A Weekend In The Life Of Jeffrey Darby
By Henley Ferguson
CHAPTER 1
Friday, 8:30 a.m. Yorkshire, England
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Jeffrey Darby squinted at the alarm clock, half awake. He yawned. The clock read 8:30 a.m. Jeffrey stifled a gasp. 8:30. How many times had he pushed the snooze button? Half an hour behind schedule… he would be late for work. He leapt out of bed, ran into the kitchen, and turned on the coffee brew. He ran back to his bedroom and into his closet, scanning his options before settling on a white collared shirt, a gray tweed vest and pants, and a red bowtie to complete the look. He barely had time to jump into his clothes, brush his teeth, and comb his hair before the phone rang. Jeffrey grabbed his coffee, his briefcase, and his now furiously ringing phone, and raced out the front door. He tucked his phone in between his ear and shoulder, and already knowing who was on the other end of the line, said the four words he knew by heart and recited every morning:
“Good morning, Aunt Lola!”
Ms. Lola Darby hummed cheerfully as she made herself tea and poured Serendipity’s cat food.
“I wonder what I will do today,” she thought aloud.
She did that often, thinking aloud. It wasn’t like she did it on purpose, she merely did it on the grounds of spontaneity, for that was just the sort of person she was. Ms. Lola was quirky and fun, loved tea, cats, and was friends with practically the whole town.
“I shall call Jeffrey!” she decided.
Jeffrey Darby was her nephew, whom she called every day. He came up with the arguably best answers to her problems, which was handy, as she was prone to run into a few every now and then. She picked up her phone and dialed his number.
“Hello? Jeffrey is that you?” she asked into the phone.
“Good morning, Aunt Lola!” he responded in the most cheerful voice he could muster.
“Are you still up for game night at the Davises’ in three days?” she inquired.
gotten pulled into a game night which felt like it involved half the town.
“Because we are having a Bunco Tournament and we need twelve people!” she explained excitedly.
“But why me?” he asked.
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“Because you need to be more social and you’re going to have so much fun! Pick me up at 4:00 on Sunday,” she said before hanging up.
Jeffrey sighed. He pulled into his normal parking spot in front of Yorkshire News Magazine, got out of his orange Mini Cooper, grabbed his briefcase, and ran inside. He checked his watch. It read 9:00 a.m. Miraculously, he was right on time. He smiled. He went inside and sat down at his usual desk in his usual corner. He looked out of the window, a predictable morning, nothing out of the ordinary… just the way he liked it.
Chapter 2
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. Yorkshire, England
RING! RING! RING!
Jeffrey walked over to his ringing phone.
“Good morning, Aunt Lola,” Jeffrey said into the phone.
Aunt Lola, in turn, moaned.
“Jeffrey, I feel a migraine might be coming on,” she croaked.
“But I talked to you yesterday, and you were fine then!” Jeffrey said skeptically. “You sound awfully chipper to have a migraine.”
“Ooh! Please my head! Jeffrey, I was wondering if you could pick some things up for me?” she asked sweetly.
He gave in. “All right. What do you need?”
“Well, I would love a slice of Chocolate Orange Dream Cake from the bakery, maybe a bouquet of flowers from the floral shop to cheer me up, a new book to read for my pleasure– you’ll have to ask Bradley for a suggestion– and maybe a new toy for Serendipity from the gift shop. She’ll be awfully bored with me stuck in bed.“
“Aunt Lola, are you sure you’re feeling under the weather?” Jeffrey asked.
“Oh, my head!” she moaned. “I must go lay down! Tata!” She hung up.
Jeffrey shook his head. It was all awfully suspicious. Nevertheless, he would do anything for Aunt Lola, even give up his coveted Saturday morning routine with his espresso, the paper, and the notes of Mendelssohn washing away thoughts of deadlines and tasks for work. He put on his shoes and coat, grabbed his keys, and wrote down Aunt Lola’s requests on a piece of paper. He checked his list. His first stop: the gift shop. Jeffrey got into his car and began to drive.
Twenty minutes later Jeffrey pulled up in front of the cheery green building. He looked at his list: a toy for Serendipity. He stepped out of the car and into The Gift Shop.
Lorelei Spencer– the owner of the store – looked up from the counter and smiled.
“Hey Jeffrey! Let me know if I can help you find anything!” she said enthusiastically.
Jeffrey noticed another man standing with her that he did not recognize.
Lorelei must have noticed him eyeing the stranger because it was then when she said, “Oh, where are my manners! Sorry, Jeffrey, this is my boyfriend, Quani.”
“Hello.” Jeffrey acknowledged him warily.
“Hi!” Quani said.
“I was wondering if you could help me find a… cat toy,” Jeffrey asked.
“Follow me,” Lorelei said.
“Do you have a cat?” Quani piped up when they arrived at the cat toy section.
“No, it’s for Serendipity… my Aunt Lola’s cat,” he answered, feeling a slight shudder as he imagined the care and obligation of having a pet.
“You know, the next time my cousin Lily is in town, we should totally get together! Maybe we could go on a double date,” Quani exclaimed enthusiastically, glancing at Lorelei.
“Maybe,” Jeffrey responded with a much lower level of enthusiasm.
“Will this one work?” Lorelei asked, holding up a purple toy.
“A… fish?” Jeffrey asked.
“How about it?” she said.
“Well, you know cats much better than I do apparently,” Jeffrey said with a laugh as they made their way to the checkout. “How much?”
“It’s free!” Lorelei exclaimed. “I’ll let you save up for the important stuff, just in case you change your mind about getting a cat.” She handed him the toy, now in a bag, with a wink.
“Thank you,” Jeffrey called as he exited the store as quickly as he could.
“Bye!” called Lorelei and Quani.
Jeffrey checked off TOY on Aunt Lola’s list and continued on his way.
“Next stop, the flower shop. “‘Roses, Daffodils, and Daisies, Oh My’,” he said under his breath.
Chapter 3
Saturday, 9:30 a.m. Yorkshire, England
A few minutes later, the bell on the door ringing merrily, Jeffrey walked into the flower shop. Grace Robinson, owner of “Roses, Daffodils, and Daisies, Oh My” was arranging a bouquet in the front window when he arrived.
“Good morning!” she said.
“Good morn–” Jeffrey stopped mid-sentence as a big, fluffy golden retriever bounded up to him, wagging its tail against his leg. Thump, Thump, Thump.
“Sorry,” Grace apologized. “Wilma, sit.” Wilma sat.
“Brought my furry friend to work today,” Grace explained with a smile as she climbed out of the front window’s display. “What can I help you with today?”
“Aunt Lola is unwell, and she would love some flowers,” Jeffrey said.
“Of course!” Grace said as she bustled behind the counter and started collecting flower blooms for the bouquet. She gathered daisies, lilies, chrysanthemums, garden roses, magnolias, and bluebells. All the while, Wilma stayed glued to Jeffrey’s side.
“She seems to like you!” Grace said with a laugh. “Do you ever think about getting one of your own?”
“I don’t know, can’t say that I have,” Jeffrey answered shortly, and they left it at that.
“Here you go!” Grace said, handing him the bouquet in a pretty, robin’s egg blue vase.
“Good day, then. Thank you,” Jeffrey said after settling the bill. He walked back outside and nonchalantly brushed the dog hair off his pant leg.
He checked off FLOWERS on his list.
“To the bakery,” he thought to himself, still remembering Wilma’s sweet eyes gazing up at him. He shook the image out of his head and squared his shoulders.
The “Two Baguettes Bakery” was right around the corner from the flower shop and was a pink building, its windows lined with luscious lemon cakes, buttery shortbread, iced biscuits, cupcakes with swirled piping, flaky croissants, custard tarts, decadent crème puffs, delicate apple crumbles, and everything else that you could possibly imagine being in a bakery. Between the glorious smells wafting out of the bakery and the windows stacked with heavenly treats, it was practically calling for customers and consumers of delicious baked goods. Jeffrey ascended the steps to the door in a heartbeat, feeling as if he were a kid again, gazing longingly at the stocked shelves of a candy store. He snapped back to the present when he heard the familiar voice of Darlene, the owner of the bakery, call his name.
“Jeffrey! What can I help you with today, friend?” Darlene asked with a warmhearted smile.
“I need one slice of your Chocolate Orange Dream Cake, please,” Jeffrey said politely. “For Aunt Lola.”
“Will that be all for you?” she inquired.
“Er, and a Madagascar Vanilla Macaron please, as well,” he decided. He thought that he deserved a little treat after all of his errand running.
“Remind me, do you live by yourself or with a roommate?” Darlene asked as she punched in a few buttons on the cash register.
“I live alone,” Jeffrey answered, thinking fondly of his quiet flat.
“That’s what I thought,” Darlene said. “You know, my granddaughter, Cynthia, is looking for a roommate. Maybe you two should meet!”
“I… don’t know… I enjoy my solitude. Thank you, Darlene, have a nice day!” he called, practically running out of the shop.
“Bye!” she called after him.
Jeffrey looked at his list when he got back in the car. He marked off CAKE and turned the key in the ignition. It was time to go to the bookstore.
Chapter 4
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Yorkshire, England
Jeffrey looked at the list. The bookstore was his last stop. He entered to find the front desk empty, an unusual fact of course, but Jeffrey, having had a busy morning running errands, didn’t think anything of it. He made his way to one of the aisles and started scanning titles, but he was only a mere four titles in when he remembered Aunt Lola’s actual request about asking Bradley Davis– the owner of the bookstore and Aunt Lola’s neighbor– for a suggestion. Jeffrey, being a regular customer and friend of Bradley’s, called out his name, assuming no one else was in the shop. But he was startled to find the voice of a female answering him. A young woman turned the corner and almost crashed right into Jeffrey. She had long dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and was carrying a stack of books. Jeffrey’s cheeks flushed, embarrassed.
“Pardon?” she asked.
“Where’s Bradley?” Jeffrey asked, confused.
“Bradley’s knee is giving him some trouble, with the replacement and all, so I’m here to help out,” she said.
“Ah, of course. Well, give the old chap my sympathies,” Jeffrey said in an understanding tone.
“Can I help you find something?” she asked.
“Yes, actually. My aunt is ill and needs something enjoyable to ease her mind,” he said.
“Follow me then,” she said. “Mind your footing.”
Jeffrey looked down to find stacks of books littering the floor, but in a comforting kind of way. As they weaved through the aisles, Jeffery realized that the girl hadn’t revealed her name. Right as he was about to ask, she abruptly cut into a nearby aisle and Jeffrey almost walked straight into the corner of a bookshelf.
“How about one of these?” she asked, pointing at a high shelf. Jeffrey looked up to find a group of books with coordinating spines that were situated together on the shelf.
“‘The Thursday Murder Club’, ‘The Man Who Died Twice’, and ‘The Bullet that Missed’.” Jeffrey read the titles aloud slowly. “By Richard Osman.”
“The first one is my favorite,” the girl admitted with a trace of a smile on her lips. “Does your aunt like a good puzzle?”
“Oh yes, she’s quite the little strategist. I’ll take that one then,” Jeffrey said.
They strode towards the front desk where the girl wrapped up Aunt Lola’s new book with a delicate flourish of curling ribbon. Jeffrey was yet again about to ask the girl her name when the bookshop phone began to ring. She answered it and waved goodbye to Jeffrey as she disappeared into the back of the shop. Jeffrey, taking that as his cue to exit, walked outside, got into his little car, and marked BOOK off the list.
Then, Jeffrey drove to Aunt Lola’s to drop off the provisions. She invited him to tea, but he declined, eager to get home. Once home, he took off his shoes and hung up his hat. It seemed particularly quiet after his busy day. He turned on the radio and for once didn’t mind the noise that poured through his home. Frank Sinatra’s soulful voice echoed along his empty halls. Jeffrey gave a contented sigh. “Solitude is underrated,” Jeffrey thought to himself. It was followed by a fleeting thought of Wilma–with her wagging tail– sitting on the couch next to him. Jeffrey quickly ushered his thoughts to other things.
…The
Next Day… Sunday, 4:00 p.m. Yorkshire, England
“I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Aunt Lola,” Jeffrey said as she hopped into the car.
“Thank you for coming to Bunco, Jeffrey! I know you’re going to have a ball!” Aunt Lola said happily. She had her purse under one arm and her cat Serendipity under the other.
“Serendipity, too?” Jeffrey asked, confused.
“They’re expecting her!” said Ms. Lola defensively.
“And tell me again why we are going thirty minutes early and why do we have to drive to the house right next door?” Jeffrey said.
“We’re not going straight next door. First, we have to pick up a cheese tray!” she said.
“A… cheese tray?” Jeffrey asked, quizzically.
“We can’t go empty handed,” Ms. Lola exclaimed, astounded at the very possibility.
“Won’t we be late?” Jeffrey said.
“Oh, pish-posh about late!” Ms. Lola remarked with a smile. Jeffery began to drive.
“Who all is coming?” Jeffrey asked a few seconds later.
“So, for our game night it will be Margaret and Bradley Davis, of course as they’re hosting, me, you, Darlene from the “Two Baguettes Bakery”, her sister Marge, Grace Robinson from “Roses, Daffodils, and Daisies, Oh My” and her fiancé Nabeel, Lorelei Spencer from “The Gift Shop”, her boyfriend Quani, and his sister Sariah, and the Davis’s niece Callista– who is staying with them for a few weeks now that she’s graduated– will be joining in on the fun too!” she said. “Oh dear, it looks like rain.”
“I’ll drop you off at the Davises’ house, it’ll keep you out of the rain. I’ll be there in a little bit,” Jeffrey offered.
“Oh, Jeffrey you don’t have to do that for me,” Aunt Lola protested.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got my brolly,” Jeffrey said, pulling in front of the Davises’ house. “I’ll run and grab the cheese tray and then I’ll be right back.”
Half an hour later Jeffrey was back where he had begun, brolly and cheese tray in hand.
He thought about everyone who was coming to Bunco. Almost everyone was going with a companion of their own... maybe it would be nice to have someone to go places with other than Aunt Lola... he shook the thought out of his head and knocked on the door.
Chapter 5
Sunday, 4:30 p.m. Yorkshire, England
He was met in the Davises’ doorway by Aunt Lola.
“Jeffrey, did I ever thank you for delivering those things to me yesterday?” Ms. Lola asked.
“Yes, you did,” Jeffrey responded.
“Have I ever told you how grateful I am to have such a helpful and reliable nephew?” Ms. Lola asked again.
“Yes. What do you need?” Jeffrey answered suspiciously.
“Would it be a very big bother if I asked one more favor?” she asked hopefully.
“What is it?” Jeffrey sighed.
“Well… I might have agreed to Margaret and Bradley Davis when they asked if you could possibly entertain their niece, Callista, next Saturday…” she said, trailing off.
“You WHAT?!” Jeffrey exclaimed.
Jeffrey Darby lived alone. Jeffrey Darby was not social, and he was contented with staying that way. Jeffrey Darby was not spontaneous or carefree and that suited him just fine. And for one thing… he was not a babysitter of grown women.
They walked into the main living area. All were there except for the Davises’ niece, Callista. The cheese tray was greatly appreciated, and they had just started to eat when the doorbell rang. Bradley hobbled over to the door to answer it. All Jeffrey heard was Bradley’s exclamation of “Callista!” before he saw her.
She had just come in and was taking off her coat. “Let me go freshen up, I’ll be down in just a minute,” she said as she started up the stairs.
“Of course, love,” Bradley said.
Jeffrey was astounded. It was so clear now, so obvious! Icy blue eyes and long dark hair… Callista Davis was the girl from the bookshop!
Jeffrey leaned over to his aunt. “Your head still feeling better?”
“Oh yes, dear, my head hasn’t bothered me in ages,” Ms. Lola said, eyes sparkling mischievously.
Jeffrey grinned. “So back up to your old tricks again? I knew your head wasn’t hurting, but why did you send me on all of those errands?”
“I thought that if we all suggested companionship in some way or another, it could possibly get you thinking that not being alone wasn’t such a bad idea after all,” Ms. Lola replied.
“A cat or a dog, a double-date or a roommate… I see it now. All so that I wouldn’t think an afternoon entertaining Callista would be so unpleasantly grim,” Jeffrey realized.
Ms. Lola just chuckled in that funny little way of hers and stroked Serendipity.
When Callista came back downstairs, Jeffrey walked over to her, mustering up his courage. “I understand we are spending next Saturday together?” A lump caught in his throat, and he felt heat rising up around his collar.
Callista’s eyes lit up. “Yes!” she exclaimed. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“As am I,” Jeffrey said, realizing he actually meant it. He smiled. Maybe his Aunt Lola was rubbing off on him just a bit. “Maybe being a little spontaneous every once in a while isn’t such a bad thing after all.”
Bradley appeared in the doorway. “Time for Bunco!”