I drew a map of Canada, I'm not sure why. I'd drawn it just above The Times crossword. It had only taken me five minutes to complete sat in a small church filled with a mix of tourists and volunteers who kept the place running during the summer months. 8 down had been Ontario this may have some influence on the fairly accurate depiction of the maple leaf country. It more had something to do with the Joni Mitchell inspired young woman who helped out in the grounds of Norman church. Her hair and dress flowed as one and I was taken in. I needed to see what her story was. She was probably a student gaining experience in conservation projects or maybe a summer job with a trusted relative helping out Auntie Val who was on the parish council.
I never meant it to look stalkerish although the fact I had been here every day for the last two weeks must have looked a tad suspicious. I had got to know the vicar a bit or had two short conversations with. He was an enthusiastic minister whos use of modern thinking and use of contemporary hymns were not to some of the older members of the congregation tastes. This was fair enough I guess, there is so many times you can listen to 'Lord of the Dance' before you go out of your mind. I think the vicar liked me around there weren't many around his age in the village other than commuters and family men who didn't have time to chat about important moral debates. I'd done a module at uni in theology but barely passed but he was good humoured and happy to talk without patronising or dismissing my points.
This was not enough to feel that my presence wasn't some what dubious. Sometimes I think I stared too often, this wasn't in a objectification sense of stared. Joni as I had started calling her my head was just so at ease with the world. She seemed to get on with everyone even the old crusties. We still hadn't spoken although we had passed each other a few times in the porch. I wanted to tell her that this was where medieval weddings would have taken place. But I could only muster up a week smile on each occasion she some how smiled back with a hint of genuine friendliness even though we didn't know anything about each other. This is maybe why I stuck around.
