The World of Sherby57

Yvette pulled up outside the house and turned off the engine of her jazzy, little sports car.  She hesitated before getting out and started faffing about in the glove box, trying to find a CD that she didn’t even want to listen to.  She was just killing time and she knew it.  How on earth was she going to break the news to Henry?

Her boss, Graham, at the airline, had called her in for a meeting that very morning, and she had expected it to be just another commendation or another letter of praise from one of the passengers.  Yvette couldn’t have been more wrong.  Graham sat her down and used his serious expression; it was an expression that she’d seen rarely, in over 10 years of employment.  The last time that she had seen it was over the whole boiled sweet scandal of 2005.  She couldn’t imagine what horror would emerge from his lips.  Luckily, Graham didn’t beat around the bush and dropped his bombshell immediately – Yvette was to be transferred to Shanghai, post haste.

Her mind reeled.  She didn’t really want to go, but the lure of exotic air hostessery was just too strong.  By all accounts, she should have resigned as cabin crew when she qualified as a neurosurgeon, but the desire to provide passengers with hot towels was just too ingrained in her. It was literally weaved in the fabric of her DNA.  Besides, Shanghai General was looking for a new neurosurgeon; they had a waiting list of children needing brain transplants that was as long as both her arms, very much in the leg sense.  She found herself agreeing to the transfer before she’d even considered Henry.

Yvette sighed and knew that she could prolong the inevitable no longer.  She entered the house with aplomb.  Henry was stretched out on the sofa like a sexy walrus, looking almost too relaxed.  He immediately perked up when he saw Yvette standing there, and sprang onto his haunches like a grumpy cat ready to attack.  She almost blurted her news straight out but instead attempted a diversion.

‘Teas or coffees for yourself, Sir?’ she asked.  Henry instinctively knew that something was wrong and asked her what was wrong.  The tears immediately erupted from her eyes like some kind of crazy fountain.  Henry held her tight and she soon composed herself enough to tell him the whole sorry tale.

When she had finished, she looked up at Henry and was surprised to see him smiling serenely.  Why wasn’t he upset?  She didn’t understand, and he recognised her look of puzzlement and quelled her fears.

‘My sweet, you have too many good deeds left to achieve for the children of St Helens.  You cannot leave now; you will be missed too much by all and sundry.  And furthermore, there is this: we are like two peas in a pod – to separate us would be tantamount to murder.  You love your work in the sky, of that there can be no doubt, but look within and you will see that our bond is stronger than your desire to push a trolley down a narrow aisle.’

With that, he reached behind her ear and magically made a gold bumblebee necklace appear. It was the one item of jewellery that she had always dreamed of, but had never though that she’d be able to own.  It was a moment of such outlandish beauty that it was worthy of a gimmicky Hollywood romcom.  Yvette instantly knew where her heart lay.

As Henry delicately fastened the necklace around her graceful neck, she knew that, of course, she wouldn’t be going to Shanghai.  She could never leave the wonder of Henry or the brains of the children of St Helens.