Avebury

Iris's life was never the same after her mother's passing away. She had spent a month locked up in the only room in her house. She ate less and talked less. The loss was unbearable. She barely noticed her brother Graham's presence anymore. Graham would leave for work early in the morning and come back home late at night. He'd eat food outside since he knew Iris wasn't in a state to cook, and he was too busy to cook himself. Graham was dealing with the loss in his way.

The day Iris decided to come out of the room and finally move on, Graham gave her the news of him getting a better job in London. He was moving there in a week. Iris was shattered again. Graham was like a best friend to her, but now he was leaving her too. They already had dealt with the loss of their father together. Graham was always so strong. He helped her come out of the trauma. Now when Iris needed him again, he'd decided to abandon her.

"I promise I'll write to you," Graham said and kissed her forehead before stepping out of the house. He went to London and never looked back. He didn't keep his promise, but Iris kept writing him. Iris took up a job in a cafe and started working as a waitress because whatever money her mother had saved in the bank was getting all used up for housing, and Graham had borrowed some to settle in London.

Iris never had a man in her life and that she really missed. Her journey begins on a day before Christmas when she collides with a handsome stranger in a Christmas shop.

DECEMBER 24th She dragged the four stepped ladder from the corner of her small living room. The wire of the white string light clenched in her mouth, she trembled as she slowly climbed up the ladder and balanced herself to stand still on the top ladder. She then took the string light from her mouth and stretched her hands, took a tape out of seven tape pieces stuck on her left wrist, and taped the light on the cornice. As she proceeded with decorating the light across the entire cornice, her ocean blue eyes got moist.

"This year again, no one to celebrate holidays with. This year again, no New Year's Kiss."

Iris was an independent 32-year-old woman living in a small house in Avebury, Wiltshire, England. She had lost both her parents and her brother had moved to London nine years ago. Since then she had been living alone. Initially, she sent a lot of letters to her brother Graham in London, because he was the only family she had left. But he hardly responded. After two years she gave up.

Now whenever Graham sent letters to her, she would keep them unopened inside the drawer of her broken mini wooden table. They had piled up over the years, so she started keeping the rest in the second drawer.

Since her family had gone, she only had one wish: to spend holidays with a man who would kiss her forehead before leaving for work. Working in a cafe across the street never really satisfied her needs but it at least got bread on her table.

The fairy lights were decorated successfully. More decorations were needed for the Christmas tree. All her old decorations were worn out. She threw all the old decorations in a white plastic bag and tied one of her old hair ties around it.

She stood in front of the tall mirror and combed her already combed shoulder-length semi blond hair. Her white t-shirt had a food stain. So, she quickly changed into a faded brown t-shirt and her black jeans were perfect. She picked the keys from the broken wooden table, grabbed the white plastic bag with worn-out decorations and her off white overcoat from the stand as she stepped out of the house, closing the door behind her.

It hadn't started to snow yet. She climbed into her white Chevy that she had bought third hand from a scumbag dealer who gave it to her with 30% interest. Her urgent need for a vehicle compelled her to spend all her savings on that third hand Chevy.

She inserted the key into the ignition. After three key twists, the engine roared to life and the car started with a jerk.

“Bollocks!” she screamed. “I hate this car.”

She calmed herself and drove slowly towards the garbage bin first, which was just outside her lane. She rolled down the window and flew the bag directly into the open can. There were no houses around her house for at least 500 meters, which gave her the perfect view of the huge green hills, which soon will be covered with white snow, in front of her windows. Now the next destination was the decoration shop which was outside the village.

She looked at herself in the front mirror while driving through the thin lanes and smiled.

"So, what plans? Again dinner for one? Again just one glass of Grans Merlot? Which by the way is turning 63 years old tomorrow and only two glasses are left in that bottle." She shook her head and scoffed. "How I wish, I could share that second glass with someone. Someone handsome," she shrugged her shoulders, "or just someone who would stick around no matter what."

Her smile faded. Melancholy descended over her face. Celebrating Christmas and New Years' alone for nine years wasn't easy.

"I'm turning 33 on the day after Christmas. Another year into old age. But this year I won't cry. I swear."

She closed her eyes for the briefest second and shook her head again.

Iris pulled over near the decoration shop and walked inside. She picked a green mini basket from the counter and started to pick decorations while walking through the aisle.

“5 Glass balls...?? Umm... 3 is fine. Mini Santa Claus? Again 3 should be fine. Four Bells. Stockings? Eight? Four for the Christmas Tree and four for the fireplace?” She slid her hand in her jeans pocket and took out all the cash she had and started to count. “Just 21 pounds? Nice.” She puts only 3 Stockings in her basket. “What else do I need? Few candles are there so no need for them. Mistletoe?” She scoffs, “Who even comes to my place? Stripped candy canes? Already got 6 of those, I guess. Should be sufficient. Christmas lights? Yes, need those for the Christmas tree.”

She walked through the second aisle looking for the Christmas lights. Her eyes fell on the second shelf on the white square box. As she placed her hand on the box, there was another hand on hers. She felt the rough touch of the palm and the enormous hand had covered her hand completely.

"Sorry, go ahead." Came a husky voice from her right.

Iris craned her neck to look at a 6-foot tall man with an average build. Her jaw slightly fell open. His eyes were the color of chocolate, his brown straight hair complimented his eyes. Sharp jawline and clean shaved. His perfect pink lips curved into a soft smile.

Iris realized she was gawking. She cleared her throat. "It's okay you can take it."

He picked the box from the shelf and held it out to her. "I'm sure you need it. I can go to another shop."

Iris took the box from his hand as if she was compelled. He never stopped looking at her which made her nervous.

She started making calculations in her head and figured she might get short on cash if she took the lights.

She shook her head, "I already have two lights. I was taking it only as a spare." She held out the box to him.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Iris noticed the flex of his deep brown eyes with the lighter hues as he spoke. They sparkled and his smile reached up to his eyes.

“Woww,” she said to herself.

She nodded skittishly. "Yes, I'm sure."

He stretched his hand forward to take the box from her hand and his fingers lightly brushed through her fingers. She gasped and pulled her hand back.

His eyes were still on her. He then took out his left hand from the pocket of his dark brown leather jacket and took the box with both his hands and said, "Thanks."

Iris's eyes fell on the golden ring on his finger. She closed her eyes for a brief second.

Married. Of course.

She passed a nervous smile to him and left for the cash counter.

She saved 2 pounds. As she got in her car, she held the steering wheel with both her hands, rested her forehead over it, and sighed.

“Let's admit, he was officially the most handsome man in Wiltshire. But of course, he had to be married. Because God hates me. That's okay, I guess. He looked younger. Young men are not good.”

Her car troubled again as she started the engine. It then roared and started with a jerk.

“Arrgghh...!!!” she groaned.

As she reached home, she excitedly unpacked her decorations and started to decorate the Christmas Tree and the fireplace. After all the decorations were done, she looked around.

Christmas made everything so beautiful. Even her small place looked like a beautiful palace from inside with all the colorful decorations. She got a huge smile on her face. Later in the evening, she went to the market to buy a turkey. No one ever came for dinner, but she loved a roasted turkey more than any other Christmas food or just any food. She would eat most of it on the night of Christmas with one glass of her Grans Merlot and then with rum. The rest she would store in the refrigerator and make a turkey sandwich every day for lunch and turkey salad for dinner.

She preferred walking instead of taking her car since it gave her a hard time to start. The sun was slowly settling. The sky had turned into a beautiful shade of grey. She walked in the cold evening, admiring the beauty of her village. The cool breeze brushed her cheeks, making them look even rosier. She shivered and grabbed her overcoat tight against her waist by folding her hands.

“I hope it snows,” she murmured while shivering from the cold.

She would always start saving money for Christmas dinner six months prior because she is always skint. She saves so that she doesn't have to make any sacrifices on her lonesome Christmas dinner. She had no idea decorations had gone bad or she would have saved for them too.

She picked an eight-pound turkey, two rabbits, ham, bread, rum, and some other basic groceries and vegetables.

She struggled to walk with eight heavy bags.

A bag of rabbits slipped through her fingers. “Bugger! Why on earth did I not bring my car?” she murmured in frustration.

Then she slowly bent her knees and squatted and picked the bag with her thumb and index finger. The other bags were tucked between the gaps of most of her fingers.

She rose on her toes slowly making sure nothing else slips and started to walk towards the market's exit.

"Need a hand?"