It's been a while since I posted but as with my other stories, this isn't a quick fix.
Cat x
*
Sian screwed her eyes tightly shut against the invading light as she tugged the duvet over her head. She knew it must still be early so why was it so bloody bright in the room?
Slowly a smile spread across her delicate features as she remembered where she was and she sat upright, tossed the duvet from her body and strode from the bed to the as yet curtain-less window with purpose.
Throwing the window open she took a huge lungful of air and expelled it noisily into the early morning sunshine, her gaze sweeping across the fields that comprised her view.
Still grinning she slipped on a light robe and walked carefully down the bare wooden stairs and into the kitchen to make tea, the cold seeping into her feet as she stood on the old, worn flagstones waiting for the kettle to boil.
Again her eyes were drawn to the window, the view not dissimilar to that from the bedroom, other than being broken by an old dry-stone wall that marked the border of the garden to the old farmhouse, built from the same local stone. She turned to the sink to rinse the 1 solitary mug that had so far been unpacked and from this angle could just catch a glimpse of what looked like a large 4 wheel drive car parked out on the track.
She continued to watch for a little while but the car didn't move and no one came to the door, so she slipped on an old pair or trainers and unlocked the back door, curious to know who could be calling at this hour.
As she rounded the corner of the cottage she was amazed to see a brand new, red, shiny Land Rover Discovery sitting there, a bright red ribbon tied to the windscreen wipers, so she ran over to take a closer look. She found the driver's door unlocked with an envelope on the seat, which she tore open to find the keys and a letter inside.
My Dearest Sian,
I know you'll make the best vet this community has ever had, even better than us eventually, but your old Fiat will never cope with the country roads in winter!
This is a gift to our favourite niece - a welcome and a thank you for giving up your hectic life in the city and taking over the practice for us.
The car documents are all in the glove box.
Your loving uncles,
Toby and Giles
xxx
She spun around through 360 degrees, hoping they were still here somewhere but the place was deserted; they must have dropped the car off when she was asleep last night.
As Sian sat at the old careworn oak table in the kitchen drinking her tea she thought back over her life and the events that had brought her to this remote farming community in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
She hadn't been a particularly academic child, preferring the sports field over a classroom but it wasn't due to lack of learning ability, more lack of direction and interest. During the school holidays at the age of 14 she confessed to her mother that she thought she maybe lesbian, quaking in her boots as she awaited the negative reaction she felt sure was coming, her eyes screwed tightly shut in fear.
When no eruption happened, she opened her eyes to find her mother standing there looking at her with tears slowly trickling down her face and she was quickly pulled into a tight embrace that she feared might suffocate her.
'Mum? Are you ok? I thought you'd be mad at me.' Her mother pulled back and looked her only child in the eyes, smiling broadly to allay any fears before she started to speak.
"Sian, why would I be mad? I'm not overly surprised you might be gay, you've always been such a tomboy after all and you've never shown the slightest interest in boyfriends, but I am surprised you've realised it yourself so early and I'm so proud of your bravery for coming and telling me; it must have been hard for you!"
Sian was stunned and all she could do was grin sheepishly in response. There were so many questions she wanted to ask her mother and now, having taken the first step, she knew she'd have the chance.
"How would you like to take a trip with me to see your uncle Toby? We could stay for a few days and explore Yorkshire; what do you say?"
Sian was somewhat surprised by the sudden change in subject but as she was still on a high from the relief of her mother's reaction to her news, she said the only thing that came to mind "ok".
Two days later they took a long train ride from London, the city grime and overcrowding soon slipping away into views of fields and villages in between the larger towns, to Darlington where they disembarked to find her mother's brother, Toby, striding down the platform to meet them, hugging them both in turn as soon as he reached them.
"Helen, Sian, how lovely to see you both!"
Sian had always loved her uncle Toby and was always upset when he didn't attend family functions but her mother always said that he hadn't been able to leave his veterinary practice for some reason or another, so she hugged him back tightly, much looking forward to the time she was going to get to spend with him.
The drive to his cottage in a small sleepy village in the heart of the Dales was a blur of trees and fields filled with livestock or glowing corn and wheat, their golden ears swaying in a gentle summer breeze. Sian had never really spent much time outside of London and when she did it tended to be when visiting relatives in other large towns or cities and she instantly felt at home and at peace in the rolling hills of the Yorkshire countryside.
It turned out that Helen had had an ulterior motive for bringing her daughter on this trip. Toby was gay and had been ostracised by several members of their family, including their other sibling Patricia; this was the reason for his absence at family functions. He had also encountered prejudice within the rural area in which he practiced as a country vet, although he had overcome much of this by proving that he was a consummate professional -- earning the local's trust and respect for his skills, with their friendship eventually following.
Sian's mother wasn't trying to stop her daughter being gay but she did want her to be aware of the bias and bigotry she might encounter when other people found out. Her own husband, Sian's father, wouldn't have taken kindly to the situation if he was still alive and he had only tolerated Toby under sufferance and for Helen's sake.
During their stay Toby did what he could to gently make the young girl aware of the trials she might face whilst also making her feel comfortable about her new found sexuality but it was all done very sensitively; so much so in fact that Sian hadn't even realised that this was the reason for their trip at the time -- only some years later did it dawn on her that her mother and Toby were preparing her for the future.
Their trip did have one unexpected outcome though; Sian had the opportunity to accompany Toby both in his surgery and on his trips around the farms as he tended to routine farm requirements and the occasional emergency and she finally found some focus. From that day forward she had absolutely no doubt as to what her career was going to be -- she would be a vet and a damn good one!
From then on she visited Toby every chance she got; every holiday from school or college and often on weekends throughout the year. The two became very close and Sian was over the moon when Toby and his boyfriend Giles asked her to be maid of honour at their civil partnership.
She had fallen in love for the first time whilst in her last year of veterinary training and her relationship with Laura had lasted until 2 months ago but it became obvious that they wanted very different things from their lives. Sian yearned to be what she called a 'proper' vet in the countryside. She had no aversion to small animals but she longed to be dealing with larger animals and livestock and the work she did with a couple of inner city farms wasn't enough to satisfy that craving; they were more like large petting zoos than real working farms.
Laura however was perfectly happy in the city treating cats, dogs and whatever pets were brought into her surgery. She had no longing for wide open spaces and considered farmyards to be dirty places that were to be avoided at all costs.
When Toby called Sian to say he was taking early retirement and offering to sell his practice onto her at very fair and reasonable terms, neither Sian nor Laura were particularly surprised when she accepted. There had been a few tears but it was obvious to them both that their relationship had run its course.
Still in her reverie she stood and placed her mug in the sink and turned to find a woman standing in the kitchen near the door.
"Shit!" exclaimed Sian, grabbing the flimsy robe and pulling it tightly around her, suddenly feeling very exposed and silly in her robe and trainers.
"I'm really sorry, I did call out but there was no answer and the door was open; we don't tend to stand on ceremony around here so if you don't want visitors you'd best lock your door." Laughed the intruder, her smiles and warm manner instantly calming Sian's hammering heart.
"No I'm sorry, I was day dreaming. What can I do for you? I'm afraid I won't really be ready to start work for a couple of weeks but Toby and Giles are still working until then if you need a vet today?"
As the tall, dark haired woman walked toward Sian she looked at her properly for the first time. She seemed about the same age as Sian, had warm brown eyes in a face that suited a smile and when she did it lit up not only her own face but the whole room. She was slim and wiry but the obvious muscles that rippled under her skin tight and tatty old jeans spoke volumes about the strength they possessed. Her breasts were smallish but well proportioned, riding high and proud on the svelte frame.
"I'm Jocelyn Harper but everyone calls me Joss; I own and farm the lands this cottage is sat on so I will require your services at some point but I'm also your landlady and I just wanted to make sure you'd settled in ok? I live in the farmhouse over there."
