Bob of Small End (75 page)

“
What a
good idea. Okay let’s move on. Show me how you paint the
pieces.”

Ken did so,
pointing to the heating fan under the bench and explaining how the
ducts carried the exiting hot air to the outside. “It doesn’t use a
lot of heat, and we’ll probably let the exiting hot air run into
the hall during the winter to help heat this place.”

“
What
about fumes from the paint?” asked Dee.

“
There
aren’t any. Here, smell,” and he picked up one of the paint trays.
“It’s a thinned acrylic and that’s a water-based paint so there’s
nothing to worry about.”

They continued
along the line, watching the gluing, packing and ended by showing
some of the boxes of village sets.

“
I like
those boxes. They go with the whole concept of a wooden toy,” Dee
said. She turned to Ken, “I’ve one last question and it’s for
everybody. I want to ask them how they like working here. Do you
mind?”

“
No not
at all.”

So Dee raised
her voice and shouted, “How do you like working here?”

There was a
barrage of replies from both the old crew and the new one.

“
It’s a
great place to work.”

“
I like
it, it’s a nice and easy atmosphere.”

“
Fabulous. I like changing places and learning new
things.”

“
I like
sitting on chairs and I like the comfortable tea room.”

“
The
Last Friday Celebration is a terrific idea.”

“
Oh
what’s that?” Dee asked Ken.

“
We have
the afternoon of the last Friday of each month free and Bob and I
buy lunch for everybody.”

“
But
only if the production meets our target for the month,” added
Bob.

“
Interesting. Well I think we have enough now.” She shouted
again, “thank you everybody” and turned to the film crew. “That’s
it boys, pack up.” Then she asked Jimmy “What do you think? It is a
go?”

“
Yep. We
need to show the company’s name in a couple of places, I think. Did
you film the name above the entrance to Joe’s parlour shop when we
went in?” he asked the camera man.

“
Course
we did!”

“
Okay.
Well thanks Bob, Ken,” Jimmy said.

“
When
will you show this episode?” shouted Diane.

“
Probably on Sunday. It’ll be a part of the episode
called
The Small End Village
.
You’ll have to watch the whole hour because I don’t know when
they’ll piece it in.”

“
Are you
going to film the new Community Centre’s opening? It’s on
Saturday.”

“
Of
course. We’ll be filming many parts of the village and the new
housing developments the rest of today and tomorrow. You’ll see us
around. Thanks everybody. Good luck with your venture,” and with
that they walked out the door.

“
Thanks
everybody,” called Ken. “You’re great. Let’s stop for lunch now.
I’m sure you want to talk about what’s been happening.”

During lunch
Ken thought about Ed’s absence; they’d need a way to track
employees’ presence or absence. He called Bob and Lori over and
suggested that they have a list to do that.

“
How
would it work?” asked Lori.

“
Everybody could sign in first thing or you or Craig could
carry a list and sign people in.”

“
It’d
better be me,” said Lori, “because I make up the pay cheques.
Anyone of you could do it if I was away.”

“
Do we
pay them if they’re sick?” asked Bob.

“
I think
we do once they’re hired but I’m not sure how long we have to pay
them. Maybe for a week or two. We’ll have to find out.”

“
Do we
pay Ed for today’s absence?” asked Bob.

“
I guess
so. We’d better find out what the law is. Can you research
it?”

“
I think
we should call Arthur. It’d be simpler and probably more
accurate.”

“
Okay,
I’ll call. I’ll tell everyone we have to maintain a list of who’s
here to pay them properly.” Ken stood up and told everybody what
they had just decided. “Ed’s sick today and we have to keep track
of that kind of thing. So Lori or one of us will check your names
on a list. Don’t worry about it, it’s only to make sure everyone is
paid for the days they work.”

He sat down
and asked Lori to make some kind of list to track everybody’s
attendance. “We’ll call it a pay-roll register.”

“
No
problem,” she replied. “Oh, we had more cheques for June sales this
morning. I wrote them down,” and handed Ken a slip of paper on
which was typed. “July 10th, £8,925. Total received to date,
£15,918.75.”

“
That’s
excellent,” Ken said and gave the paper to Bob. Then he stood up
told everyone that it was time to return to work.

As Bob, Jose
and Lori walked beck to their shop Lori said, “there should be a
bell to announce break times. It’s not sensible for Ken to stand up
and tell everybody it’s break time.”

“
I
agree. We’ll look for a time clock. Oh, I’ve just remembered, can
you call the telephone company and ask if we can exchange phone
numbers between the shops so that the new shop has the company’s
phone number. We’re thinking about using the room next to the tea
room as the office.”

“
I’ll
phone them first thing.” She did that as soon as they entered and
told Bob that they it could be done any time they wanted, “we just
have to give them a few days notice.”

“
Okay,
then we’ll move the office. I’ll let you know when to call
them.”

“
Maybe
it’s time to buy a new computer too, Bob. My old one is a bit slow
for the complexity of the spreadsheets I’m now using.”

“
Then
find out what you’d like, how much it costs and we’ll buy
one.”

“
All
right. Thanks.”

Chapter 31 The Opening

Thursday
morning Bob told Lori that they wouldn’t move the office until a
new bench was built in the new shop, “then everybody will work
there. We’ll keep this shop for research and development.”

“
Research on what Bob?”

“
New
toys of course.”

“
Oh
good, I’m always asked about that.”

“
I have
a few ideas about what we could make but Ken want’s us to wait
until everyone’s fully trained. After that he can spend time
developing a different production line.”

“
Okay. A
lot more cheques arrived in the mail this morning Bob. Another
£16,725. Total for June is now £32,643.75.”

“
Do you
think that’s the lot?”

“
No. but
it’s over half. Do you want me to find out how many haven’t sent a
cheque yet?”

“
No.”

“
I told
Craig last night that we should have a clock that would ring a bell
when it was tea or lunch time and he said he knew where one was
being sold. The shirt factory in Big End, the one that closed two
months ago, is selling all their equipment. A couple of weeks ago
he went to see what they had to sell and there was a clock and bell
system. An old one but, presumably, it works. They’re asking £25
for it. Do you think we should buy it?”

“
Yes we
should. I’m sure that’s a good price.”

“
And on
my way home last night I went to my computer shop. The one I think
we should have would cost £949.50. Can we buy it?”

“
Yes.”

“
I’ll
have to order it then. They said we could have it about two days
after being ordered.”

“
Okay.
Let us know when you want one of us to collect it.”

“
All
right.”

The day was
spent making more trains and loading the finished ones into one of
the smaller vans. Bob drove it to the new shop after everyone had
finished work. Ken was standing by one of the sanders, fastening
new mops onto its head. Bob told him the June income, that Craig
knew where there was a time bell system and that Lori had ordered a
new computer.

“
What
new computer?”

“
Lori
says her old one isn’t good enough to handle the new spreadsheets
she’s using now. It takes a long time to calculate the results she
said.”

“
Oh I
see. Then we should have a better one.”

“
I’d
like to have the old one. Would you mind?”

“
No of
course not. What do you want to do with it?”

“
Learn
how to use it. I think it would be fun, that’s what my
grandchildren tell me. I’d have more to talk to them about if I
knew how to use one.”

“
They
probably play games all the time though. Are you going to do
that?”

“
I don’t
know. Maybe I should, it’ll help me catch up with what’s going on
in the world today.”

“
I
suppose I should too, someday. I like the idea of using a time
clock. I’ll go there now and see if they still have it. Do you know
where the factory is?”

“
Yes.
I’ll come with you.”

The factory
was still open when they arrived and the clock system was still on
a shelf in one of the corners. They asked the man looking after the
place if it worked. “You just plug it in, set the clock then the
times you want the bell to ring, that’s all. Here, I’ll show you.”
He plugged it in, moved the hands, rotated some knobs on the bottom
of the clock then waited. A minute later a bell rang.

“
That’s
loud enough,” shouted Ken. “Switch it off!”

As soon as it
was turned off Ken asked the man if they could make the bell
quieter.

“
Yes,
with this lever. Do you want me to show you how?”

“
No, all
I want to be able to adjust it later. How many settings does it
have?”

“
Ten.”

“
We’ll
buy it. Do you mind if we look around to see what else you have for
sale.”

“
Go
ahead, but I close in fifteen minutes.”

Industrial
sewing machines didn’t interest them but office supplies did and
they bought a box of computer paper, two notice boards, staplers
and three boxes of pens, paid the man and drove back to Small
End.

“
That
was well worth the visit. We should keep an eye open for factory or
office sales, not that I can think of anything more we want right
now.”

“
When
will we have the new bench Ken?”

“
I
called Jack last night and he said he couldn’t help us next week,
he’s working for one of the construction companies and so is John.
He said he could do it on the weekend, not this one but the next. I
said I’ll call him if I can’t build it myself in the evenings. Mary
was mad at me when I told her about that last night!”

“
I’ll
help. It won’t take the two of us long. Have you ordered the
wood?”

“
I’ll do
it tomorrow.”

“
What
did Mary say about having the engagement party at your
place?”

“
Oh, she
liked that. I’ll tell everybody about it tomorrow. During lunch
today I made a list of the things we’ll have to buy to equip
another bench. Here it is,” and he pulled it out of his inner
pocket. “Can you give it to Lori tomorrow and ask her to order
them.”

“
Sure.”
Bob took the list and looked at it.

“
You
haven’t listed the routers, sanders, and band saw. Don’t you want
them?”

“
I
thought I’d use the ones from the old shop.”

“
But
what about using that place for research and
development?”

“
We
don’t want jigs to do that, we want the kind of things you had in
your home shop. What’s in the milking parlour now is for making
trains, right?”

“
Yes.
You think that what’s there now will be good enough?”

“
Sure.”

“
Okay.
About the announcement tomorrow, you should tell them about the
holiday.”

“
And
about the bell timer system too. I’ll put it up tomorrow. It’s so
easy to do I won’t need Pat. Well, here we are, Bob. Back at your
place.”

“
Thanks
Ken. See you tomorrow. I’ll bring everyone over about three thirty
to hear the news. Oh, did Ed come today?”

“
No he
didn’t. Was there a call from him?”

“
Not
that I heard. I’ll ask Lori tomorrow. ‘Bye Ken.”

“‘
Bye
Bob.”

Lori was just
hanging up the phone when Bob arrived Friday morning.

“
That
was Ed,” she said. “He’s quit. He’s found another job, in
construction. He’s going to be a carpenter. Do I pay him for the
days he worked?”

“
It was
two days. Yes. £50. I don’t want him complaining about us although
he didn’t work, he was simply learning. But don’t pay him for the
rest of the week; I don’t think he was sick. If he was he’ll have
to prove it.”

“
Okay.
I’ll send him a cheque.”

“
We’re
going to set up another bench in the Centre, Lori, and everybody
will move there as soon as it’s equipped. Here’s a list of things
Ken needs. Could you order them please and tell everybody we need
them next week. If they can’t deliver them that quickly ask them
what’s the earliest they can deliver. If it’s by the following
Monday or Tuesday then order them but if it’s later let me know. We
might have to look for another supplier.”