.

"I've spoken with your supervisor, Miss Tetzlaff and I've been looking at your records." He began, opening her file. Veronica shook her head.

"Oh?" she responded nervously.

"Yes. Veronica, I know that you have had a very full academic schedule this semester. In addition, your supervisor has logged all of the times you have called the center to come work." He said, adjusting his glasses and looking at her. She swallowed hard and shook her head again, trying to force a smile. "I see that you are one semester from completing your degree. Miss Tetzlaff, your work ethic is strong here and you've covered the shifts for many other students working in the center." Veronica had partially tuned the director out of her mind, continuing to wonder where this conversation would go. "We have a full time pre-school opening next semester and your supervisor and I were talking. We wanted to extend the offer for the job to you." Dr. Reed explained. Veronica looked up to from her sense of not listening. She couldn't believe the words she had just heard. In fact, she had to make certain she hadn't misheard Dr. Reed.

"Wha...what? A pre-school opening? Really?" She asked, trying to conceal her excitement. She was utterly overjoyed by this news. It meant one very important thing: a full time job. A way for Veronica to supplement the income John brought into their home. She didn't truly know how to react in this moment other than to stare at Dr. Reed, mouth agape.

"Miss Tetzlaff?" Dr. Reed said attempting to regain her attention.

"Uh...are...are you serious? A full time spot at the pre-school!? Yes! Yes, yes! Please! I'd...I'd gladly take the job. Tell me what I need to do and when I start. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Reed." Veronica couldn't hide her excitement at what news had just be shared. She couldn't wait to finalize things in her meeting and hurry home to John to make this life-changing announcement.

"What do ya' think?" Roger asked of me clad only in trousers and his hands on his hips. I couldn't not stare. This...was a disaster.

"I think it looks like you've stolen plums from the market." I said, still staring at Roger with a slightly appalled look on my face.

"What do you mean, stolen plums!? These trousers are fantastic!" Roger insisted. I wish he hadn't rubbed his hands over his hips the way he had.

"Rog! They are absurdly tight! You are leavin' nothin' to the imagination. Everyone will know what kinda' party you're throwin' in there." I said probably louder than I should have in such a fabulous store.

"They're supposed to be tight, they're satin." Roger insisted. "And I can wear these with trainers." I put my fingers on my forehead. I needed a cocktail badly.

"No...no, Roger. They are supposed to be FITTED not make you INFERTILE!" I sighed. "Listen, you're arse looks incredible, okay? But sweetheart, you are an anatomy lesson right now." I said, slumping my head back in the chair where I sat for this experience. I slid down in it slightly. "Just...for the sake of every man in this store....try the next size up." I coached him. My god, if this is what a relationship entailed I wasn't certain I was cut out for it.

"Excuse me? Do you...need some help?" a store associate asked of me or Roger...I wasn't sure which. All I knew is that he heard me talking about anatomy.

"Yes. He needs those trousers in a twenty-nine and I need a fifth of vodka." I told the associate.

"I don't have any vodka but I do have those trousers in a twenty-nine."

"I can't wear a twenty-nine, Lyd! They'll be big in the waist." Roger told me after the associate had left. Oh god forbid there's any space in them.

"Your hair's getting' long, do you know that?" I asked of him, seeing as how the light in the mirrored area where I sat reflected off those subtle highlights that I put in there.

"Hello!" Roger pointed to his trousers, so obviously not wanting to discuss the fact that his hair was touching the top of his shoulders now. "I need your help!"

"Here we go. Twenty-nine. Let me know how those work out. Say, what shirt did you want to try sir?" the associate asked.

"S'alright. I don't need one." Roger said. I thought my heart was going to stop.

"No. No, no, no. Please...please bring him anythin' that's a shirt." I told the associate.

"But I don't need a shirt. It's gonna' be hot when we play." Roger insisted. What he was referring to was the upcoming multi-band festival that was being held in two weeks at one of the parks in East London. It would obviously be an outdoor event and November wasn't exactly warm. Yet, here Roger was insisting that he didn't need a shirt. I gave Roger a look as if to say 'I'm leaving in 20 seconds if you don't cooperate.'

"I know it's not freezin' but you will freeze if you start sweatin' and then get all done with stuff only to discover that all you are wearin' is satin that's JUICING YOU LIKE AN ORANGE!" I said, quickly losing my patience. I looked over to the associate who had brought Roger a beautiful floral silk shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm a classy lady and I didn't intend for you to hear me say juicing." I shook my head at him. "Oh that shirt is just great!" Roger gave it a side eye but agreed to give it a try.

"Alright...I'll try it. I can't imagine this workin' out."

"Sir, you may wish to try the other trousers with this blouse. I think you will be quite pleased." The associate encouraged. Roger side eyed me again, ready to convince me that this was all my fault.

"I swear Rog, you are takin' me out for a drink after this. Oh and sir?" I waved the associate over to me. "If he can't get those trousers off, it's his own fault for trying anything on that damn tight."

"And then, at the end of class my professor was handing out the study guides. I think I'm going to have to log a lot of hours at the library to study for this one. It's a cumulative final so it's gonna' cover a little of everything we've completed." Chrissie sighed and sat across from Brian. "You want another scone?" she asked, looking across her small kitchen table at him as if she were peering into the eyes of a forbidden temptation. Brian didn't answer her question; in fact he hadn't heard a word of what she had said. He knew he was supposed to be listening because as far as he was concerned, every word that escaped Chrissie's mouth was important. "Brian?" she said, seeing as he was staring back at her as if he were about to leap over this table.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, about to choke on his own throat. All of a sudden, Chrissie didn't even remember that scones were involved right now.

"You...you mean like..." Chrissie began as Brian reached out for her hand.

"Like you and I...as a couple. I think about you all the time. I want more with you than just seein' you the way we have been in the past few weeks." Brian admitted to her. I've told all of my colleagues about you and I really want to take you to the end of semester dinner we're havin' and it's in two weeks and I need to take a covered dish and I don't know how to make a covered dish but I don't just want you to be my girlfriend because you know how to make a covered dish and I....I could have volunteered to bring ice....or paper plates. Or, I could have asked Erin, my graduate assistant to pick a cake for me or somethin' and everyone else already has a date, mainly because they're married or otherwise and they'll just really like you and so will my thesis board members. They're very nice. I told them about you and they told asked me what you looked like and I told them that you were beautiful and the first time I met you I...I didn't even know what color your eyes were because you had such a gorgeous smile." Brian finally finished. Chrissie squeezed his hand in her mesmerized state. It was the most perfectly constructed, run-on, babbling thought she had ever heard in her life. She played around his hand in the most awkwardly tense way possible until she had her fingers interlaced with Brian's. Chrissie answered Brian's incoherent words in most romantic way her mind would allow I this moment.

"I can make a creamed spinach...for the thing." she said, about to explode with happiness. And with that, Brian kissed Chrissie in the safe zone...the back of her hand. Of course, Chrissie wasn't expecting that at all and she definitely didn't expect his lips to be that soft. Naturally, her thighs turned to Jell-O and she was ready to tear her clothes off. Instead, she too took the safe route and said, "I have a Christmas themed baking dish I could put it in." Brian thought that was charming. Not only would his colleagues love his new girlfriend, they would love her baking dish.

"Oh! Oh! OH! BINGO! BINGOOOOO!" Mary practically screamed at the bingo caller.

"Mary, my god! Please, love! I have concord grape juice, and Suzette here has a hearing problem! I'm very sorry Suzette." Freddie mumbled to the older woman next to him. The older woman laughed.

"Oh Freddie! It's alright. She's a keeper that one is. Don't you let that one get too far away, ya' hear me? She's so bloody sweet" The woman said.

"Well, Suzette you know what I always say. Any girl is just as good as....OH MY GOD MARY YOU WON A BAG OF CARAMEL CORN!" Freddie's thought had been completely sidetracked. He didn't even notice the check for £50 the assistant to the bingo caller handed her.

"I DID WIN A BAG OF CARAMEL CORN!" Mary was so very excited about first ever bingo win. "Look! £50 Fred!" she shoved the check in his face.

"See Suzette? The that's the going rate for a date these days. I told 'em to pay her that for showing up with me." Freddie smiled horribly at Suzette.

"Fred!" Mary smacked his shoulder, mortified at his comment to this sweet old lady. He laughed like a schoolgirl at her.

"Mary, you know I'm teasing you. Suzette, you know what I'll be doing later." He raised his eyebrows at Suzette and proudly displayed the caramel corn to her, making her laugh.

"Oh, you kids!" she said.

"I beg your pardon, Suzette! I happen to love caramel corn!" Freddie assured her as he tore the paper off to a new bingo board, before leaning over against Mary.

"N 37!" the Bingo caller announced.

"This is off to agood start, Mary! I have that!" Freddie said, proudly stamping a blue dot tohis board.