Chapter 1
Resting on the sofa with thoughts tumbling through her mind, Di Stewart realized that she might be close to being in love with Hugo Salter.
That surprised her because while she periodically thought of him, Hugo had disappeared from her life with little more than just the one kiss passing between them whereas some males she'd been associated with before and after Hugo had exchanged full-on um whatever.
It must be love, the nubile beauty and final-year education degree student exhaled, dealing with the curiosity of her discovery and opened her raised hands, palms uppermost, in a gesture of frustration.
The truth was she has no idea where he was and thought he could be on a discovery tour deep in the depleting Amazon forests or even at home in a bed-sit attempting to tame his out-of-control wife. Also, she'd never before felt emotionally close to a male around her age and that included the males she'd have indifferent sex with, or for that matter, lively and joyful sex.
She sighed and guessed why Hugo image had popped up in her mind.
She was in her final weeks of classes before graduation from university and had been thinking of her new career, once she completed additional educational and professional qualifications, and perhaps then a prospective future husband might just appear with great timing um 'out of the blue'.
Di thought wistfully she'd probably marry a school teacher and settle into a mundane life with planning for three kids and a sound financial future. She grimaced, thinking how boring while acknowledging that was how educationists were generally perceived.
She frowned and decided to stop wasting her time dwelling on marriage when that prospect was perhaps years off. One step at the time was the way to go.
A week later, Di began packing her bags to travel to the city of Bath where she'd spend six days socialising and playing as a member of her university's senior women's cricket team against five other teams from universities in southern England.
It was likely a few of the players in the tournament, perhaps only a couple, would eventually play cricket representing England, or if they were international students, they might end up playing international cricket for the country of birth.
That night, Di thought in greater clarity about the time Hugo had arrived at the boarding school five years earlier where she was in the lower sixth-form. He'd been hired as temporary assistant to the over-worked swimming coach.
Hugo had embarrassed her immensely in front of her friends in his second week at the school when declaring he wasn't interested in coaching Di because he couldn't understand a word she was saying because of her 'affected speech'.
She was mortified and called her mother for a figuratively shoulder to cry on.
Her mother was on the board of trustees, a likely successor to the current chairman of the board. She arrived next day to sort out the 'misunderstanding'. She spoke to the headmistress, Ida Mason, and the pair descended on the delinquent assistant to the swimming coach during his lunch break.
It didn't end well.
There was a heated exchange.
Hugo stubbornly stood his ground and was told by Headmistress Mason he had the option of resigning from his employment forthwith or wait to face the formal process of dismissal.
Two women watched the assistant coach walk off after saying 'As you wish'. Emily Stewart said, "Well at least he didn't become nasty.
"Agreed and I'm sorry we've lost him." Ida said. "Although he's been here less than a month, already he was achieving some excellent time trial results and has pleased the director of sports coaching observing his coaching methods."
Emily ignored that and said, "I can't believe he contradicted me when I said Di took after me and possessed what it takes to become a swimming champion. He had the audacity to rudely say that what I thought she would succeed at in sport had no relationship to reality and he'd recommend she try cricket as she moved well and had a strong eye."
A little upset at the result of the confrontation, Ida said dryly, "Nevertheless Hugo was swimming champion in 100 and 200 backstroke and freestyle events in his final year at his boarding school and exceeded the 32-year record for most runs scored at senior level in a season by an amazing 85 runs."
Emily frowned and smiled, "Oh, well perhaps I should suggest to Di that she tries to get into a cricket coaching squad and work for selection."
"Emily, I'm aware Di has a strange accent but it couldn't be described as a 'plum'.
"It's my fault really, from the age of 2 to 13 she had a succession of three live-in Welsh nannies."
Three days after that incident at boarding school, Di was emerging from a dentists' rooms in the nearby market town and bumped into the former assistant coach. The sight of his tan and dark curly hair made her fingers curl.
He smiled and said, "Oh, hello again."
Christ, it was him; was this destiny, she thought romantically.
"Oh goodness, hi Hugo. Err, I'm sorry my complaint ended up with you being sacked."
"No, it's okay. I was given the opportunity of resigning and that means there's no big blot on my work record. If it wasn't you it would have been someone else. I apparently lack skills in dealing with people. Also, I'd become fed up with dealing with giggling virgins and the dictatorial rule that hovered so depressingly over your centre of learning that inhibits individualism, flair and freedom."
"Hugo, I regret to shatter your misconception but many of we senior students are probably not virgins."
"And you?"
She fluttered her eyelids and her face became a deep shade of pink.
"Omigod, fancy being asked that and by male."
"I would have thought my question, 'And you?' was innocuous enough?"
Di giggled and said he was right.
"My mother said you recommended I try to join the squad receiving cricket coaching. The training coach Miss Malcolm said after putting me through a basic trial that she believed I had natural ability as a bowler and added me to the senior reserves squad."
"Ah, I bet she also noticed that you had longer arms and legs than normal for girls of your height. You should grow into becoming a real beauty as well as a successful fast bowler Di and I recommend you practise short sprints and work on your upper body strength. Well, good luck for your final two years at boarding school and then at university. I intend to enrol for drama coaching and hope to become more adept at interpersonal relationships."
"I'm sure you'll do well and will become a fine, handsome actor Hugo. May I kiss you goodbye?"
"Christ Di, you are in school uniform and know your headmistress' rules about behaving properly in public."
"Fuck the rule, I want to kiss you," Di said recklessly and kissed him on the lips.
"Bye Di," Hugo said, pretending to wipe his lips and glanced at her speculatively.
"Bye handsome," she replied confidently.
Di, early in the role of a ripening peach not yet ready emotionally to be plucked, watched him stride off and looked as if wild thoughts were racing through her mind romantically.
* *
Four years later, Di Stewart played in a students' inter-university sports tournament and competed in the final of a 20-over cricket round-robin. Her team lost the final, despite Di finishing with an impressive tally of 5 wickets with only 27 runs scored off her bowling.
At the prize-giving at the concluding function of the summer events, she received the shield for the best bowling performance. She was watching the presentation of the trophy for the best batting performance to the student in the winning team who's scored 83 runs off 21 balls in the final overs when a guy arrived at her side and said, "You well-deserved that cheap trophy Di."
She turned and smiled and for a moment didn't recognise the guy in a hat and sunglasses but then cried, "Oh, hello again Harry Salter."
"More or less," he replied unruffled.
Di realized her mistake and said, "Oh apologies, you're Hugo."
"Indeed, I am, and probably you're no longer a virgin because you've learned to speak properly, in fact impressively."
