Bob of Small End (35 page)

“
Okay.
I’ll note it on the order and the driver will know where to go. Ah,
we don’t sell needles. Sorry. What do you want them
for?”

“
To hold
wood when it is dipped into paint.”

“
Never
heard of that being done. Let me know if it works. These long
trays; they’re to hold the paint then?”

“
Yes.”

“
Well we
don’t have anything like that. You might find them in the paint
shop but I don’t expect so. Their trays are for rollers. The best
thing to do is make your own. Buy a sheet of metal and bend it into
the shape you want. Don’t cut the corners or you’ll have to solder
them. Just bend them. Do you understand?”

“
Yes. My
Dad made boats like that for me to float in my bath when I was a
kid. I’ll tell Ken to try that.”

“
Okay.
The gravel or stone. What’s that for?”

“
A
driveway. I don’t have one and we’ve rented a van. I’ll have to
park it on my lawn.”

“
Then
you should use crushed stone. A layer between one and two inches
thick might do if the ground’s hard. How big an area do you want to
cover?”

“
Enough
to park a small van. It’s a Ford,” he added. “Their
smallest.”

“
Well
try five tons. If that’s not enough, or if it sinks after a rain,
add more.”

“
Can you
put the stone on a separate bill. I’ll pay for that now. Can we pay
our business orders at the end of each month?”

“
Sure.
We give thirty days before charging interest.”

“
The
stone, can it be delivered first thing Monday?”

“
It’ll
be there at eight Bob.”

“
That’s
perfect. Thanks.” He paid for the stone then crossed all the lumber
yard items off his list. Now he would have to go to the bank, the
stone had taken nearly all his cash.

After the bank
he drove to the shopping centre and bought his usual food and two
salmon steaks. Then he saw some kippers and bought two packs of
them. He hadn’t had those since his mother made breakfast for his
Dad. They’d be a nice treat. He’d have them tomorrow. The last
thing he bought was the needles and could only get a hundred. At
the counter he asked the assistant if she could order more. “I need
another nine hundred, no, better make that a thousand. We’re sure
to break some.”

“
I’ll
order them but they won’t be here until Saturday. What are you
going to use that many for?” she asked. “To hold wood,” he replied
and wondered if she believed him.

The nursery
sold plastic boxes of four plants so he bought one of courgettes
and one of cucumbers, two of broccoli and cauliflower and three of
cabbage. That would be plenty. He bought an envelope each of
carrot, onion, beetroot and radish seeds and a quarter-pound bag of
peas. That was all he had on his list. He resisted the temptation
to buy others, he wouldn’t have time to look after them and the
garden was smaller.

Having the van
made shopping so much quicker and he was home by eleven.. He
unpacked, putting the needles and the paint in the workshop and the
boxes of vegetables just outside his back door. He’d give the
garden another rake this afternoon then plant them. ‘I’m a bit like
Jenny. It’ll be nice to garden now the weather’s fine.’

The afternoon
passed quickly. He wrote the name of the plants on wooden end
stakes. As he was planting the courgettes and cucumbers he
remembered that some people grew them on stakes. He’d try that.
He’d wait until the runners were about two feet long before putting
put the stakes there. That way he could train the shoots up the
stakes at the same time. ‘I wonder how it’ll work.’

He stopped at
five and had a bath. He usually bathed three times a week, always
on Saturdays before eating at the Crown unless he was running late.
He daydreamed a little in the bath, looking forward to chatting
with Joe, finding out how his planting was going and learning what
Jane and the others had been doing. He felt himself falling asleep
and jerked his head. This wouldn’t do. He’d be late if he didn’t
hurry.

Nancy was
behind the bar when he walked in and he asked her how she liked her
holiday. Holidays were becoming much more important to him these
days.

“
I went
to Blackpool with Daphne, my friend. We spent too much money but
had a great time!”

“
Blackpool? Oh, what did you do there?”

“
We went
to the arcades and played the slots. I won £22 one afternoon but
lost it all the next day.” As he carried his pint over to Joe he
thought he wouldn’t go to Blackpool if that’s what most people did
to pass the time.

“
Hello
Joe. I thought I’d see more of you around the farm this week. Have
you been away again?”

“
No.
I’ve been planting cabbages in the back field. Jane drove the
tractor while Arne and I planted. Arne’s the only helper I have
this year. My greenhouses are only half full. It might not be a
good year for me. Jane says I should retire but I wouldn’t know
what to do if I did. I don’t want to move away from the farm and
I’d hate to see it neglected.”

“
You
could grass it all Joe.”

“
I
suppose so.”

“
Come to
think of it, Jim’s son, Benny, is looking for a job. You could ask
him.”

“
Oh?
I’ll give him a call. Ah, here’s Rose and Jack. Hi!”

“
Hello
Joe, Bob. Is Jane coming tonight Joe?” asked Rose.

“
Yes.
It’s the usual thing, she’s still at the Centre talking with the
committee. Or working on the show, it opens soon.”

“
I was
too busy to drop by this afternoon Jack,” said Bob. “Did you finish
the workshop walls?”

“
Aye.”

“
What do
you think of your old parlour now Joe?” Bob asked.

“
It
looks like a modern workshop. Jane says it makes our farm worth ten
thousand pounds more than before.”

“
Parking
in the lane isn’t causing a problem?”

“
Not at
all, although I’m going to widen it a little, when I’ve finished
planting. There’ll be more room for turning then. Oh, Jane said we
shouldn’t wait to eat. She doesn’t know when she will be
free.”

“
What
kept you so long?” asked Rose when Jane arrived.

“
The
committee. There was much to decide about the new Centre. The
architect was there and he insisted that we should tender the job
and hire professionals to build the whole thing instead of relying
on volunteers. It’ll cost more but we eventually agreed to do
that.”

“
You
must be ready for a drink. What would you like?” asked
Joe.

“
Oh, a
gin and tonic please. Thanks. Nothing to eat.”

“
Can I
get drinks for anyone else?” he asked.

“
I’ll
have a pint,” replied Bob.

“
Not for
us Joe,” said Rose. “We will be leaving soon, there’s a show on TV
we want to watch.”

While Joe was
collecting the drinks Bob told Rose that Jenny wrote a
recommendation for him but she would be too busy to go to the
conference. “Who looks after the shop when you go?”

“
Jack
does. Don’t you Jack?”

“
Aye, I
do.”

Jane told
everyone about the revised plans for the new Centre. “As you must
know, Bob, they’ve started laying the new sewer system. That and
the water pipes will be done by the end of next week. Ads for
tenders will be in the Southampton and Bournemouth papers on
Monday. I’m sorry Jack, but we can’t hire you.”

“
S’okay
Jane.”

“
Well
I’m sorry. We’ll need volunteers later, to organise the place,
set-up rooms, move our things from the old Centre and so
on.”

“
Will
you have a special opening ceremony?” asked Bob.

“
Yes. I
don’t know what or when. Probably in the fall.”

“
You’ll
be glad when it’s all over.”

“
I
beginning to think so!”

“
Do you
need me as an usher for the Spring Show?”

“
No Bob,
thanks.”

As Jack and
Rose stood to leave Bob got up and left with them, having decided
to have an early night because there was much to do on Sunday.

“
Jack,
can you make some business cards, stationary and envelopes for us
using the new address and telephone number?”

“
Aye.
‘Ow many?”

“
A
hundred letters and envelopes should be enough. Fifty cards for Ken
and, err, two hundred for me. Do you have the telephone
number?”

“
Aye.
An’ t’address is 110 Big End Road, Small End, right?”

“
Yes. Do
you have a digital camera?”

“
Yes,”
said Rose. “I gave him one for Christmas.”

“
Can you
take coloured pictures and print them on your computer
Jack?”

“
Aye.”

“
Then
will you take a picture of both shops, mine and the new one and
print a copy of each? I want to put them on my table at the
conference.”

“
Okay.”

“
That’s
an interesting idea,” said Rose. “I think retailers will like to
see where the toys are made.”

“
I’ll
take yer home-shop photos termorrow.”

“
Thanks
Jack.” Bob said goodbye and turned back to walk home. As he neared
his house he realised he hadn’t turned on the railway lantern.
‘I’ll have to remember to do that.’

A few years
ago his doctor told him not to add salt to his dishes. Knowing that
kippers were very salty he rinsed them before warming them in a
little fresh water in his frying pan Sunday morning. He ate them
with buttered toast, enjoying their flavour. They’d be one of his
new treats.

It took over a
half-hour to remove the first bush from the hedge in the front of
his garden. Its roots were large, intertwined with other bushes and
the soil was very hard. So he sawed off the other bushes then
uncovered the stumps and chopped off another six inches with an axe
so they wouldn’t dig into the van’s tires. He wheel-barrelled the
dead bushes to the back of the station’s parking lot and tipped
them down the slope. He made the gap large enough to take a bigger
van, should they ever need to have one.

He washed,
made coffee and drank it in the back garden wondering if he had
planted his vegetables too close together. Afterwards he hung his
laundry on the line. Still feeling tired from removing the hedge he
sat in the kitchen and wrote to Maria. Dusting would wait until
next weekend.

He began by
telling her that he wanted to go on the August tour and asked her
to book a place for him, send him a brochure if there was one and
asked how much it would cost. He then told her about his
partnership with Ken and the new workshop. Then he remembered to
tell her that he now had his driving licence and that they had
hired a van to deliver the toys. At the end he was tempted to say
that he looked forward to seeing her again but didn’t quite know
how to write it without seeming too forward so he just signed off,
writing ‘’Bye now, Bob.’

He was getting
some lettuce out of the fridge for lunch when Ken tapped on the
kitchen window. He opened the door and Ken said, “Can you help me
get the table out of my car. Mary helped me put it in. It has to be
twisted and I can’t do that myself.”

They carried
the table top to the lounge then Ken fetched and screwed on the
legs. Bob pushed against it, wondering how firm it was.

“
Oh,
it’s strong enough,” said Ken.

“
How big
is it?”

“
Five by
three. Will they provide chairs?”

“
I don’t
know. I’ll take one in case they don’t. I’ve sent them the cheque
but I haven’t heard back. I want to know when I can set up. I don’t
know if I do that the day before or on the first day. I’ll phone
the man and ask when I’m sure the cheque had arrived.”

“
Have
you made the poster yet?”

“
No.
I’ll probably do that tonight. I’m just about to have lunch. Like
to join me?”

“
No.
We’re going to a friend’s house for lunch. But I’m going to see
what Jack’s done before going home. Want to come?”

“
Yes.”

“
Then
let’s go.”

They drove to
the shop and parked next to the side door. “There plenty of room to
turn now,” said Ken as they entered.

“
The
walls make a big difference don’t they Ken,” said Bob.

They walked
through the door to the waiting room then went into the office.

“
It’s
fine, but the windows need cleaning,” said Ken. “I’ll do that.
Let’s go and look at the booths.”

“
Oh, I
bought a hundred needles, that’s all they had. The rest will be
there on Saturday. I ordered an extra hundred because I’m sure
we’ll break some,” said Bob. “They’re one inch long; that’s the
shortest they had. I also bought some thinner acrylic paint. They
told me we can make our own by adding water to the normal paint.
Why not try both ways.”

“
Okay.”

Bob walked
back to his house as Ken drove home. He made himself two lettuce
and cheese sandwiches and ate them in the back garden. He must have
dozed off afterwards for he was woken by Jack tapping on his
shoulder.