"That was your brother" said Conny as she closed her phone, "they are all full of flu so he has asked if we minded them cancelling hosting Christmas dinner. What could I say?"
"We will have to get a bird from somewhere soon, everywhere is shutting up" said Colin.
"Look" said Conny, pointing to a sign at the side of the road.
Richard Dick - Poulterer and Game Purveyor.
Get Your Christmas Cock Here.
Colin turned down the lane, rounded the corner and pulled up outside an old stone building with an old fashioned butchers' window.
Colin's phone rang, a business call.
"You had better go in while I take this" said Colin.
The interior of the shop was as quaint and old fashioned as the exterior, right down to the young man behind the counter. He looked to be about twenty-three, ruggedly handsome and young enough to be Conny's son.
"Good afternoon mi'lady, how may I be of service to you."
Conny smiled, even his phrasing and accent seemed to be from another time, he was cute too.
"I saw your sign offering Christmas cock and I need a bird for tomorrow's dinner."
"All I have left is a few caponised cocks mi'lady," said the young man in a voiced that was drawing Conny in with every syllable, "my name is Rigid Dick."
"Pleased to meet you Richard" said Conny, thinking to herself that he had an unfortunate way of pronouncing his forename.
"I pronounce it Rigid mi'lady, my name is bad enough anyway, I like to play around with it. Now mi'lady, may I show you this pair?" said the poulterer, pointing at two capons that had been dressed differently, his hands palm up, one digit of each waving in the general direction of the birds, the other fingers curled up reminding Conny of how Colin shapes his hand to finger her.
"This guy knows the effect he is having on me" thought Conny.
Conny knew that if Rigid pushed his luck she would end up having only her third man ever.
