A Good Find by Gary L Beer (chrysanthemum read aloud .TXT) 📕

a round chubby face that looks ten years younger than his true age of twenty five years. His body looks muscular, but is betrayed by the pot belly that hangs over his leather belted blue jeans. A belly that is due to the long hours spent in his forklift truck and the five pints of brown ale that he drinks each day.
Nicola is three years older than Stef and appears delicate compared to Stef; being a good twenty centimetres shorter with a slim body and long brown shiny hair that reaches to her shoulders. Dark brown eyes look out from a thin face that appears to have seen troubled times. Slight worry lines are making an appearance across her brow and her eyes seem shadowed from lack of sleep and appear dark against her pale skin.

Nicola looks through her wardrobe for something to wear over her blue sweatshirt and black slacks. Choosing a pale lightweight jacket she puts it on and looks at her reflection in the long wardrobe mirror. Twisting to the left and then to the right and with a stretch of her arms above her head she appears satisfied with her choice. Removing the jacket Nicola lays it carefully onto the bed and looks down at the array of shoes and trainers that cover the bottom of the wardrobe. Picking a pair of silver coloured trainers she flicks off her slippers and puts the trainers on, she ties them up tight and reaching over to her bedside table picks up a book and starts to read.
Nicola likes to read, especially romance novels and this one, about a girl in Jamaica has become very exciting; and Nicola is finding it hard to put down! Avidly she reads, imagining herself on a Jamaican beach in the arms of a strong, Jamaican hotel owner when Stef snaps her away by shouting her name repeatedly, and loud!
Annoyed to be taken away from the Jamaican sunshine Nicola throws her book down on the bed and with a; ‘I’m coming.’ goes into the kitchen; where Stef is still shouting.
“Alright, alright I’m here what’s all the fuss?” says Nicola as she enters the kitchen.
“Where you been? You been gone twenty minutes!” demands Stef in his loud voice as he knows what Nicola has been doing.
“I’ve been getting changed.” Nicola replies defensively.
Stef eyes her up and down; “Changed?” he asks in his indignant voice “All you’ve changed is your trainers!”
“Well I been doing other things”
“Like what? Reading your soppy novel, I bet.”
“Maybe.” Nicola replies with a small smile on her face.
“I can see you have, your eyes go all soft and dopey looking.”
“They do not,” Nicola exclaims; “Have you made sandwiches for me?” she asks looking at the sandwich filled plastic containers on the worktop.
“No they are mine, and there is no more bread left, well only what’s in the freezer.”
Nicola looks dismayed and upset that Stef has used all the bread, before she can pass comment Stef laughs; “You don’t think I’m gonna eat all them do ya; especially the lemon curd?”
Nicola looks at Stef’s smiling face; Stef does not like lemon curd and despite his denial had obviously made sandwiches for her as well as his own.
Nicola smiles sweetly in reply, her whole face changing, the smile making her look younger and somehow more vulnerable; “Thank you kind sir, you are like Winston in the book I am reading.”
“You’d better watch your language or I might confiscate your sandwiches.” says Stef sternly, now with only a hint of a smile, as he feels jealous of Nicola’s romantic dreams; even though they are only stories in a book.
Nicola is saved from answering as the front door bell rings several times; Stef runs to the front door and opens it quickly to a stressed looking Simon.
“About time you answered it I been standing here for ages.”
“We never heard it, you have to push it dead centre to get it to work.” apologises Stef.
“I weren’t sure if it was working or not, till I heard you running up the hall; you ready then?”
Stef looks at Simons flushed face, Simon is breathing heavily from riding his bicycle, and his large chest pulsates heavily as he quickly draws breath in and out. Simon is a well-built man; over two metres tall in his socks, his long black hair is tied into a pony tail at the back and is tied tightly around a very round face. Weighing a hundred and eighty pounds few challenge his muscular form and he is used to getting his own way; he asks first but usually takes what he wants.
“Just waiting for Nicola,” lies Stef “Come in for a second.” Stef stands back from the door opening it wider.
Simon looks at his bike which is leaning against the wooden front fence; “No, I’ll wait here.”
“Suit yourself” says Stef as he walks back into the flat.
Nicola appears carrying two small rucksacks;
“I heard that, Hello Simon, I am ready it’s him we’re waiting for.”
“Hi Nic, yeah he’s always bragging you have to wait for him.”
“Yeah, too right.” laughs Stef as he takes a rucksack from Nicola’s outstretched hand.
“You as well? A lot of people believe his lies.” answers Nicola in a bored voice.
Stef gives a snort as he opens the door to a front room, taking a couple of steps inside he pulls out Nicola’s shiny red bicycle and pushes it towards her. Nicola takes it from him, putting her rucksack over her shoulders and sitting astride her bike she rides it out of the open front door.
Stef follows quickly, slamming the front door he jumps on his expensive shiny black bicycle. Costing five times the amount as Nicola’s, it comes complete with twenty one gears, suspension, disc brakes and ergonomic saddle. He speeds down the path and out onto the road, without a backward glance as he passes Nicola and Simon, he pedals quickly down the road and is soon lost to sight around the corner.
“Looks like someone’s in a hurry, you two had a row?” asks Simon.
“Not that I know of.” replies Nicola as she pedals after Stef.
Simon’s bike is similar to Stef’s but in a metallic blue with down swept handlebars and hard thin leather saddle, he pulls it away from the fence and follows Nicola and Stef down the road.
Stef is waiting impatiently further on at the entrance to the path that leads down to the seafront. There were steep cliffs here years ago; now the cliffs have been landscaped to an angle of forty degrees to stop the erosion. Paths criss cross the grass covered slope that is interspersed with small bushes of gorse and young trees, giving it the appearance of a park in its early years.
As Nicola approaches the path Stef turns and rides down the slope, not giving her a chance to stop and catch her breath. Nicola is annoyed with Stef’s behaviour and would much prefer a gentler ride. She turns right halfway down the slope, as she knows that riding down to the beach will mean cycling back up; as steep cliffs bar their way further on.
Simon speeds past her as she takes the turning and he joins Stef to cycle along the concrete sea defences that border the shingle beach. Nicola does not mind cycling alone, in fact she is getting used to it as more and more these days she finds herself separated from Stef somewhere along the ride. She looks down at the two men cycling side by side; already they are fifty feet in front of her and seem oblivious to her presence.

“How far do ya wanna go Dude?” asks Simon as he pulls level with Stef.
“Dunno, not too far depends on Nic, we’ll ask her when we get to the Towers.” he replies in an impatient voice.
“Nice day for a ride Dude.” Simon enthuses looking up at the sky which is a deep blue. White cumulus clouds looking like giant balls of cotton wool drift on a high wind far above.
“Yeah, lucky for this time of year it being only April.” replies Stef with enthusiasm warming to the favourite subject of the British; discussing the weather!
“The forecast is for rain this evening.” replies Simon seriously.
“You wouldn’t believe it.” answers Stef looking up at a big patch of blue sky. He looks behind only now remembering that Nicola is meant to be with them, not seeing her he looks up the slope. For a moment he cannot see her as she is far behind them; “What’s she doing up there?” he asks.
“She ain’t daft, we will have to go up there at the end, unless you wanna carry your bike up the one hundred steps?” asks Simon, referring to the steel steps that scale the steep cliffs at the end of the concrete sea defences.
“No, better not, Nicola won’t wanna do that and we can’t let her ride around The Glen on her own.”
“Yeah, that is what I was thinking, that’s a lonely path around there you would never hear the last of it if she slipped and fell.” says Simon with a wry grin.
“If she fell down there, she would probably break her neck.” replies Stef, picturing the fifteen metre drop to the bottom of the gorge. Though only created out of the sand and clay cliffs by a seasonal stream The Glen’s cliffs have become a sheer drop. The fall from the narrow path through trees and bracken onto the sand and rubbish of rusty bicycles and supermarket trolleys far below, would probably result in serious injury or death.
Simon slows a little and looks up and back at Nicola who is now a good five hundred yards further behind. Stef pedals faster and pulls away suddenly seeming to be in a hurry, Simon, seeing Stef speeding up pedals hard to catch him up;
“Slow down Dude, we got all day, give Nicola a chance to catch up man.”
Apart from themselves the beach and path before them is deserted and Stef sees no reason to go slowly as they can meet Nicola at the entrance to The Glen. Ignoring Simon’s plea Stef pedals harder and soon leaves Simon far behind who frowns in irritation.
Stef takes the path that leads off the seafront at speed, even though the path now leads upwards Stef is going too fast and skids on some loose dirt and gravel. In a big swirling of dust and stones Stef skids off the path and nearly loses complete control; as he wobbles dangerously, almost falling to the concrete several feet below. Putting on the brakes he skids to a halt and looks down at the front wheel as if something is wrong. The noise of Simon approaching makes him look up and he stares at Simon in embarrassment.
Simon stares back at Stef with a blank expression on his face and rides past saying nothing as if they are strangers. Nicola pedalling furiously towards them sees Simon ride past Stef and seeing that Stef has come to no harm slows down to a sedate pace.
Simon