A CHRISTMAS WISH

Chapter 39: An Unexpected Surprise

O.k here it is Chapter 39, this is quite a long chapter, I felt a little bad for giving you guys such a small chapter and i had a day off today so i wrote another chapter for you guys.

Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you guys think, i hope u still enjoy it as much as before..

Here's hoping for the best:-)

Chapter 39

"An Unexpected Surprise"

Sarah was confronted by a happy chorus of "good morns" and similar greetings when she finally entered the room after dressing and washing up in record time.

The ladies stood and rushed over, all chattering enthusiastically at the same time. Exhausted by the sheer volume of compliments and questions bombarding her, Sarah tried her best to answer, but it wasn't easy.

It took Sarah a good ten minutes to finally make her way across the room wading through the excited throng, murmuring harried greetings of her own. It took her another five to sit down on her high-backed chair that Megan promptly pulled out for her at the head of the table. The dozen or so ladies followed suit and sat down too on the benches along the length of the table Douglas had constructed, but they didn't shut up. Oh no, not winded in the slightest, they continued to shout over one another in a wild jumble of conversation concerning the homecoming, the party and any number of topics which got completely lost in translation. Sarah had to rub her temples to subdue the headache that threatened to return full force.

Thank god she had discovered this light and surprisingly airy room off the main entrance during one of her cleaning sprees last week. Locked and lying unobtrusively next to the weaponry the previously empty space was perfect for the informal little get-togethers these women had tricked her into having that first day she had asked to meet them all.

And Sarah was glad, it was their inaugural "Official" meeting and if this rowdy reception was a precursor to the types of "gatherings" the ladies had in mind then it was a good thing they weren't holding it in the hall. For one that would mean more participants, and from the looks of things here these particular magpies were capable of bringing down the house with their shrill voices.

"Order! Order!"

Came a loud command followed by several jarring thwacks as the blunt rounded end of the makeshift hammer collided with the wooden table top resonating all around the room like a thunderclap.

Sarah grimaced at the sound, she knew she would regret providing Morag with that blasted hammer and she was right.

All of last week the hefty battle-axe had relished ordering everyone about, and anyone foolish enough to ignore her summons was greeted to the sound of a hammer striking any solid surface at hand, instantly making them duck to take cover.

Sarah wasn't alone, many of the ladies seated were forced to cover their ears with their hands, a few even jumped in shock. But they did shut up, at least for a moment, that chunky arm with which Morag wielded her considerable weapon packed quite a wallop.

And it gave Sarah the opening she was seeking to quickly interject before they piped up again.

"Hello Ladies," she said, "I am glad you could all make it here today. I am sorry for keeping you waiting, but I hope we can get things started now that I am here,"

Murmurs of assent greeted that pronouncement, and Sarah nodded, smiling she addressed the women aiming to get this meeting over with as quickly as possible.

"So what do we have on the agenda today?"

"Agenda?" several of the ladies enquired.

"It means, what do you guys want to discuss this morning?"