The Dinner - 1. The Dinner

It was comfortably warm inside, the type of comfortable warmth that makes your cheeks tingle when you go in from the cold.

That is if you enter.

The sensation to the nose was heavenly. The smells were mouth-watering if you could smell them. The first you would notice is the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mixed with freshly baked bread and pastries. As you go further, you will meet the heady mixed smell of a working kitchen preparing meals for hungry stomachs.

That is if you enter.

Outside in the cold, looking at the newly renovated building, was a group of people all wondering why they were there. They had accepted an invitation to dinner from a wealthy businessman who promised a healthy donation for their charity and wanted to present it to them in person. Assurances had been given that there would be no fanfare or publicity, and there was no evidence of anything as they exited the limousine that had picked them up.

The group leader, a six-foot-plus ex-rugby player with hair that was now more salt than pepper, spoke up. “Well, this is the last place I expected to be tonight. We had better go inside and find out what this is all about. I'm guessing there is more to this than we have been told.”

With that, he strode across the road, through the reconstructed gated archway and up to the polished wooden door. As he was about to knock, the door opened, and he noticed a small camera above the door.

“Welcome. I was wondering how long you would stand out in the cold. I was going to come out to you but decided to wait a few more minutes.” Their host, a short man, barely five feet six tall but quite rotund in stature, said to them.

Inside, the large entrance hall of the building, it was very modern. Smooth flowing lines flowed showed through in the design. The walls were smooth painted in gentle pastel colours, wood fire doors with narrow glass panels, warm tiled floors, diffused lighting appeared to give a soft and welcoming atmosphere, and underfloor heating gave it warmth. It was not what they were expecting. They wondered if the same tasteful design continued throughout the building. Almost at the same time as the tingly comfortable warmth, was felt on their cheeks, they took in the welcoming aroma of fresh coffee and baked bread pastries.

“Please follow your noses to the lounge and make yourselves comfortable. Light refreshments are waiting for you before we sit down to dinner.” Their host chuckled as he led them to a large room furnished with various coffee tables, sofas and armchairs. At the far end, three alcoves were lit, each fully equipped with computers, printers, desks and chairs. None of the furnishings were expensive, but they were adequate and comfortable. One side of the room was bright, with recently renovated stained glass windows. The other had a small functioning kitchen area equipped with two microwave ovens, an under-counter fridge and hot drink-making facilities, which included a coffee machine. It was separated from the main part of the room by a breakfast bar/counter containing a small selection of fresh mini pastries on covered plates.

There were hushed conversations between group members as they helped themselves to hot drinks and pastries before making themselves comfortable. Naturally, the conversation was about their host and what had happened to the interior of the building. A lower ceiling had been installed, giving the impression that a floor had been added, to what previously had been a much higher space.

After coffee, their host reappeared. “Please accept my apologies for leaving you unattended I have been attending to some of the details of our meeting and checking that dinner will be ready on time. I know you all have questions, but please keep them till after dinner when they will be answered. If you would care to follow me, I would like to take you on a tour of the building as it is now.”

In his middle thirties, a dark-haired man with smooth chocolate-coloured eyes though slightly more filled out, still slim with a model-like appearance, followed their host and led the group on their tour. Including the oversized lounge, the ground floor housed a small self-contained office suite, which was accessed, off the entrance hall. The corridor that led to the lounge also led to another larger room that was currently unfurnished, they were told, this could lend itself to any of many uses. It just needed to be furnished/equipped for whatever use was decided on. The same corridor also led to male and female toilets, the dining room, which they passed as they would see it at the end of the tour and a fully equipped kitchen. They didn't enter the kitchen as it was in use by catering staff preparing and cooking the meal that they would hopefully enjoy, and a fully equipped laundry room. It had all the hallmarks of being future student accommodation for the local university.

They were correct in assuming that an extra floor had been added to the building, accessed by stairs off the corridor that led through the downstairs accommodation. Upstairs branched off into three areas. In front of them was a corridor with rooms on either side. All are simply furnished with a single bed, a small table and chair, and a wash basin with a mirror. The only difference was, each room is painted in different pastel colours. At the end was a bathroom containing private cubicles. Each cubicle contained a shower, wash basin and toilet. This part separated the other two areas. Both were similar. They were of an open-plan design containing semi-private cubicles. The cubicles were similar in layout and design to the private rooms but without the wash basin. At the end of each area are communal bathrooms with open shower cubicles and separate toilet facilities.

Everything had the appearance of being budget student accommodation. It could be considered unusual for student accommodation, but maybe this made it more affordable for some students.

The conversation was polite and pleasant over an enjoyably simple but tasty meal. Compliments were made and accepted regarding the design and finish, of the accommodation. And the excellent quality of the meal. With the meal over, the group, and their host, returned to the lounge for after-dinner non-alcoholic drinks.

“The external renovations are fantastic, and the internal redesign is incredible. It must have cost a fortune to carry all of this out.” The statement from the thirty-something blond-haired male member of the group was genuine.

“It didn't cost quite the fortune as you may imagine, not when you own a majority of the shares in the companies carrying out the renovation works. As for the interior design, it is all the work of architects. They are young, have passion and vision for what they do and are committed to its purpose.” The host replied.

“I'll admit, I'm curious, why the semi-open plan design for two of the upstairs wings? Isn't it detrimental to living standards expected these days?” The small but imposing middle-aged mother in the group wanted to know.

“Well, to some, it would be considered detrimental in many ways, but extensive research has concluded that it is as close to ideal as possible for its intended purpose.” The host chuckled as a smile spread on his face.

“Well, I hope the students appreciate all of the hard work and thought that has gone into the planning and creating this accommodation for them. It's impressive and very different to when we were last here.” Steve was impressed but was also getting a little impatient. All attempts to get to the heart as to why they were here had been stonewalled.

The door of the lounge opened as a smartly dressed young man entered. He approached the host with a large manilla folder in his hand. “Sir, I have everything that you asked for. It is all here in this folder as requested.”

“Thank you, Samuel. Would you stay, please? I think you should be part of this.”

“Of course Sir. I would like that, thank you.”

“Oh, and Samuel, please cut the formalities we're not at work now. I am still your father.”

“Yes s... erm Dad, sorry, it's just become a habit in work-type situations.” Samuel blushed.

“Tell you what, why don't you get your partner? He should be here too, after all, this is largely down to him. I'm proud of him for opening my eyes and standing up to me.”

None of the references to partner and he went unnoticed. When Samuel re-entered the room, he was holding the hand of a young man in his mid-twenties. He looked familiar, but none of the group could think why. The folder was handed over to the large ex-rugby player, and his colleagues as Samuel and his partner took their place next to the host.

The first thing seen when the folder opened was a cheque for £250.000.

“This is amazing but, there is just one problem.”

“Really, what would that problem be?”

“This charity no longer operates, it's going to be wound up and closed. As we lost the premises that we operated from, we have moved on to a different, but just as worthwhile project. If arrangements could be made to change this, it really would be appreciated.”

“Pop, can I?” Samuel's partner asked the host.

“By all means, go ahead and share the good news.”

“I can see that you recognise some familiarity in me but, you don't quite recall who I am, do you? Well, let me remind you. Andy, you found me in Piccadilly Gardens being bullied by a gang of youths. It was you who took a shy, bespectacled boy under your wing. With help from you Christian, I started the rest of my life in safety, and with what was left of an inheritance. When I started college, I was chased and pursued by a gorgeous young man who made me weak at the knees and stutter worse than ever, thank god he never wanted to hurt me, and I still don't know what he saw in me. But he never gave up. Since then, he has encouraged me to come out of my shell and be the me that I am now. Thanks to my newfound confidence I lost the stutter. I had laser eye surgery which means I no longer need glasses and, I started going to a gym. That is why you don't recognise me. Also, I now work for an internationally recognised architect alongside some great people, including Sam.”

The group all looked amazed at the young man before them. “Kenny, Kenny Holt, is that really you?” Andy had tears in his eyes.

“Yes Andy, it's me, and this hunk is the young man that chased me in college. He proposed and we married last year, when we married Pop asked us what we wanted as a wedding gift. That is where the contents of the folder come in. We found out that Pop had bought the church and was planning on developing the land it stood on. We argued, and by compromise, we won the argument. The grounds here are less than they were, but the church has been restored externally and, as you have seen, redesigned and developed inside. I think Sam has done a brilliant job on the design.” Kenny smiled lovingly at his husband. “After what you all did for me, which means the world to me, and meant that I met this guy, I, sorry, we wanted to say thank you. The cheque is Pop's donation. The rest is our wedding gift which is for you. It is a ninety-nine-year lease with a rent of ten pounds per year.”

Interrupting, their host spoke up. “If you read through the documents you will find that all they need is the required signatures in the places marked. Also, there is a provision for guaranteed income as all of my tenants have agreed to a tax-deductible, charitable rent levy of one per cent per year, which will be paid, any way you choose between both of your projects. It currently amounts to about seventy thousand pounds annually, and will only go up.”

Two tearful young men threw their arms around the rotund figure of the host on hearing this unknown development muttering thank you, over and over again. The group looked at each other, smiling in amazement and nodding in agreement.

A recomposed Kenny spoke again. “Please, guys, you have to say yes The Boot can't die. What would happen to everyone who needs you, now and for a long time in the future if you're not there? What would have happened to me if you and The Boot weren't there when I needed you?”

A tearful Christian stood, held out his hand and said. “We will accept on one condition, you erect a sign with the name The New Boot.” and shook the hands of the host and both young men. "I hope we can open in time for Christmas.”