Chapter 35 Maria and Sally
Maria’s letter was waiting for Bob when he opened the door. She was very interested in the Small End episode, saying that BBC documentaries were sometimes broadcast in Portugal and she would keep an eye open for it. And, yes, she was still tired and that guiding the tour would also be tiring ‘but your presence will invigorate me.’ Bob didn’t quite know what to make of that but he was happy she had said it.
He drove to Big End Saturday morning and took five hundred pounds from his savings account. He hoped it would be enough for his holiday, that, plus his credit card. He bought groceries and some frozen shrimp, planning to make a shrimp stir-fry, Thai-style, with noodles for supper. He added a couple of kippers to have for breakfast on Sunday. Once home he hoed, tidied the garden and hung his clothes on the line, hoping it wouldn’t rain. Unfortunately, as he sat down for lunch, the rain began so he hurried out, collected the damp washing and draped it over the living room furniture. Since he didn’t feel like walking in the rain nor reading or watching television in a room full of drying clothes he decided to try the computer.
Plugging in the cables was simple, Lori’s numbers made it fool-proof. He turned the machine on, sat in a chair and watched the screen. Mysterious numbers and instructions came and went and he waited. After nothing had happened for two or three minutes he found diskette number one and pushed it into the slot. Nothing happened. Then he remembered that Lori had put the diskettes in with the label showing on top so he pressed the eject button, removed the disk and reversed it. This time some coloured squares appeared on the screen with several labelled boxes on top. One of them said ‘instructions’ so he moved the mouse, just as he’d seen Lori do, and pressed it’s left-hand button. The screen changed and a description of the game and what one had to do appeared. He read everything carefully and eventually found he could move the text upwards and he was able to read what was previously hidden below the bottom of the screen. Five minutes later he had won his first computer game. Ten minutes later he started losing them, as the moves became more difficult to do. An hour later he stopped, having scored the maximum number of points and been told he was a ‘champion.’
‘Well, that’s enjoyable,’ he thought. ‘I’ll try the next one,’ and he continued playing until four o’clock. It was getting dark in the room for the rain was still falling and his eyes were tired. ‘I’d better stop and have my bath. Playing games on the computer’s fun but I’d better ask Lori to show me how to type a letter or I’ll be playing all day.’ He had his bath, dressed, collected the alarm clock from his bedroom then went to the living room. The clothes weren’t dry so he moved those covering his easy chair to the kitchen and sat down with the computer manual in his hands. ‘Time to read a little and find out what else I can do.’ He set the clock for five-forty five, just in case he fell asleep.
The alarm woke him. His forefinger was between pages five and six; reading about computers, he learned, was not the most exciting thing to do. He put on his mackintosh and just as he was about to pick up the umbrella remembered to switch on the railway light. It was still raining as he walked down to the pub.
“Hello Joe. I’m here first tonight!” Bob said, when Joe joined him.
“Didn’t fall asleep then?”
“I did, actually, but I had the alarm on and it woke me. I’ve been playing with a computer this afternoon. What do you think of that?”
“Did you like it?” asked Joe.
“Yes. It was fun. I’m the Golden Squares champion!”
“What’s Golden Squares?”
“A computer game Lori gave me. She said I should play lots of games so I can get familiar with the mouse and how a computer works.”
“You can play with our mice,” said Jack as he joined them. “There’s plenty in t’new houses.”
“They’ve come from the fields Jack. You’re building on their habitat,” said Joe.
“Where are the girls?” asked Bob.
“Not coming tonight. They’ve gone to Big End to see a movie” said Joe. “It’s a girl’s night out, Jane told me. They’ve gone with Jenny Painter. She’s quite an organiser.”
“She’s a nice woman. I danced with her.”
“Yes, you told us. What’s happened to Maria?” asked Joe, with a smile.
“What do you mean? Nothing’s happened to her, I’ll be seeing her in a week’s time.”
“Oh yes, that’s right. Your holiday.”
“Yes.”
“It’s time I ‘ad one.” said Jack.
“And me,” Joe said, “but I can’t, not for another three months.”
They talked about the work on the farm and the work that Jack was doing then Bob told them how busy they were in the shop. They each had a third pint after their supper then slowly walked home under their umbrellas. As he approached his house Bob was glad he’d turned the light on, it made the place inviting. He turned it off as he entered and was fast asleep in his bed ten minutes later.
It was still raining Sunday morning and Bob tried to sleep late. The problem was, he couldn’t. He could sleep easily in the evening and at night but felt he had to get up when the sun rose. He arose, dressed, put the washing away, warmed his kippers in some water in the frying pan and ate them with two slices of buttered toast. With nothing else except tidying and dusting to do he spent most of the day on the computer, stopping for a late coffee, then a late lunch, and finally stopping altogether to make his supper at six. Playing games had quickly became addictive.
He told Maria about his computer in his letter that evening. He knew she used computers at work and she would understand what he was talking about. He also told her about the week and how much he was looking forward to their holiday. ‘I’ll drive to the hotel on Sunday and be there when you register the people from England. With much love, Bob.’
Monday morning was bright and sunny and Bob almost thought about taking a walk before going to work but knew it would be another busy day and that he should save his energy. He arrived early and was putting the milk into the fridge when Ken arrived.
“Hi Ken. How was your weekend? Was the traffic bad?”
“Hi Bob. No, not going, although it was coming back last night.”
“How was everybody?”
“They’re all fine. Larry’s three now, his birthday was last week. So we had a second birthday party for him, his first was with some playmates. A simple party, we just had cup cakes and ice cream. Mary gave him our presents. He’s growing so fast, runs about and talks so much. Mary told me she wants us to visit more often; every two months isn’t enough she said. I half agreed but said she might have to go alone if we have to work on the weekends. She was a bit angry when I said that.”
“It might not get that bad Ken. We can ask them if they’d work in the evenings instead of Saturdays if we had to. Also you don’t have to be here. Craig and I can handle it.”
“Yes, but working evenings isn’t good as we know. We couldn’t do it more than twice a week and they’d make fewer in the evenings than if they worked on Saturdays because they’d be tired. Ah, well, we’ll see what happens.”
Lori walked in and sat down.
“Hello Lori,” said Bob. “Had a good weekend?”
“Yes. Bought some furniture and did a bit more painting but there’s still a lot to do.”
“Will it be ready for your party? It’s this Saturday isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’ll be all right. The bedroom walls and the trim haven’t been painted and there’s still a lot to do in the kitchen but Craig says he’ll have it done by Saturday.”
“Good. Everyone wants to see it.”
Ken stood up, “I’ve been thinking about what we’ve got Lori. We need to make villages today don’t we?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Is Craig in the shop?”
“I think so.”
After he had left Bob told Lori that he had started using the computer.
“I’ve beaten your s
core on the first two games Lori and I’m playing the third and fourth games now.”
“Good for you Bob. Did you have any trouble?”
“Nope, apart from understanding the manual. It’s hard to learn that way.”
“I find that too. It’s easiest to just use the machine and learn as you go along. Has it frozen on you yet?”
“Frozen?”
“Yes. Stopped working and you can’t make it work no matter what you do with the mouse or the keyboard?”
“No not yet. Will it do that?”
“It does sometimes. If it does press the Alt, Control and Delete keys at the same time. That’ll usually let you correct the trouble. I’ll write that down for you. If that doesn’t work press the start button on the computer and hold it down. It’ll shut down the machine and it should be okay next time you start it. But use the Alt, Control and Delete keys before you do that. Okay?”
“I think so. Thanks Lori. Can I write letters on it, the way it is now?”
“Sure. Do you want to do that already?”
“Not immediately, not until after the holidays.”
“Okay. We’ll talk about it then.”
They made villages that day, nine hundred of them. At the end of the day Lori’s list read; farms 3,000, villages 2,900, trains 1,700.
Tuesday they made more villages, this time about one thousand. At the end of the day Ken told Bob that they should have enough for Dave’s Friday call.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, Ken couldn’t decide which it was when first told about it, Dave called early Wednesday morning.
“Sorry to do this since I said we’d order on Fridays in future but we need more toys. Can you deliver 2,000 village, the same number of farm sets and 1,200 trains today? There have been many more orders for your stuff.”
“Yes,” Lori replied. “They’ll be there by lunch time. Thanks Dave.”
“We’ll have to meet sometime, Lori. Why don’t you bring them?”
“Ah, that’s not my job, but I might, for a change, one day.”
“Good. I’ll take you to lunch if you come later in the year, in the fall.”
“I’ll think about it. Should I bring my fiancé?”
“Oh, err, yes, if you like.”
“All right. Thanks for asking. ‘Bye Dave.”
“‘Bye Lori.”
The phone rang again. This time it was Salisbury Boxes; their order was ready. Lori went to the shop and told Ken and Bob about the calls and that they had received £2,608 from their July deliveries.
“That’s a big relief,” said Bob. “I thought we’d have to put more money in the bank this week. Okay I’ll drive to Basingstoke and Salisbury.”
They loaded the van and, as Bob was climbing into the driver’s seat, Lori told him that Dave had asked if she could deliver the toys sometime. “He’s said he’d buy me lunch if I did that in the fall.”
“I asked him if I could buy him lunch and he said he’d be too busy until October so that’s when he meant, I guess,” said Bob.
“I’m not sure he still wanted me to deliver when I asked if I could bring my fiancé!”
“Ah well, it might make a nice change for you and Craig to do a delivery. Remind me in October will you?”
“Yes I will. Thanks.”
They made trains that day, adding another 1,200 to the inventory. Bob got back to the shop at two and helped. At the end of the day the inventory read 1,000 farms, 1,900 villages and 1,700 trains. Bob crossed his fingers and wondered how many Dave would ask for on Friday.
Thursday they made another 900 farms. Another £2,380 arrived and £16,649 more on Friday. Dave called to ask for fifteen hundred farms, fifteen hundred villages and a thousand trains. They loaded the van and Bob took all the cheques. “I’ll deliver then go to Big End and deposit the cheques. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He didn’t stop for coffee, there wasn’t much traffic and he was served immediately at the bank so he got back to the shop by one and spent the afternoon helping them make more villages.
At a shortened tea break, cut down, with everybody’s agreement, to five minutes, Ken stood up and told them that they probably wouldn’t have enough inventory to fill next week’s orders.
“You can see the list on the stock-room door. By the time we finish today we’ll have about 400 farms, 1,300 villages and 700 trains. We can add around a thousand each day but if our wholesaler calls for more on Wednesday next week we’ll probably not have enough for him on Friday. Can any of you work overtime tomorrow?”
“We’d pay double for those who can,” added Bob.
Most people nodded their heads but Diane said she couldn’t, she was taking her Mum to visit her brother. Then Alan said he couldn’t but didn’t give a reason. Everybody else said they could and agreed to be at the shop at nine and work until four.
“Thanks’ everybody. Thank you very much,” said Ken.
“But what about your party Lori?” asked Diane. “I’m taking Mum early just so I could be back to go to that.”
“Do you mind if we postpone it Diane? Everybody?” said Lori. “We’ll all be pretty tired tomorrow evening and I’d rather have it when we have more energy. Does anybody mind?”
“No, we think you’re right. We’ll all be tired,” said Bert. “Let’s have it when the rush has finished. Okay everyone?”
“Sure,” “Yes,” “That’s best,” “Good,” were the replies.
Ken then said, “Pick up your cheques for this week’s work as usual tonight. We’ll add the overtime pay to your next-week’s cheque.” Everyone got up, washed their mugs and returned to work.
“Lori, could you make a note to pay everyone who comes tomorrow twice their daily rate for the day,” said Bob.
“Yes, I will. You don’t mind my postponing the party.”
“No, no, of course not. It’ll be nice, whenever you have it.”
“You’ll be on holiday next week, won’t you Bob?”
“Yes. I thought about cancelling it but I’ll lose all the money I paid for if I do. And my friend will be there too.”
“A girl friend?”
“Yes.”
“What’s her name?”
“Maria.”
“Maria. Is she English?”
“No, Portuguese. But she’s only a friend Lori. We’re not engaged or anything like that. She’s guiding the group.”
“Oh. Well, I hope you both have a good time.”
“Thanks, I hope we will, too.”
He got up at six on Saturday, put his clothes in the washer and ate breakfast. Then, as soon as the machine stopped, he hung the clothes on the line. According to the radio it wasn’t going to rain this weekend and they should be dry by the evening. He drove his car to the workshop so it would be ready to collect the overalls at the end of the day and walked into the office. Ken was there, sitting at his desk and looking at some of Lori’s lists.
“Hello Bob. You’re early.”
“Not as early as you Ken. Is there something wrong?”
“No, just checking how many we’d made of each toy in the last fortnight. I hope we can keep producing them this fast.
“I don’t think we will because I’ll be on holiday for the next two weeks. I won’t be here Monday.”
“Oh damn. I’d forgotten all about that. We need everyone’s help. Can you cancel? No, that’s not fair. No. You go, we’ll manage.”
“I thought about cancelling Ken.”
“Yes, of course, you would, but I’m glad you didn’t. Maria will be there won’t she?”
“Yes.”
“When do you come back?”
“I was going to return August 19th but I’ll come home Thursday 15th and will be in on Friday.”
“Would you? So you will be able to drive to Basingstoke that Friday.”
“Sure. Oh, I told Lori that she could deliver to the warehouse sometime. We had talked about her going in the fall but she could do it next week, if you like. She’d probably be the best p
erson to go.”
“Yes. Okay I’ll ask her.”
“What about phoning those two young women who asked for a job a couple of weeks ago. You still have their names and phone numbers?”
“They should be in here, somewhere.” He opened his centre drawer and searched through a mess of papers.
“Yep. Here it is. I’ll call them right now and see if they can work for a couple of weeks. They could move wood, wrap and box the toys, do the simple things. It’ll all help.”
There was no reply from the first number but the woman who answered the second call said she would love to work.
“How about your friend? I called her but there’s no reply.”
“She’s on holiday with her boyfriend.”
“When does she come back?”
“Next weekend.”
“Okay. Well can you be here at nine on Monday?
“Yes. Oh, what’s the pay?”
“£125 a week.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Well, Bob, that’s a help, and if she’s any good we might not need her friend.”
“Depends on how many toys Dave wants, I guess.”
“Yes, everything does. Come to think of it, my holiday and the factory’s holiday is only three weeks away.”
“We won’t be the first company to have a holiday. I’ll tell Dave to call me at home and I can deliver that week. That’s if we have enough stock. If not, they’ll have to wait.”
“I guess so.” Ken stood up, “let’s go and get the benches ready.”
They made 900 farms that day. After work had finished Bob and Ken sat in the office and planned the work for next week.
“We can make two thousand farms and another two thousand villages by Friday morning if we work hard Bob. That’d give us 3,300 of each.”
“We already have 700 trains so that’s probably the best plan. Trains are less popular too.”
“Okay that’s what we’ll do, though, if Dave calls on Wednesday we’ll be short on Friday.”
“I don’t know whether to call you each evening to find out how things are.”
“No don’t do that Bob. Try and forget about us. A holiday’s no good if you worry about work all the time. I know because that’s what I did until my doctor told me to stop.”
“All right, but I won’t be able to stop thinking a bit about you and the work.”
“Yes, it was the same for me.”
Bob drove home with the overalls and put the first load into his washer before having a quick bath and changing. He put his dried clothes in the bedroom and hung the damp overalls on the line. Then he put the rest of the overalls in the washer and walked to the pub for supper.
His friends were already sitting at the table, discussing the need for Community Centre volunteers. It reminded Bob of Ronald Teller and he asked how many were in his group. “His name sheet listed eight people, six women and two men. It’s a good beginning,” said Jane.
“Jenny Painter had eleven at her first class but dancing ‘s more popular I suppose,” said Bob. “Oh, how was your girl’s night out?”
“A good movie; I’m glad we went, aren’t you Rose?”
“Yes. We must do it again.”
“Good job Jenny drove,” said Joe. “I think that Jane had had a drink or two afterwards!”
“We all did. We had to keep up with you lot!”
“Err, yes. We had a drink or two, too.”
“Or three?”
“Enough about last Saturday,” said Joe, changing the subject a little too obviously. “Let’s order some food.”
They did that and had another drink. Bob got up to leave first, reminding them he wouldn’t be there next Saturday. Joe told him to have a good time with Maria. Everyone grinned, including Bob.
He hung the last load of overalls on the line and felt the others. They were still rather wet. As he was doing that the door to the Community Centre opened and the blare from some guitars and drums hit his ears. ‘Must be the youth dance again. I hope they don’t wake me like they did last time.’ The noise broke through his dreams at eleven and he got up and shut the window, went back to bed and slept until six.
Bob ate toast and jam for breakfast, nothing more, having decided not to eat the kippers for their odour might cling to him throughout the day. He poured the last of the milk down the sink, removed the overalls from the line and put them on the back seat of his car. They were still damp but they would dry before Monday morning. He drove to the workshop and hung them on the pegs in the cloakroom then returned home. It was not yet seven o’clock.
After checking that his shop and shed doors were locked he did a quick dust over the furniture then put his suitcase on the bed and filled it with the clothes he thought he’d need for the holiday. He’d put his blazer on the back seat of the car so it wouldn’t crease. Then he walked around the house, checking that all the windows were closed and the kitchen door locked. He stopped at the front door and thought through everything again. Had he forgotten something? He couldn’t think of anything but decided that he’d make a list of things to do before going on a holiday and things he should take when he returned. It’d save a lot of last-minute worrying.
‘It’ll take me about six hours to get to the hotel if there aren’t any traffic jams,’ he told himself as he drove through the village. ‘Registration doesn’t start until four so I’ve plenty of time.’
Bob didn’t hurry but he did follow the faster A and M roads, stopping at Coventry, just before joining the M6, where he had a coffee and a short rest. The traffic hadn’t been heavy and it should be even lighter once he was on the M6. He’d be early at this rate but he didn’t mind. It’d be nice to see Maria before she became busy looking after the other participants.
He arrived around three and parked near the front doors. It was a big hotel, situated midway between Braithwaite and Keswick. Maria was sitting at a desk to one side of the lobby reading some papers. She looked up when he entered and waved to him.
“Hi Bob.” She stood up and kissed his cheek. “It’s nice to see you. Has it been a tiring journey?”
“Hi Maria.” He felt for her hand and squeezed it but did not dare kiss her back in the hotel lobby. “No, not really. I was thinking of you all the way.”
“Oh yes? I bet! Sit down. I’ll give you your key and a name tag. You are in the room next to mine. Remember, I won’t be able to see much of you during the tour; I have to look after everybody. Even during the night,” and she looked at him.
“That’s too bad. We still have next week together?”
“Oh yes, I wouldn’t let the agency change that. We won’t stay in this hotel though, I’ve booked another, a quieter one, for us.”
“Good. Where’s your assistant? Didn’t you tell me you’d have one?”
“I do. Her name’s Polly Kitt. She lives near Gatwick but knows this district very well. She has helped me before and will be with us all the time. She’ll be the one to take the group back to the airport when they leave. She’s shopping right now.”
“Oh. Will the group be doing a lot of that?”
“No. It’s not a shopping trip. There are two free afternoons when people can do that if they wish. Polly will be the bus guide and tell us about the places we’re going to visit and what we’re going to do at each one. You’ll meet her at supper. Ah, there’s another couple coming over. We’ll talk more later. Supper’s at six-thirty in one of the hotel’s restaurants. They’ll show you where to go. Here’s your key Bob. Oh, can you move your car to the parking lot at the back of the hotel?”
“I’ll do that now.”
He drove the Vauxhall to the rear lot, collected his suitcase, blazer and mackintosh and entered the building by a back door. His room was on the second floor, en suite and had a double bed. He could see trees and rolling fields out of the window then a range of hills. It was a very comfortable room with two easy chairs and a large television. He unpacked, had a shower and changed his shirt. He decided that
it was too warm to wear a coat so put on a light sweater, locked the door and walked down the stairs to the main floor. Maria was busy, talking to a group of people and didn’t see him as he walked to the entrance and down the steps. He strolled around the big garden at the side of the hotel, admiring the flowers and bushes and the benches near two pools. He sat on one for a while just staring at the hills in the distance thinking that it would be nice to have a garden like this then stood up and walked back to the lobby. Maria saw him coming in and waved but, as she was talking to another lady, he didn’t approach but went to the bar and ordered a bitter. He carried it to one of the soft leather arm chairs and sank into the seat. There were a dozen people drinking there but he didn’t feel like asking if the couple near him were with the group. Time to do that later.
At six-thirty a man entered the room and said, “If there are any tour-group members here will you please follow me.” Bob and about eight other people stood and the man took them to the group’s dining room where about twenty other people were already seated. Bob found a seat at a table with seven others. As he was about to introduce himself Maria clinked on a glass and began to speak. First she introduced Polly, saying that she would be the one who would tell them about the places they would be visiting, then told them that they would have a short meeting after dinner each day to describe the next day’s activities and to answer any questions. “I’ll take you there after dinner tonight.” With that she sat down and waiters came to each table delivering menus and asking if anybody would like to order a drink. Nobody wanted one and Bob wondered if he was sitting with an abstemious group. He looked at the menu and ordered a salad and poached salmon then he asked if he could have a glass of white wine. Several others also then chose a wine. Someone on another table asked Maria if they had to pay for the wine and she said, loudly enough for everyone to hear, “Sorry, drinks aren’t included in this tour. You’ll have to pay for them. The waiters will ask you for the money at the end of each meal.”
Dinner passed easily since the Portuguese guests wanted to practice their English and they livened up each table. Bob told one of them near him that he was in Lagos in January and a lady from Yorkshire on the other side of the table said she and her husband were there at that time as well. That led into a discussion of holidays and the places they had visited. The meal was eaten and coffee served long before they had run out of conversation topics.
The meeting room was at the end of their dining room’s corridor. Maria led them there and after they were seated asked everyone to state their names, say where they came from and why they had chosen this holiday. Bob didn’t want to say that he had booked it because Maria was leading so he said he just wanted to see more of England. When he said he was from Small End he noticed that one of the ladies looked at him with interest and he wondered if she knew the name of the village from buying their company’s toys. Maria then gave everybody a map of the area and Polly took over.
“Our hotel is marked with a cross on the map. So we will start from there every day. Can you find it? Okay. Now tomorrow we’re travelling south to Windermere Lake. We’ll go along its shore to Newby Bridge, then west and up to Coniston Water, then home. I’ll not tell you about the interesting places we’ll see until tomorrow, that way it’ll be fresh in your mind. We’ll stop for coffee or tea and at places to take photographs. Lunch is at a nice lodge and there will be time to take a short walk as well if you want to. You should wear your heavy shoes and take a mackintosh because there’s a chance it’ll rain tomorrow. Are there any questions?”
“What if we don’t want to walk?”
“You can stay in the lodge or in their garden. When we stop for walks if we are not at a lodge or hotel then you can sit in the bus or on one of the benches near where we park. The walks will only last twenty minutes or so.”
“So we’ll be gone all day tomorrow?”
“Yes. We’ll return here for lunch only on Wednesday and Saturday. Will that be a problem?”
“No. Just wondering.”
“We’ll eat our lunch in a restaurant or a lodge every day except Thursday, when we’ll have a packed lunch. On that day we’ll be in a very picturesque spot and some of you might want to take a longer walk over the lunch hour. You can take the packed lunch with you and eat it during your walk if you wish.”
“If we have something else we want to do on one of the days what do we do?”
“Just tell Maria or me that you’ll not be with us the night before.”
“All right. Thanks.”
“If there are no more questions,” Maria said, “then the rest of the night is yours. If there’s any emergency and you need to contact us my room is number 204 and Polly’s room number is 206. We’ll start at nine o’clock tomorrow so please be in the lobby at that time. Thank you and good night everybody.”
Most of them left the room but several walked to the front to talk to Maria or Polly. Bob sat in his chair for a few minutes watching them then went to the bar where he joined one of the couples who had been at his table. He ordered a beer and talked for a few minutes then went to his room.
Fifteen minutes later Maria knocked on his door. He opened it and she came in closed the door and wrapped her arms around him.
“At last,” she said as soon as he stopped kissing her. “It’s been a long day for both of us, all that travelling, and, for me, looking after the group as well. I’m so tired.”
“Too tired to come to bed Maria?”
“No, not too tired to do that. Just for a short while, but I can’t stay. I have to be in my room in case I’m needed. It’ll be different next week.”
“Then you have half an hour now?”
“Maybe an hour,” and with that Bob and Maria kissed and began undressing each other.
The hour became an hour and a half, then two. Finally Maria forced herself to get up, put on some clothes and leave. Bob stayed in bed while she dressed, watching and admiring. He fell asleep five minutes after the door closed.
The week passed quickly and Bob enjoyed every day. He particularly liked the talks about Arthur Ransome, Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth, remembering the times he read Swallows and Amazons and Winter Holiday and learned Wordsworth’s poem describing the daffodils at school, or when he read Potter’s Peter Rabbit stories to the children. They were wonderful writers.
And it was exciting to see Ullswater, the lake where Donald Campbell won the water speed record in 1955. He was fifteen that year and he remembered reading about Campbell and his boat in the newspaper and hearing descriptions of the runs on the radio. And to see Hill Top farm where Beatrix Potter lived and Coniston where Ransome had sailed. He liked everything except the Kendal Mint cake he was given before one of the short walks. However the food he liked most were the Cumberland sausages and ate them whenever they were on the menu. He enjoyed the local beers and drank them with his lunches. They had two lake cruises that made a nice change from the bus rides. The more interesting cruise was a trip in a steam yacht but it was the engine that interested him more than the shore line.
There was a final dinner at the hotel Saturday night. Afterwards Maria told those who were flying back to Portugal to have their bags, properly labelled, outside their bedroom doors by six thirty and that they had to be on the bus by eight. “Please be on time for the bus must leave then to get to Gatwick on time. I’m sure you don’t want to miss your flight.” The others, who had joined them at the hotel, were reminded to check out by eleven. Maria then said goodbye to everyone; “I’ll say it now, because Polly will be taking you back to Gatwick, but I’ll be here until eleven tomorrow in case anyone has problems.” With that she sat down. A man rose and said how much he had enjoyed the tour and that he’d come back for a longer holiday next year with his brother’s family and thanked Maria and Polly. A woman then said she’d had a very interesting time and thanked them “for a lovely week.” Everyone started clapping and the meeting was over. “Don’t forget to put your bags out by six-thirty
if you’re on the flight,” cried Polly as people left. Maria stayed, talking to three couples as Bob stood up and left the room. He wondered, as he climbed the stairs to the second floor, if Maria would knock on his door that night but she didn’t.
Sunday morning was a grey day. It should have been a bright sunny one, for that was how Bob was feeling. He had a slow bath then went to breakfast. There was hardly anyone from the group in the restaurant. The Gatwick group was already on its way to the airport and other participants had left early for most of them had some distance to drive. He didn’t see Maria, perhaps she was in the hotel office or telephoning Lagos. Eleven o’clock came at last and Bob checked out but remained sitting in an easy chair in the lobby. At eleven fifteen he saw Maria as she came out of the office that was behind the reception counter.
“Hello Bob. Sorry I’m late but I had to discuss alternative dates for an extra tour next year. The agency thinks we’ll need one. I’m all finished now. I’ll just get my bag,” and she started climbing the stairs.
“Can I help?” called Bob.
“No, thanks. I’ll be back in five minutes. I’ll join you in the car.”
She was there ten minutes later. He put her bag in the boot and smiled at her. “Where do we go?” he asked.
“To the east coast. I’ve never been there. To a place called Filey, just south of Scarborough. A woman in the agency told me about a nice sea-front lodge. But first, stop at the next lay by, it’s time we had a kiss and a cuddle.”
That’s what they did then they drove for an hour before stopping for lunch. They arrived at the lodge four hours later, checked in and went to bed, getting up for dinner at eight thirty.
Monday they arose just in time for a late breakfast then walked bare-footed along the sandy beach, paddling in and out of the water. During a fish-and-chip lunch they discussed what they would do for the rest of the week.
“I’d like to know more about this part of England Bob. We can walk along the coast and drive to the villages but I’d also like to know something about its history. For instance, my friend told me that there were many shipwrecks here. Why was that?”
“Let’s go to the maritime museum and ask them.”
“All right. I like museums. It would be a good way to start.”
Tuesday they drove and walked, both in the morning and in the afternoon. Over supper they were discussing what they should do the next day when Bob suddenly remembered his promise to Sally. “Oh. Maria, I promised Sally that I’d take you to see her if I could. Would you mind?”
“No of course not. We must do that, it’s more important than sightseeing. We can come here another time. She in a place near Boston, isn’t she?”
“Yes. Boston’s south of here and it’s also on the way to Gatwick. I’ll phone Sally and tell her we’re coming. Oh, no, I can’t, it’s eight forty-five. She’ll be asleep. I’ll phone tomorrow, she won’t mind. I bet she wouldn’t even mind if we just popped in without giving her any notice.”
“She’s your mother’s sister, right?”
“Yes,” and Bob told her about the times the family used to visit when he was growing up.
After supper they told the receptionist that they had changed their plans and would be leaving the next day.
“There’s nothing wrong is there?”
“Oh, no. This is a nice place and we hope to come back again in the future. We’ve just remembered that there’s someone we must visit.”
“Will you stay with them or can I find a hotel for you?”
“Do you know of a nice place near Boston?”
“I can look and I’ll make list. We can make the reservation for you, once you choose the place you like.”
“Thanks. How long will it take to drive to Boston?” asked Maria.
“Near to four hours I think.”
“Oh, that long. Then we’ll have to start early Bob or we won’t have much of the afternoon left for a visit.”
“Yes. Thank you for your help. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight sir, madam.”
They checked out after a quick breakfast, collecting the list of hotels the receptionist had left for them but did not make a reservation. They were on the road by eight thirty. It took them two hours to get to the Humber Bridge and they stopped for coffee at Barton. Bob found a telephone and called Sally.
“Hello Bob. It’s nice to hear from you. Please tell me you are coming to see me!”
“Yes I am Sally. This afternoon, if that’s all right. And Maria’s with me. You said you wanted to meet her.”
“Good. Yes, come along. You’ll have to see me in my bed, I don’t get up these days, it’s too difficult. Can you come about two-thirty? That would be the best time for me.”
“Yes Sally. Two-thirty. We’ll be there. ‘Bye for now.”
“‘Bye Bob.”
He told Maria what Sally had said. “We’ll have enough time to get there. We’ll have lunch in Boston then drive to where she’s staying. She said she’d be in bed because it’s too difficult for her to get out.”
“What did you say was the matter with her?”
“She has emphysema and I don’t think she can live much longer, it’s pretty bad. She uses oxygen all the time now.”
“I know about emphysema. Quite a few people in Portugal suffer from it.”
The lady at the front desk of Sally’s residence recognised Bob as he walked up to her. “Hello Mr. Barns. Come to see Sally?”
“Yes. How is she?”
“Not very well. She sleeps most of the time now. Her brain’s bright, it’s just her body; her lungs, mostly, that’s letting her down. Is this Mrs. Barns?”
“No. This is my friend, Maria Schroeder. Maria this is Elizabeth.” They smiled then Elizabeth said, “she’ll be awake now, I expect. Why don’t you go to her room and see?”
“Yes, we will. Thank you.”
Sally was expecting them when they knocked. Her shoulders were supported by four pillows. Bob crossed over and kissed her on her cheek then turned and said, “Sally, this is Maria.”
They smiled at each other and Maria walked over and shook Sally’s hand, lifting it slightly from the bed as she did so.
“Hello Maria. I’ve been so looking forward to seeing you. Bob’s told me a lot about you but he never told me that you were so pretty!”
“Hello Sally. You don’t mind me calling you that?”
Maria shook her head. “Not at all. Give me a kiss would you Maria?” Maria did that and Sally sighed. “You know I had hoped to see both of you many times. From what Bob said he’s very fond of you and I wanted to see how you felt about him but I don’t think I’ll live long enough to find out by myself. So, tell me, are you going to get married?”
“Oh Sally,” said Bob. “You shouldn’t have asked that. I don’t know what to say.”
“Nor do I Sally,” added Maria. “We haven’t talked about that. We’re just good friends.”
“And I want us to be good friends for a long while Sally,” added Bob, “but I’m not sure that we should marry.”
“My first marriage ended badly,” said Maria. “I don’t want another experience like that, although I’m sure Bob isn’t at all like my former husband.”
“Bob’s a good man, Maria, and he’d make a very good husband. I know, for my sister, Betty, told me that many times.”
“Now, stop Sally,” said Bob. “Don’t try and make us marry! We’ll do that if we both want to but we’re not ready to discuss it. We came to talk to you, about you, not us.”
“Well you can see how I am and you know that I’m not going to get any better. So there’s nothing to say about me. It’s you two and your future I’m interested in. All right then, tell me about this holiday you’ve been having, what have you been doing?”
So Bob and Maria told her about the tour and about how Maria guided tours in Europe and in England. Maria then told her about her job and her apartment in Lagos. Bob started to tell Sally that he had booked to go the
re for a month in February but her eyes closed and she fell asleep.
They sat and watched her for a few minutes then a nurse entered.
“Hello. Oh, she’s asleep now. That’s what she always does. Half an hour is all she can manage. She’ll sleep until we wake her up for supper. You can come back after her supper if you wish.”
Bob looked at Maria then said, “Yes, we’ll do that. What time would be best?”
“She’ll be finished by six-thirty. Shall I’ll tell her that you’re coming then?”
“Yes, please,” and they left the room, shutting the door quietly. Bob drove Maria to see Sally’s old home and they parked in the road nearby and walked along the paths where he and his uncle used to go and he told her more about their times together.
“Okay, enough about those times Maria. I know where there’s a hotel near here. Let’s check in.”
They decided to have supper after seeing Sally and had a drink in the bar before heading out. Sally was again propped up in her bed when they arrived. She seemed alert and they talked about Bob’s factory for a while then she began to nod.
“Sally,” said Bob, “I think you’re falling asleep. Do you want us to go?”
“I think so Bob. I can’t stay awake much longer. Give me a kiss and a hug, and you too, Maria.”
“We won’t be able to visit tomorrow, Sally. I have to take Maria to the airport. I’ll try and come back in a couple of weeks.”
“That would be nice. I’ll expect you then. Goodbye Bob. Goodbye Maria.”
“‘Bye Sally,” and they left the room.
Supper was rather quiet. Both felt that Sally wouldn’t live much longer. In bed Bob brought up the subject of getting married.
“I had thought about asking you to marry me several times Maria but I don’t know if that’s what I really want to do. I like it the way we are and I’m afraid that being married might spoil things. Although I’d like it if we could see each other more often.”
“It’s the same for me Bob. I really don’t want to get married. I think I know a way we can see each other more often. I can leave the agency and become a freelance guide and a trip organiser. Two weeks ago I phoned two companies that I have organised joint tours with to check and they told me they frequently have to hire extra guides. However it’s a very uneven life, a friend who does it warned me. You earn lots of money some years and little in others. She says one has to save money when you get it to keep you going when it’s bad but I can do that. What do you think?”
“How would being a freelance guide help us to see each other more often?”
“I could come to England more frequently. I could come when I don’t have any other work, for instance, or chose tours which go to England. Or you could come and visit me when I wasn’t working or join the tour I would be running. There’d be all sorts of ways.”
“I see, but don’t do it just yet. Think about it some more. Contact others who do it and more agencies. Make sure you know all the pros and cons.”
“Yes, okay, I’ll not decide until we see each other again.”
“In February?”
“Yes. I should know what to do by then.”
“Okay.”
They made love, fell asleep, woke and made love again. Then slept until they had to get up if Maria was going to catch her plane.
They said goodbye at Gatwick at two thirty, promising to write to each other each week. Bob spent the time while driving home thinking of his time with Maria and about Sally. Saying goodbye to both of them made him feel a little sad. As he turned into his driveway he realised he hadn’t thought about work the whole time he had been away. He almost decided to call Ken to find out if things were all right but he decided to leave it until tomorrow. He had his supper in the Crown for he had no milk and didn’t want to warm a pot pie. He didn’t want to end a lovely holiday that way.