Short Story Sunday: Stoking the Fire

"But, how do you know? How can you tell?" Rita waved her hands as she spoke.

Delia smiled. "A person's face says a lot about them."

"Then I had better start buying more expensive moisturiser."



They laughed with Kate, noting the faintest smell of braai ash in the air and ignoring Danny the Boxer, who was nosing about, hoping to stumble on scraps. 

"But there must be a secret to it... A kind of magic," said Rita.

"Not really. It's more a sense of... knowing."

"Let me tell you something, Delia. If there's two things I know for sure, it's that, firstly, I know how to make a fire, and, secondly, that I don't know how to use make-up." Maggie dabbed her face with a serviette.

"Hear, hear!" Allanah raised her glass. "I think my mother forgot to teach me that."

"There's no doubt that Delia's mother taught her about matchmaking, though." Kate bit into her broccoli salad. "Or how else do you explain yourself, Yenta?"

"What's a Yenta?" Rita poured another drink.

"It means -- oh, sing it with me, Kate. 'Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match!'" Maggie laughed as Kate continued singing: "Find me a find, catch me a catch."

"Well, I don't know about that," said Delia. "But I think it does get me Brownie points up there." She pointed heavenwards.

"Then does that mean I get Brownie points too? After all, I encouraged Rita to come and work with us last year."

"Ohhhh yes!" said Allanah. "And that's where she met Stewie..."

"Shush, shush! Let's rather talk about Kate and her foreigner."

"Nooooooooo, not today." Kate's phone pinged.

"Look how she blushes," said Delia. "That must be him."

"I guess I'm up for Brownie points too," said Allanah. "Because I told Kate she would marry a Sam... And now, look, she's met one and she's a cougar!"

"No, Kate! How big is the age gap?" said Maggie.

"Six months."

"Ag, that's fine. I'm six months older than my husband."

Kate grinned. "That deserves a high five!"

"Well, at least you're not nineteen," said Delia. "People who get married at that age... Well, they're too young."

"Allanah got married at nineteen," said Kate.

"Oh my goodness!" Delia covered her face as they laughed.

"I wasn't going to say anything," said Allanah.

"Well, now I am sorry I've said it..."

"Rita's very quiet. When are you and Stewart getting married?"

"He hasn't asked her yet," said Kate. "But I have a feeling it's going to be any day now." She tapped her nose for good measure.

"Oh, really?" said Delia. "He's not planning on taking you anywhere is he?"

"Not that I know of." Rita stared at her plate.

"And are you seeing him tonight?"

"Probably."

"Probably? That should be a yes or no."

"Well, I mean, we will... Yes. It's just... Let's talk about Kate and Sam some more."

"Who wants dessert?" Maggie gathered the plates and took them to the kitchen.

"I'll help," said Allanah.

"I'm not done with you yet," said Delia. "How long have you known Stewart?"

"Six, almost seven, months."

"And how did you meet?"

"I think it was the day of our Staff Team-building," said Kate. "Rita got her leg stuck in the climbing net and he came to her rescue."

"Really?" said Delia. "That recent? Well, when you know, you know."

"I know that, on that day, Cupid released a big fat arrow at the two of them!" said Kate.

Rita blushed. "Well, yes. Something like that."

"And you said something about a ring?" said Delia.

"Yes, I think there's a ring."

"I hope it's three times his salary -- then you know he's serious about you."

Allanah placed the ice-cream on the table. "Ag no, man. If Barry spent that much on my ring then we wouldn't have been able to eat for six months after the wedding." She turned to Rita. "I think it's more about how he treats you than what he spends."

"Now let me tell you a story," said Delia. 

"First dish up your ice-cream," said Maggie. "And, please, eat. I don't want leftovers."

"Ah, Allanah, this is my favourite flavour," said Kate. "My mother always buys the one with chocolate and nuts in it and all I can think about is how the nuts take up space that chocolate could have occupied."

"Has everyone got dessert now? Can I tell the story?"

"Wait, just let me switch on the coffee machine." Maggie returned. "Okay, Delia, the floor is yours."

Delia put down her spoon. "This is a story about Poppy and Declan."

"Oh, I know this one. It's good," said Maggie.

"How old are they?" said Rita.

"Fourty-four and fourty-eight."

"That's a good age. Coincidentally, there's a six-year gap between Rita and Stewie," said Allanah.

"I always knew I would fall for an older man," said Rita.

"Unlike Kate the cougar!" said Allanah.

"Six months is not that bad, guys," said Kate. "Anyway, Delia, tell us your story."

"But first tell me about your ring," said Rita.

"Oh, this one? My first boyfriend gave it to me," said Delia.

"He must have liked you very much."

"Yes. Yes, he did."

They laughed.

"So what happened?" said Rita.

"He wanted me to move to Witbank." 

Kate pulled a face. "Of all places."

"Yes, my sentiments exactly," said Delia.


"Well don't you moan, Kate," said Allanah, "because if Sam has his way, you'll be moving to Surrey."

"Shush, shush... We're nowhere near discussing that."

"Yet!" they said.

"I don't know about you, but I want to hear Delia's story," said Rita.

"Who wants coffee?" said Maggie. "Sorry, Delia. Tell your story to them. You told me the other day, remember?"

"Oh yes," said Delia. "Well, this story is actually thirty-odd years in the making. Would you believe that Poppy and Declan actually grew up in the same neighbourhood, went to the same schools and had the same social group yet never met each other?"

"No!" said Rita.

Maggie placed a tray on the table. The scent of coffee surrounded them like a happy memory. "That's how you know the two of them are meant to be. Even Poppy's ex-husband agrees that Declan is the man for her."

"Wow," said Rita.

"I had the same experience when I met Barry," said Allanah. "It was the last thing I ever expected to happen."

"And look at you now -- twenty-two years and still going strong," said Maggie.

"It's like Louise from work... She met her husband and married him six months later. As Delia said, when you know, you know," said Kate.

"Well, it took a bit of encouragement for Declan and Poppy. I worked on Declan for weeks before he finally gave in and let me give him Poppy's number. I waited the whole weekend to see Poppy at work on Monday. 'Poppy,' I said, 'I have to tell you something of critical importance.' So Poppy said, 'What is it, Delia?' So I told her that I'd given Declan her number. 'Oh, I know,' she said. 'We spent the whole of Saturday talking and we were walking on the beach on Sunday morning when the sun came up.'"

"No!" said Rita.

"Yes," said Delia. "That's how they discovered their shared histories."

"I told you: it's meant to be," said Maggie.

"Must be," said Rita.

"Just like you and Stewart, and Allanah and Barry. And Maggie and Lee and Delia and John," said Kate.

"Don't forget about you and Sam," said Maggie. "Because that story is one for the movies."

"Hallmark movies!" said Allanah. Everyone laughed.

"Delia, you know Stewart. What does your matchmaking sense say about the two of them?" said Kate.

"I think it's lovely," said Delia. "I think Stewart is a lucky man to have found Rita."

"Hear, hear." They raised their coffee mugs.

"The only question is," said Kate, "where will Rita get married?"

"Oh, Kate! Trust you to stoke the fire."