Martha's Bonfire Night

Was it a good date? No.

But, had Martha learned something from it?

She took a big bite of her burger and sighed with her mouth full. She’d learned that dating was pointless and women who did it were stupid. That counted as a life lesson, right?

Or maybe women weren’t stupid, and it was only Martha who had such bad luck with guys. It couldn’t be normal to find this many weirdo men in such quick succession. From the one who spent the night on his phone, refusing to make eye contact and barely uttering a word, to the one who massively insulted her in French thinking she wouldn’t understand him.

It said a lot about the whole mate-search that the best date she’d been on had been the one where she’d been stood up. That would have certainly been preferable to what she’d just experienced with the man she’d fled not two minutes ago. He was the worst of them, because he was the first to make her feel bad about herself. Even the one who’d called her a ho in French, hadn’t been personal, but Jeff… His comments had stung in their thoughtlessness.

Well, screw him! At least she got a burger out of it. She’d paid for it herself and it was damn good. It placated her temper as she made the five-minute walk from the restaurant to Garrett Park.

Maybe she was still cursed. What if they’d misunderstood the goddess’s decree that their coven was forgiven for the atrocities committed by past members?

Martha’s coven sisters had done their best to make amends, but how could you make amends for the acts of others. How did you repent for the sins of the unforgiveable? A curse would certainly explain the string of bad dates she’d been on.

Except… the coven couldn’t be cursed. Her sister River had found her mate in Alex, a handsome, tall, toned man who saw only perfection in his mate.

Could be her sisters were forgiven but Martha wasn’t. She hadn’t done anything bad, though, to warrant being singled out with and ancient curse. Hell, she was one of the better-behaved of her immortal sisters.

There was no explanation for the men she’d had no more than a single date with. If even that.

The burger was gone long before she reached the park, but that was okay. The angry stomp of her brown boots hitting the sidewalk was soothing.

The lap she did around the muddy park, seeking out her sisters and Alex not so much, although, it did give her a chance to see what stalls were set up.

She was just about to get her cell phone out to call River to find out where they were, when the fiery red of April’s hair caught her attention from the corner of her eye.

Her coven, her family, were standing by a food truck that sold soup and they were gathered together, paper cups held in their gloved and mittened hands. Or at least some of her coven were.

Bethany, April, River and River’s mate Alex. He was an honorary member. Always there to support River but with no magical abilities. He’d become one of them quicker than Martha had expected, and now he was the big brother they’d never known they wanted. Even her older sisters, the ones whose ages were in the hundreds were treated like annoying little sisters by Alex.

Martha crossed the park to join her family. Bethany was the first to notice her approach, and smile spread over her heart-shaped face. Her dark hair was tucked under a grey, woolly hat with a blue bobble on top. Her eyes shone behind the smudged glass of her square glasses and she was dressed in jeans and a dark grey puffy jacket. Her converse trainers were marked with mud and as always, a heavy camera hung on a long strap, slung over her shoulder.

“Martha!” she exclaimed, and the others turned in surprise.

“I thought you couldn’t make it,” River said.

April winced and then asked, “How was the date?”

Four pairs of attentive eyes were locked on her, and she glared at her red-headed sister. “It was great,” and yes, that was sarcasm dripping from her voice. “It lasted eight whole minutes. We get married next week.”

With a roll of her eyes, April ignored Martha’s attitude. She was used to it. They were roommates after all.

“What happened?”

“You didn’t get stood up again, did you?” River asked.

“No.” Unfortunately. “I arrived and he was waiting outside. He eyed me up and down, frowned and it got worse from there.” She was definitely deleting her dating app. “The next five minutes were spent telling me that he didn’t usually date chunky girls, and how attractive I’d be if I lost twenty pounds.”

“Jerk!” River exclaimed.

April’s fiery temper kicked in and she ground her teeth together, parting them only long enough to grind out, “Bastard.”

“You’re beautiful, Martha,” Bethany rushed to tell her. “Don’t listen to him.”

“I won’t.” But his words had wormed into her self-confidence and made her wonder if he was right. She tried to not let it impact on her, but it was hurtful to hear. She wasn’t the skinniest girl in the world, but she’d always been content with what she considered to be an ordinary shaped body.

“Did you leave then?” Alex asked.

She should have, but she hadn’t wanted to be rude. “Not quite. I stuck around for another five minutes, but all he did was give me advice on nutrition and fitness, and when I ordered a burger, he told the waiter to bring me a grilled chicken salad.”

“He actually changed your order?” April asked. “While you sat there?”

River would have reacted, but she was too busy standing there with her mouth hanging open. It took Alex lifting her chin up, to have her mouth snapping shut.

“He tried, but I didn’t let him. I said I wanted a burger, but when they brought it, he had such disgust on his face that I’d have never been able to eat it in front of him. I gave him some money for it and I left.”

“Good,” River said. “He doesn’t deserve a date with a woman as beautiful as you.”

Alex nodded his agreement. “He sounds like a moron. His loss.”

It was heart-warming how they rushed to soothe her hurt feelings, but she was still deleting the stupid app when she got home. She’d have done it right then, but she didn’t want to be rude by getting her phone out.

April slipped her arm around Martha’s waist and squeezed comfortingly. “You look lovely, and that jackass was a waste of lipstick.”

“Thank you.”

“At least now you’re here for the bonfire and fireworks with us. That’s much more fun than a date with some random man.”

“You want some soup, Martha?” Alex asked.

Martha shook her head. “I had my burger as I walked here. I’m going to have a toffee apple tonight though.”

“Ooh, donuts for me,” River said. “They have them freshly at the pink truck.”

It was a cold night, but Martha was wrapped up warmly inside her black woollen coat. She’d worn a dress for her date, but her tights were thick, and she and April held onto each other for warmth while Bethany went around the park taking pictures, and River and Alex stood together in a tight embrace. After a while Alex went for a wander around the park and River joined their little huddle until he returned with donuts for River and a toffee apple for Martha. She always forgot how difficult they were to eat until her face was stained with sticky red toffee, like a child’s.

When the bonfire was lit, the heat wrapped around them along with the cloying aroma of smoke. She loved the smell though. Even when she was little, she’d enjoyed the festivities of bonfire night. The flames, the people, the fireworks. When she was younger it had been exciting, and now she was older, it still held the same magic for her.

Even in her twenties, she loved trying to write her name with a sparkler.

Bethany returned to them, sipping on a hot chocolate, her cheeks pink from the cold, and a big grin on her face.

“The fireworks are starting soon,” she announced, excitedly, her gaze already drifting up to the sky.

Her anticipation was infectious, and they all huddled together, waiting for the bursts of light, to flash in the black sky.

When they did start the bright colours were vibrant against their dark backdrop, and the bangs made her jump, but they laughed, and they oohed and aahed at the pretty sight.

Dating strangers just wasn’t for Martha. She hadn’t enjoyed any of it. She didn’t feel comfortable, and if she was honest, she’d known nothing was going to come of it, because she hadn’t felt attraction for any of them. Not even a hint of desire, and it couldn’t be that way with her mate.

No, dating wasn’t for her, but as she looked at her family, her heart was full. She had a lot in her life. She had love and laughter. She had constant joy. Things weren’t always easy, but she was happy with what all had.

April watched the fireworks with just the slightest curl to her pink lips, whereas Bethany had tipped her head right back, her teeth white from her wide grin, completely immersed in the lights above her. Her camera hung limply, forgotten in her hand.

It was the sight of River and Alex that got to her though. They were so natural together. Every act was centred on the other person without them even realising. Alex had his arms wrapped around her waist, leaning down to hear what she was saying, the soft tendrils of her blonde hair brushing his lips.

Both were smiling, but it was the tenderness as they looked at each other that stabbed Martha in the heart. This was nothing special for them, just a conversation like any other day, but it was something Martha wanted for herself.

For someone to look at her the way they looked at each other.

Her mind flashed back to when she’d approached Jeff, her date earlier in the evening and the disappointment she’d seen there.

She sighed, drawing April’s attention.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” she replied. “I’m good.” And she was. She’d love to find her mate, but not the way she had been. She wasn’t searching for him any longer. She’d put her faith in the goddess and have faith that he was out there. Probably pushing a pull door. He’d come when it was the right time, and until then, she had all she needed.

“I forgot to tell you,” April said. “A guy at work has a friend who manages a nightclub, and they’re hiring.”

Oh, right. She had almost all that she needed. A job would be good though. Five days ago, she’d been made redundant from the library she’d worked at for years.

“I know it’s not anything you’ve done before,” April continued, “but you said you wanted something different, and this is different.”

It was certainly that. “Late nights, loud music,” Martha said. “Might be fun.”

April pulled a card from her coat pocket and handed it over. “You just have to email your resume to the manager Mervin.”

Martha looked down at the small, white card in her hand. She’d spent a long time in the peaceful quiet of the library, that a job in a nightclub would be a shock to her senses, but it might just be a shock she needed.

“Thanks, April,” she said.

“You’re welcome.”

Fireworks exploded above her head, the smell of smoke clung to her, she was surrounded by love and a prickling sense of anticipation washed over her.

Bonfire night was always exciting, but it was the sense of hope in the night air that had her heart kicking up its beat. The future was scary, but it was wide open. Anything could happen. Anything.

Romance Writer