Bob of Small End (38 page)

“
I don’t
know if she will want to do that. She doesn’t use the car now. Can
you fix it so it will run?”

“
I can
lend you this battery but we must have it back tomorrow
morning.”

“
We were
going for a run tomorrow Dick. Let me go and ask her what she wants
to do.” Bob left Dick in the garage and went to the
house.

“
Aunt
Sally, the battery is dead. Dick can lend us his spare but he wants
it back tomorrow morning. We’ll have to go for our ride in the van,
I’m sorry.”

“
No.
Tell Dick to put in a new battery. The car will need one when I
sell it so it might as well have it now.”

“
All
right,” and Bob told Dick what his aunt had said.

“
Then
I’ll go back to the our garage and put a new one on charge. I’ll
bring it early tomorrow. The oil’s okay but it should be changed. I
can do that here tomorrow too if you like.”

“
Well,
yes, please. I think she will want that doing as well. Will it make
a mess?”

“
No.
I’ll change the oil filter too.”

“
Okay,
thanks. Does it need anything else?”

“
I don’t
think so. If you have any trouble when you’re driving call us and
I’ll come and fix it or tow you to the garage, but I think you’ll
be fine. We used to maintain this car and it seems to be in good
shape. I’ll be here about eight thirty with the new battery. Is
that okay?”

“
Yes,
thanks Dick.”

Bob told his
aunt what had happened and she was pleased. “Dick’s a good
mechanic. If he says it’ll be okay then we’ll be fine.”

They talked
for nearly two hours that evening. Bob told her all about his busy
months, about going to Portugal with friends, enjoying it so much
that he wanted to go every year and how that made him decide to
make more toys to earn the money.

“
Then
Ken joined me and we formed a partnership. He’s got lots of ideas.
We will be able to make toys quicker now. That means we’ll soon
have plenty of money. We’ve rented a building and are building a
bigger shop there. It should be finished when I return.”

He told her
how they would run the company. Ken would hire helpers and that a
teenager had already applied and that he would start on Monday.
Then he told her he would be going to a conference of toy and gift
retailers and hoped to meet retailers who would buy toys from
them.

“
My,
you’ve been busy Bob. My, my! Are you sure this is what you want to
do?”

“
I think
so, but sometimes I wonder. I’m not young any more but I don’t
think that I’m too old to try something new, as long as other
people do the hard parts. I get tired if I do too much. We’ll see
what happens. I’ll give it a year or two and if it’s not what I
want to do I’ll quit and let Ken have the company.”

“
If the
company is successful then you’ll make money, but if it’s not
you’ll lose money won’t you?”

“
Yes
that’s right. I’m using some of the money I saved from selling my
toys over the last few years. I was saving it for the grandchildren
in case they needed some for their education. But I’m sure we’ll be
alright. I’m already selling toys through two other retailers and
they sell many more than Rose does. Probably because they’re in
towns and Rose’s shop is in the village.”

“
Yes I
know Rose and her shop. I visited it several years ago.”

They talked
about Bob’s activities for another hour but he didn’t say anything
about Claire or Maria. Maybe he would, tomorrow. Or maybe he
wouldn’t. Would she want to hear about his interest in other women?
She was his mum’s sister, after all, and might expect him to remain
faithful to Betty forever.

As the
conversation slowed Sally said she’d make a mug of Ovaltine and
asked Bob if he would like one.

“
Yes
please. Ovaltine’s another thing I haven’t had for a long time. We
didn’t drink it at home and I think the only time I had it was when
I was here.”

“
Ovaltine and biscuits then. Or would you like something
else? Baked beans or sardines on toast?”

“
Oh, no
thanks, auntie, I can still feel the crumpets. Ovaltine and
biscuits will be nice.”

After their
drink Sally said she was going to go to bed, “but you can stay up
as long as you like. Here’s the television control. I don’t know
what’s on, I usually go to bed at this time. When do you get
up?”

“
Between
six and seven.”

“
I get
up at seven. When’s Dick coming?”

“
About
eight thirty.”

“
We’ll
have finished breakfast by then. Do you want a fried
one?”

“
No
thanks, Aunt Sally, I usually just have toast or porridge and a mug
of tea.”

“
All
right. Then we’ll have that about eight. Sleep well. ‘Good night,
don’t let the bed bugs bite!’ Do you remember us saying that when
you were young?”

“
I do
now, yes. Sleep tight, auntie.”

Bob turned on
the television but found nothing he wanted to watch so he went to
bed ten minutes after his aunt had left. He slept well, and there
were no bed bugs, as far as he knew.

Bob watched
Dick as he changed the battery, oil and oil filter. Some of the oil
dripped onto the newspaper Dick had put on the concrete floor.
There wasn’t much room under the car and he was glad it wasn’t him
changing the oil. If he ever bought a car he would have that done
in Tim’s garage. What he had to do was interesting though, and Bob
liked learning new things; he’d never seen anyone change a car’s
oil and filter before.

Dick cleaned
up then backed the car out of the garage and left it beside Ken’s
van in the driveway. He told Bob the garage would send his aunt the
bill then drove away.

Sally had put
a coat on and was standing by her chair when he returned. “I can
walk from here to the car if you hold my arm and the oxygen bottle”
she said. “Put me in the seat then fetch the wheel chair and put it
in the trunk. There’s plenty of room for it.”

Bob did that,
locked the house then sat in the car. “Now, where would you like to
go?”

“
Anywhere. It’s so nice to be out. Let’s go towards the coast
and find a place for a morning coffee. Do you drink
coffee?”

“
Oh yes.
Usually every morning, about ten.”

“
That’s
what I do too. Brian and I always liked to have coffee together at
that time when he was at home.”

Bob found the
Vauxhall easy to drive. It had an automatic shift, the first he had
ever driven and it was a bit strange to use only his right foot.
Peter had told him what to do when driving an automatic. “Keep your
left foot on the floor all the time. Just use your right foot to
accelerate and to brake.” Automatic shift made driving much easier
when they were in Boston’s semi-static queue. Once out of town he
headed towards Skegness, occasionally pulling into a lay-by when
there was something of interest to look at.

“
There’s
a nice place to have coffee around the next bend Bob. Brian and I
would often go there, especially in spring time. It’s a coffee shop
attached to a garden centre. They have a conservatory where I’d
like to have coffee. I hope there’s room for us. Yes, there, that’s
the place. Pull in as close to the front door as you can and we
won’t use the chair.”

Luckily there
was a parking space near the door. They took it and Bob walked his
aunt inside. Luck was with them again, for one of the four tables
inside the conservatory was empty.

“
What
would you like Aunt Sally?”

“
A large
mug of their normal coffee Bob. They have espresso or latte and
other types if you want them.”

“
Regular
coffee is all I drink auntie.”

“
Call me
Sally, Bob, I’d much prefer that. Auntie makes me feel a bit too
old coming from a grown man!”

“
All
right, auntie, I mean Sally. It’ll be a bit strange at first but
I’ll try. What would you like to eat with your coffee,
Sally?”

“
I’ll
have a slice of apple pie if they have that. Otherwise nothing
Bob.”

They did have
apple pie and he bought two slices and two large mugs of coffee.
They took their time, eating slowly and only sipping the coffee. It
was very nice, sitting there and looking at the flowers and
listening to the tinkle of water dripping from a small ornamental
fountain that centred the room.

Bob stretched
his legs and began telling Sally about Lagos and being shown around
by Maria. She seemed very interested so he added that Maria would
be guiding a tour in the Lake District in August. “I’ve told her I
want to go on it. They tell me it’s a lovely place, good for
walking, with lakes and rivers.”

“
Are you
interested in the place or in her Bob?”

“
Both, I
think. There was another woman I was attracted to last December but
she married another man. I’d like to have a girl friend but I can’t
tell if a woman’s interested in me, that’s my problem
Sally.”

“
I would
think that many women would be interested in you Bob. And if they
are you needn’t worry. They’ll let you know, one way or another. Do
you want to marry again?”

“
I don’t
know. I don’t think so. When I think about that I remember Betty
and don’t want to spoil those memories. Marrying again might do
that. No. I don’t think that I would marry someone
else.”

“
Betty
wouldn’t mind if you did. Nor would she mind if you found a lover.
She’d want you to be happy, that’s all.” Sally sat still for a
minute or so then said, “We should be going, we haven’t see the sea
yet!”

They were in
Skegness twenty minutes later. He drove slowly along the road next
to the shore. There weren’t many people on the beach, most were on
the pavement next to the shops. He parked the car and Sally asked
him to push her along the path that edged the beach. He did that
for a while then she said that she’d had enough. “I’m feeling a bit
cold from the wind Bob. Is it too early to have lunch?”

“
Not if
you’re ready. It’s gone twelve.”

“
Then
I’d like to go to the
North Sea
Restaurant
. Did you ever go there? It’s the one at the
end of the beach, the one with the lounge that gives a great view
of the sea. It’s another place Brian and I often went
to.”

So Bob drove
her to the restaurant and parked close to the front door and Sally
said she would walk again.

The waiter
remembered her and found them a nice table by the window. “Do you
want your usual Mrs. Jackson?”

“
Fish
and chips with a glass of white wine? Yes please. I would like
that.”

“
And you
sir?”

“
I’ll
have the fish and chips but a half-pint of Bass please. You have
that on tap I see.”

“
Yes we
do sir. Would you like a soup or a salad?”

“
I’d
like a soup please,” said Sally.

“
Me
too,” said Bob.

Sally chose
the minestrone and Bob a clam chowder.

Lunch was very
enjoyable. Bob was tempted to buy another half-pint when Sally had
a second glass of wine but decided not to, remembering what Peter
had told him.

Afterwards
they drove towards the shore at Freiston then along the road that
led to the pillboxes Uncle Brian had taken him to. He stopped when
they got there, left the car and climbed the small bank to examine
them. They had not changed, just more sand and grass. He didn’t try
to go inside. When he climbed into the car Sally told him it was
time for her nap and asked him to drive home. She dozed a little on
the way back. When Bob helped her into her chair she told him she
would likely sleep for an hour or so. “What would you like to
do?”

“
I’d
like to look around the garden then go for a walk.”

“
All
right. There’s a key on the tray in the hall. Lock the door when
you leave.”

“
All
right Sally.”

The back
garden was overgrown, just like the front, with bushes spreading
into each other and upon the lawn. He searched for the pond then
found it hidden under the low-lying branches of a tree. He moved
the branches and looked carefully into the water to see if
descendants of the fish had survived but couldn’t see any. He let
the branches swing back then walked out onto the road leaving it to
join one of the paths leading to Wyberts Castle, a route he had
taken several times with his uncle when they were looking for
butterflies. He saw only two this time. On the way back he stopped
for a pint at the inn. It was a holiday, wasn’t it, he thought, and
he didn’t expect to drive any more that day.

Sally was in
the kitchen when he returned warming scones in the microwave. There
was a container of clotted cream and a pot of raspberry jam on the
tray. “Rita buys scones and cream for me a couple of times each
month. I told her to bring six this week because you were coming. I
like raspberry jam more than strawberry jam; it’s got more flavour.
Come, sit down in the lounge and we’ll eat them.”

So Bob sat and
they ate and talked. This time Sally told him that she did not have
long to live. As a former nurse she understood what was
happening.