by K. J. Emrick
The words from the poem in the Christmas cracker came back to me. When the music plays, remember: Be the first to dance and sing.
I’d told Kevin it was good advice.
Apparently the advice was meant for me.
It was James who bridged the gap first, crossing over to me, taking me in his arms, kissing me on the cheek.
Then he turned and walked out of the Inn, on his way to Geeveston.
It was maybe half a minute later when I realized just how stupid I was being. James had come here to tell me he needed to know if I really loved him. He wanted me to be with him for the holidays, and he came here to say he was leaving. That was the song.
Now it was up to me to dance.
Without thinking about the consequences that might come from this foolish, crazy, wonderful decision of mine, I raced out of the Inn and down the steps and into the parking lot—
To find James leaning up against his car, waiting for me.
“What kept ya?” he said, his smile crooked and, I thought, relieved.
I walked up to him slowly, head bent down to stare at my shoes, heart beating a mile a minute. What was I going to say to him? Hey, James, sorry for shoving you aside while I was arrested for murder and the ghost of my husband who I didn’t know was dead just showed up out of nowhere, but I’ve just been a little busy. Forgive me?
No. Probably shouldn’t say that. Even if it was true.
Thankfully, he saved me from having to come up with something that was witty but truthful and that wouldn’t make me sound daft.
“Dell,” he said to me, “I know I only have a part of your heart. Ya haven’t given the rest of it to me. Not yet. I was kinda hoping... this Christmas, I mean... Well. When yer ready, you’ll let me in, right? Promise me?”
That much, I could do. “I promise.”
I fell into his arms, and he held me, and for a moment everything was right with the world. Sometimes, things worked themselves out. Not sure if I was going to be this lucky forever, but for now I’d take the warmth of his chest and the gentle pressure of his arms. I’d take the feel of his heartbeat, and the scent of his cologne. All my best gifts this year were ones that didn’t come wrapped under a tree.
Merry Christmas to me. Merry Christmas, one and all.
—The End—
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Glossary of Australian Slang
Strike a light – An exclamation of surprise or frustration.
Back of Bourke - a very long way away.
In a Jiff - in a minute, very soon.
Vaca - pronounced vay-kay - vacation, holiday.
Stellar - outstanding.
Senior Sergeant - ranking officer in the Australian police force.
Roos – Kangaroos
Keen - very interested/interesting.
Real Crank - a crazy person.
Favs – favourites.
A few clicks - a few kilometres(miles).
Mobile phone - cell phone.
Strewth - exclamation, mild oath.
Nipper – child.
Right as rain - satisfactory, comfortable, well.
Bonza - most excellent, cool, great etc.
Spiffy - great, excellent.
Fair dinkum - true, genuine.
Dipstick - a loser, idiot.
Fossick - search, rummage.
Good oil - useful information, a good idea, the truth.
Old biddy - old woman.
Bloke – man.
Noggin – head.
Too right – definitely.
Got crook - was ill.
A goner - person or thing that is dead, lost, or past recovery or rescue.
Drongo – idiot.
Down in the dumps - sad, unhappy.
Pav - Pavlova - a dessert consisting of a meringue base or shell filled with whipped cream and fruit.
The Sarge - nickname for Sergeant.
Brekkie – breakfast.
Spit the Dummy - a sudden display of anger or frustration; to lose one's temper.
Give you a ring - Call on the telephone.
Back of beyond - a remote place.
Delish – delicious.
Deadset - true, the truth.
Fella – man.
Pull the wool over someone's eyes - to deceive someone.
Bugger - used as a term of abuse, especially for a man or used to express annoyance or anger.
Bunyip - the bunyip, or kianpraty, is a large mythical creature from Aboriginal mythology, said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes.
Drop bear - a dropbear or drop bear is a fictitious Australian marsupial.
To string along - to keep someone waiting or in a state of uncertainty.
Bonkers - crazy.
Sheila – a woman.
Ratbag - trouble maker or someone causing havoc.
Bugger off - go away, leave a person alone.
Bludger - an idle or lazy person.
Donkey Track - very rough, unpaved road.
Chuck a wobbly - To overreact to something.
Flat out like a lizard drinking - Very busy.
Give it a burl - Give something a go. To have a try at something.
Give them the flick - To break up with somebody.
Had a gutful - Fed up, had enough.
Have tickets on oneself - To have a high opinion of oneself.
Mad as a cut snake - Furious.
She’ll be right - It will all be okay.
About the Author
Strongly influenced by authors like James Patterson, Dick Francis, and Nora Roberts, Kathrine Emrick dreamed of being an author for the majority of her life.
She never quite gave up on the idea of being a published author and at the age of 51, thanks to Amazon and their Kindle platform, she finally realized her dream. Her maturity allows her to bring a variety of experiences and observations to her writing.
She lives in beautiful South Australia with her partner Michael and son Adam. Also part of the family are their tribe of animals including 3 cats, Kitty, Topaz and Tubby and two dogs, Tango the Chihuahua and Juno the Lab/Border Collie cross.
Kathrine can always be found jotting down daily notes in a journal and like many authors, she loves to be surrounded by books and is a voracious reader. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering at the local library.
Her goal is to regularly produce entertaining and noteworthy content and engaging in a community of readers and writers.
To find out more please visit the Kathrine's website at kathrineemrick.com
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