by David Hockey
Chapter 5 Maria
After another nine hours work on Friday Bob estimated he was half-way through the job. ‘I’ll probably finish next Friday,’ he guessed. ‘Nine and a half days to make twenty village sets. That’ll be £350 for me if Rose sold them, more if Jenny sold them. That’s almost as much as I made when I was station master! Ah, well, I always knew that job didn’t pay well. The best part of it was working just a few steps from home.’
After supper he made a to-do list for the next day. He’d go to Big End and call at Home and Holidays. If Jenny hadn’t already sent his monthly statement and cheque he’d ask for it. He’d tell her she could have the village sets next Saturday. He wondered how many farm or train sets she’d sold and decided that if she had sold, say, a hundred pounds worth he’d ask her to have lunch with him in the Fox. ‘I wonder if she is married? She doesn’t wear a wedding ring.’
Bob was at her shop about eleven on Saturday morning. “Hello Jenny. How are you?”
“Busy, which I like, but I’m also glad it’s Sunday tomorrow. I’m ready for a rest! Our visitors are early this year, mostly older people. I suppose some of them are taking a late winter holiday. Do you have any sets for me? I’d like some villages, if you have them, and some more farm sets. I sold the village set you gave me and two farms. I sent you a cheque; you should get it early next week.”
“Thanks. I’ll bring you the villages next Saturday. Can we celebrate Jenny? Can you have lunch with me?”
“Oh, thanks Bob, but no, not today. Saturdays are the busiest days for us. I’ll take a rain-check and have lunch with you sometime in the middle of the week, if that’s okay.”
“Okay. I’ll look forward to it. Then I’ll be back next Saturday with the sets.”
As he went out he added the £15.75 he’d received from Rose and realised he had made £138.25. ‘Well I’ll celebrate and buy a couple of steaks for dinner next week.’
Bob had lunch at the Fox, a satisfying but not exciting curry and rice, then he walked to the art shop where he bought more acrylic paint finding he could buy it in tins, which made it much cheaper. They did have both silver and gold paint so he bought a tin of the silver but only a big tube of the gold because he didn’t need a lot. He also bought several brushes, including a very fine one that he would use to paint the lines on the train and carriages. Afterwards he walked to the supermarket and bought a filet of salmon and two steaks.
That evening at the Crown he told Joe that he was going to ask Maria to have her friend book an apartment for him in Lagos.
“I’m planning on going for a month, February. I’m going to make enough toys this year so I can have another holiday in the summer, provided Jenny and Rose can sell them.”
“That’s grand! It’s time you explored the rest of the world.”
“You know I’ve never thought much about travelling before going with you to Portugal.”
Rose and Jack joined them and Rose asked where Jane was. “She’s at a committee meeting discussing the Spring show,” said Joe. “She said we should eat and not wait for her.”
“When do you think you’ll be ready to work on the station Joe?” asked Bob.
“Not for another three weeks. I’ve four fields to plough and sow first. Which reminds me, do you want me to save the bricks?”
“Aye,” said Jack. “No need t’waste ‘em.”
“It’s a lot of work to chip off the old cement Jack. Well, it’ll take me a bit longer if I’ve got to avoid breaking too many. If you’ve enough people to move the bricks out of the way I should get it done in a day though. I’ll dump the broken ones in the ditch at the end of the parking lot when you’ve sorted them.”
“I’ll help,” said Bob, “and I’ll ask the Smiths if they’ll help when I see them on Thursday.”
“Ken said he’ll help with the interior walls,” said Rose. “Don’t know about Jim, he’s more interested in playing golf. How about John, the guy who works for you, Jack? Maybe he’d help.”
“Aye. I’ll ask him.”
Sunday afternoon Bob collected his spade from the small lean-to attached to the far side of the house; it was time to prepare his garden. In the past he spent a lot of time looking after his vegetable garden but didn’t expect to do so much this year. He sharpened his spade then double-dug half of the plot. It was hard work so, when a slight rain started, he decided to leave the rest until the following Sunday. He cleaned the spade, coated it with a little oil and hung it on its hook. ‘I’ll have one of the steaks tonight. The salmon can wait until tomorrow.’
The week went as planned. Jenny’s cheque arrived in the mail on Monday and Bob wrote it down in his account book. He worked about nine hours most of the days and had his twenty village sets ready for sanding at the end of the afternoon on Wednesday. Thursday morning he sanded all the pieces, doing most of it outside to keep the dust out of his shop but a half-hour drizzle, which came immediately after he’d returned from his coffee break, forced him to finish the job inside his shop so he left the door and windows open during lunch. When he returned the room was cold but there was no lingering dust. He closed the windows and locked the door then went to the Community Centre.
No one felt like working all the afternoon. Jim said the weather affected how everyone felt so they stopped early and talked about going to the Crown.
“I can’t today,” said Ken, “we’re visiting friends.”
“That’s okay by me,” Bob said, “I’ve some work I should get back to.”
He went directly to his shop when he got home and moved the electric fire closer to his seat and settled down to paint. He used the tins of acrylic because he wanted to find out how much paint twenty village sets required, a figure he might need for his books, though he was pretty sure he didn’t have to be that particular when calculating the cost of making a set. He’d use the tubes when he had just a few to paint. He’d completed half of the painting by five o’clock.
He was putting the tins of paint on the shelf when someone knocked on the door. He was very surprised; it was unusual for anyone to visit. He opened the door.
“Maria! Is that you? Hello. How are you? Here, come in. Jane and Joe told me that they had seen you in Winchester.”
“Hello Bob. Well I was interested in what Small End looked like, having heard so much about it from all of you last month. I decided to take a couple of night’s holiday and I’m staying at Bonnie’s Bed and Breakfast. I arrived earlier this afternoon and phoned Jane but there was no reply, then I phoned you and again, no reply. So I asked Bonnie where you and Jane live. There was nobody at home when I called at Jane’s place so I came here. I thought that you weren’t here as well but then I saw a light on in this building so I came here.”
“It is good to see you Maria. Sit down. I’ll just tidy up then we can go to the house and have a cup of tea or a drink. I’ve still got some port but I’ve other stuff as well.”
“So this is where you make your toys and ornaments. The shop’s bigger than I imagined. And all these toys! I didn’t think you made that many.”
“Well things have changed since I saw you in Lagos. I liked that holiday so much that I want to have more in the future, two each year if I can, but that means I’ll have to earn more money. So that’s what I’m doing most of my time now, making lots of toys. Two retailers sell them for me. I’ve decided about next year, Maria, I want to return to Lagos. Can you ask your friend to book the apartment that we saw in the Old Town? For next February, for the whole month, if that’s possible.”
“Of course. I’ll check when I get home. You are talking about the expensive place, the one that cost twelve hundred pounds a month?”
“Yes, that’s the one. It’s such a nice location. I’ll look forward to it all year if your friend can book it.”
“Well, she’ll do what she can. I hope it’s not already taken.”
“Thanks. Well, I’m done. Come, let’s go and have a drink.”
Bob ushered Maria out, l
ocked the door and they crossed the garden and went into the house.
“This is the kitchen. Here, give me your coat. What would you like to drink?”
“Tea’s fine. I’ve been drinking lots of it this past month.”
“I’ll put the kettle on and we can go to the lounge until it’s ready.”
Bob hung the coat on one of the a hooks that were on the wall beside the back door then opened the door to the lounge.
“Sorry it’s a bit messy. Sit there, that’s where I sit when reading. You can see a bit of the country from that window.”
“Thanks Bob. This is a comfortable-looking room.”
“Yes. I think so too. I clean and dust it once a week, on Sundays, usually. That’s why it’s untidy.”
“It looks okay to me. Er, what’s that noise?”
“That’s the kettle, it’s boiling. I’ll go and make the tea. Won’t be long.”
Bob went to the kitchen and made a pot of tea then looked for biscuits. He had his digestives but wanted something better for Maria. He thought he had some cream filled biscuits left over from Christmas and eventually found the package at the back of the shelf. He arranged the biscuits on a plate and put it, the pot of tea, the bowl of sugar and a jug of milk on a tray and carried it into the lounge and put it on the side table beside Maria.
“You’re designing a South of England tour I’m told,” Bob said.
“Yes that’s right. I’m pretty sure the office will run one or more from all the information I’ve collected. If they do I’ll likely be the guide for the first two or three because I made all the contacts and can sort out any problems that arise. The agency partners’ make the decision about which tours to offer. I’m just doing the research right now. I’ve done that a couple of times before but most of the time I’m just an agent in the office. I guide maybe four or five times a year.”
As they were finishing their tea Maria asked Bob if she could take him to dinner that night.
“I was just thinking of asking you if you’d like to come with me,” Bob said.
“Well. Let me take you tonight and you can take me tomorrow.”
“OK But you should know that Saturdays I eat at the village pub. You’ll be able to meet Jane and Joe there and some of our friends.”
“That sounds very nice. Good, we’ll go there tomorrow and tonight I’ll take you to a Big End hotel I stayed in several days ago: Mulberry Court. They serve a nice meal. I’ll come around seven if that’s okay.”
“Yes, lovely.”
“All right. I’ll be off now. Thanks for the tea Bob.”
Bob watched her drive away thinking ‘She’s a very nice woman and interested in what I’m doing. I like her.’ Then he stopped and asked himself, ‘Why did I think that about Maria? Am I still looking for a girl friend? Surely not, after what happened with Claire. Ah, well, if so, I’ll be more careful about what I imagine when Maria comes to mind. I don’t want to really make a fool of myself as I almost did with Claire.’
Bob had bathed, dressed smartly, and was watching the road through the window fifteen minutes before Maria arrived. She did a three-point turn and pulled to the curb beside his front gate. He waved, locked the door and ran out to the car.
“You know, this might be the first time ever that someone has driven me out to dinner,” he said, as he climbed into the front seat.
“Well I’m glad you can join me. I’ve had enough lonely evenings for a while. Let me see now, I turn right at the corner and follow the road all the way to Big End, right?”
“Yes. How do you find your way around a strange country Maria? Do you organise every part of the trip before you leave or do you just go where you like?”
“I do lots of planning and know mostly where I want to go before I set off. The agency partners usually decide what groups to target, historians or gardeners, for instance. First I make lists of what might interest the groups we are soliciting. Then I look at the brochures from other agencies and see where they go. I write to Chambers of Commerce and note what they have to say about their towns. Then I roughly plan my trip to see as many of the places as I can. I also make lists of hotels before I go and visit several in each location when I arrive. I do more research in the town’s library if I have time. I analyse what I’ve found each evening during the trip and rough out what might be suitable tours. I have a list of five this time; one for historians, one for gardeners, one for sea-food lovers, one for lighthouse aficionados and one for religious groups. I give the partners my suggestions and they decide if any are good enough to add to the next brochure.”
“That’s an awful lot of work. You must be tired after doing all that. Do you have a holiday when you get back to Lagos?”
“No. These extra days in England are all I get.
“That’s too bad. Oh, about my Lagos reservation, should I give you a cheque?”
“Not right now, I’ll tell you what to do if you get the apartment. You’ll probably have to send about five hundred pounds as a deposit to my friend. If it’s already booked would you like a different one?”
“Yes please, anything as long as it’s in Old Town and has a balcony overlooking an interesting street or a plaza and in an area that’s nice to walk around.”
“Okay. I’m sure there will be several apartments to rent in places like that. She should have no difficulty in finding one.” They chatted about Lagos on the rest of the way to the hotel.
The receptionist recognised Maria as soon as she walked through the door.
“Hello Mrs. Schroeder. Welcome back. Do you want a room?”
“No Tess, thanks. We’ve come for dinner, that’s all. Is Chef Joseph cooking tonight?”
“Yes, he is.”
“That’s good. I want my friend to taste his cooking. This way Bob. Let’s hope we get a seat near the fire though anywhere in the hotel is comfortable and warm.”
The meal was excellent. Bob, of course, chose a fish dish, settling for a grilled trout. Maria had pork chops. Bob insisted on buying a bottle of wine, a Chardonnay. Maria told Bob that he had to drink two-thirds of the bottle because she would be driving back to Small End.
It was a very pleasant evening. Maria told Bob about her life. She grew-up in Lagos, went to school there and found a job in the travel agency. She, a couple of years later, married a man who came into the office to add a short tour to the end of a business trip he had just completed. He was charming and she fell for him. They married and lived in his apartment in Berlin where she found a job even though her German was not perfect. At first everything was wonderful but her husband lost his job and took to the bottle. He became abusive when drunk. It was two years before he found another job. Maria stayed with him thinking things would return to the good times when he was working. However he was hired as a travelling salesman and he hated the work so he never stopped drinking and drank until he was sick each weekend. “I told him I’d leave him if he didn’t stop. He didn’t but I stayed with him for another year then left. As you know, it’s been three years since we divorced and I haven’t heard from him during all that time and I don’t want to.”
“Do you have any children?”
“No. We both thought we should wait for a while. We wanted to buy a house before we had children and were saving all our money. He spent most of it on booze. Ah, well, I’m glad it’s over. Do you have any children?”
Bob told her about his wife, Betty, that she died nearly four years ago and that he had a daughter, a son and three grandchildren.
“Regina has a boy and Sam has two girls. I’m 56, by-the-way.”
“I’m 52. I have a sister, Delizia. She’s fifty, married and has two children. So I am an aunt. They’re both girls, too.”
They finished with coffee and mint chocolates, then Maria drove Bob home.
“Drive past my place and turn in the station’s parking lot,” Bob told her. “It’s easier than doing a three-point-turn.”
“Okay.”
“Would you like
me to show you the village and its surroundings tomorrow?”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
“Good. However I have to take some of my toys to Big End in the morning. Can we do that first?”
“Of course. How about I collect you at nine?”
“Great. Well thanks for a lovely evening and an excellent dinner Maria. Good night, and sleep well.”
Bob waited at the gate and waved as she drove off. ‘That really was a lovely evening,’ he thought as he walked to his front door.
He woke early had a bath and dressed carefully on Saturday morning. It was going to be a warm and pleasant day, the sun beamed through the trees across the road and there were no clouds in the sky After breakfast he took three large shopping bags to his workshop and put six villages in two of them and six trains in the other. He didn’t think he needed an overcoat, a thick sweater under his jacket would do. He picked up one of the bags holding village sets and carried it to Rose’s gift shop, wondering if he was too early but the sign was outside so he knew the shop was open. Rose was sitting behind the counter finishing a mug of tea when he walked in.
“Hello Bob. It’s going to be a glorious day.”
“It certainly looks like it. You know, I forgot to ask you about your holiday when we were at the Crown. What did you do?”
“Well we’ve had two short trips. We went to Bournemouth for the first one and stayed in one of the hotels on the cliff. We went to the theatre one night and walked through the gardens and along the coast path several times. I liked that even though it was a bit cold. We visited Salisbury the second trip. I’d never been inside the cathedral before; it was magnificent. We stayed in a hotel on the main street and went to the movies one night when it was raining. We mostly ate pub meals but had one good dinner in our hotel on each holiday. I was so glad to have a change from cooking all the time. Jack enjoyed himself too.”
“I’m glad you had such a good time Rose.” He put the plastic bag on the counter. “I’ve just finished making some village sets and I’ve six of them here. Would you like them?”
“Yes. I’ll open one of the boxes and put it in the window but I don’t have room to display its pieces, I’ll do that the next time I rotate. Come into the back room and I’ll write a receipt.”
“Have you sold any sets this month Rose?”
“No, not yet. We’ve only been open at weekends, don’t forget, and I don’t think there have been any tourists.”
“Well, there’s one now. She’s staying at Bonnie’s. Her name is Maria. Jane, Joe and I met her in Lagos during our holiday. If you and Jack eat at the Crown tonight you’ll meet her. She’s going to eat with us. I think you’ll like her.”
“I’ll see if Jack has anything planned but we’ll likely be there. Here Bob, here’s the receipt.”
“Thanks. Hope to see you tonight then. Cheers.”
Bob walked slowly back to his house thinking how nice it was to be outside when the weather was as warm as this. He took the bags for Big End to the window and sat in his chair watching the road as he waited for Maria. He jumped up as he saw her drive past, picked up the bags and was at the curb when she pulled up.
“Hello Maria. Isn’t this a lovely day?”
“Yes it is. Bonnie tells me it’s going to be warm all day. That’s why you don’t have an overcoat I suppose.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
As they drove to Big End they discussed what they might do. Bob said he usually caught the bus in; visited Jenny’s shop; had a coffee; went to the bank when he needed some money or had a cheque to deposit; did his special shopping; then caught the bus home.
“Don’t you have a car?” asked Maria.
“No. We never needed one. I’ve worked at the railway station ever since leaving school and we were always short of money. Our priorities were to raise the children and give them a good education. We travelled by train when we went on holidays since I could get discounted fares. Betty used the bus when she worked in Big End and we all had bicycles. So I never had a car and I don’t know how to drive although I took some lessons a long time ago. I thought about buying one during my walks in Lagos. If my business takes off a car would be very useful. I’d need something to take sets to the retailers. I also thought about taking driving lessons, not now, but maybe this summer.”
“Good for you Bob. It’s very useful to be able to drive. If you have a licence you can rent a car anytime you’re on holiday and see more of the country.”
“Yes, and that’s what we should do today. Since it’s going to be nice I suggest we buy some sandwiches and have lunch on a beach I know. Would you like that?”
“Sounds nice Bob.”
“All right. Slow down now Maria, Jenny’s shop is not far from here. You can park there,” and he pointed to a spot just ahead of them.
They walked along the pavement to Home and Holiday looking into the windows of the shops they passed. There were no customers in the shop when they entered, just Jenny and Susan arranging items on the shelves.
“Hello Jenny, Susan. I’d like you to meet my friend, Maria. She’s from Portugal”
“Hello Maria. Welcome to Big End and Home and Holiday. Have you been here long?”
“I’ve been in England just over three weeks. I’m researching tour opportunities for the travel agency I work for in Lagos. We may develop one to go along the south coast.”
“It’s a nice part of England. I hope you do. People like coming here.”
“I hope we can offer one Jenny. It’d be nice to come back.”
“Do you have any more sets for me Bob?”
“I’ve six village and six farms.”
“That’s good. We haven’t sold any since I saw you last Bob but don’t worry I’m sure we will before long.”
Jenny wrote a receipt for Bob while Maria looked around the shop. During coffee Maria said she’d like to look for a gift to give her sister on her birthday. When finished they bought sandwiches, Maria had chicken salad and Bob had roast beef and horseradish. They both chose bottles of orange juice to drink.
Bob went to his bank and deposited his cheques whilst Maria walked along the street looking for something her sister might like. She didn’t find anything so they drove to the mall where she finally bought a wooden basket of jams, chocolates and coffees.
“She likes all of these so she’ll be happy and it’s not too heavy for me to carry onto the plane.”
They drove slowly along the coast road and Bob told Maria to stop next to the path that lead down the cliff to Smugglers Cove. They worked their way down to the deserted beach and they carried their lunch to a nearby tumble of rocks and sat in the sunshine to eat. Afterwards they walked to the far end of the beach where Bob showed her the entrance to the cave where smugglers used to store their brandy from France. “Joe and I searched the cave many times but never found anything. We planned to come back with a shovel and dig along the edge at the back but never did.”
“That sounds fun. I’d like to do that.”
“Then we must, and we’ll share whatever treasure we find Maria.”
Climbing up the path to the road reminded Bob of the time he was there with Claire. Did he want to hold Maria’s hand and help her up? He didn’t have to answer that question for Maria grabbed his hand when the slope increased.
“We used to run all the way to the top when we were young,” Bob told her, as he pulled her up a steep part. “Can’t do that any more.”
“I know I can’t, either. It’s a nice beach and well worth the climb back.”
In Twinner Maria stopped beside an art gallery. After looking at the four pictures in the window they entered and were greeted by a smiling, middle-aged woman.
“You had some watercolours painted by a local artist, Robert Crankshaw, when I was here a few days ago,” Maria said. “Do you still have them?”
“We sold one yesterday but we still have these,” and the woman pointed to four paintings hanging on the wall.
/> “Oh, you moved them. Yes, that’s the one I liked,” and Maria pointed to one of them. “Tell me, is that Smuggler’s Cove beach and rocks?”
“Yes it is. Robert only paints scenes near Twinner and that’s a popular place for many people.”
“I like it and it’ll remind me of today. We have just been there and I’d like to buy it.”
“Well, good. Would you like to meet Robert?”
“Does he live nearby?”
“Yes, very close. I’ll phone him.
She did, but there was no reply.
“Well perhaps I’ll meet him the next time I come,” Maria said.
As she paid for the painting Bob asked her how she was going to carry it home safely. When told that Maria was flying back to Portugal the assistant put it in bubble wrapping. “That’ll protect it and it’s small enough to pack in your suitcase if you have enough room.”
“I’ll make room.”
Walking back to the car Bob noticed a toy shop on the opposite side of the road. “Do you mind if I look in their window Maria? I’m looking for shops to sell my toys.”
They crossed the road and stood outside. ‘Yes,’ he thought, ‘it looks as if they would stock them.’
“Let’s go in and see if they are interested.”
Bob greeted the man behind the counter and gave him his business card. “At the moment I make trains, farms and villages. Unfortunately I don’t have any with me but I can bring you some if you’re interested. Rose Tyne and Jenny Wood, who have shops in Small and Big End, sell them.”
“Oh, I know both of them. We talk about how we are doing at shows and conferences. If they sell your things I’m pretty sure that I could too. When could I see them?”
“How about next Saturday?”
“That’ll be all right, I’m here all day, come anytime you want. Bring three of each kind, that way, if I like them, I could take them all. My name is Leonard Tinnet. People call me Leo. Say ‘Hello’ to Rose and Jenny next time you see them.”
“I will.”
They drove along the lanes through Easing then over the bridge that crossed the Tusset River on their way to Small End and Maria dropped Bob at his house.
“What time do you go to the Crown for supper?” she asked.
“Just before six so I can grab the table by the fire. I’ll come to Bonnie’s about 5:45. All right?”
“Okay.”
Bob waited at his gate and waved as Maria drove away. ‘She’s a very nice woman,’ repeating his previous thought, ‘but I’ll not get any romantic ideas this time.’
Inside the house he checked his lists. He had three train sets and eight villages. He’d have to make some farms and decided to make twenty, even though it would take nearly two weeks to do all of them, but he would concentrate on finishing three before Saturday. ‘I might get all of them done in a week if I work hard. Maybe I should try that. I really should keep a stock of each toy on hand, that way I wouldn’t be in such a rush when more are needed.’ He sat in his chair and thought about how he would organise his production to finish early and fell asleep, waking an hour later. It was five thirty so he quickly washed, put on his overcoat and walked to Bonnie’s, arriving a couple of minutes late. Maria was waiting for him at the gate.
“Sorry I’m late Maria. I fell asleep.”
“That’s from pulling me up the slope!”
On the way to the Crown they stopped at Rose’s shop. She had closed it early so they just looked in the window.
“We’ll likely meet Rose and Jack at the pub. Rose has been selling my trains for three years. I only started making farms and villages this year. That’s one of my village sets. If Leo sells them I’ll probably make enough money to have two holidays each year.”
“That sounds nice. Will you always go to Lagos?”
“No, I don’t think so. There’s a lot to see in Europe. You could tell me where to go. Not yet though, not until I know how much money I have.” Bob opened the pub’s door and they crossed to the bar.
“Hello Len. This is Maria Schroeder. We met in Portugal. Maria works for a travel agency and she’s been researching the south coast, looking for places that tour groups might visit.”
“Hello Maria. Welcome to the Crown. I hope you’ll bring many groups to Small End.”
“Hello Len,” said Maria. “I’d like to, for it is a nice place. Unfortunately the groups I have in mind wouldn’t come to Small End. I’m only here because Bob, Jane and Joe live here. We met in a Lagos pub. It looked a bit like this pub.” As she was saying that Joe and Jane entered and joined them.
“Hi Maria. Welcome to Small End.”
“Hello Jane, Joe. I’m happy to see you again.”
“Why don’t you two ladies sit down and we’ll get the drinks. What would you like Maria?” asked Bob.
“A glass of red wine please.”
“Gin and tonic for me Bob,” added Jane.
Joe and Bob ordered their usual bitter. As Len poured the drinks Joe pointed to the blackboard. “That’s an unusual menu,” he said.
“It’s an experiment. I want to find out if Small Enders will eat local food. The rabbit and pheasant came from one of the farmers and the mackerel’s from a Lymington fisherman.”
“It’s a bit more expensive than our usual stuff Len.”
“Yes I know. That’s the problem. I don’t know if our lot will like it enough to pay the extra. Visitors would but I’d need both to order it to make it worth preparing.”
“Well we’ll tell you what we think after we’ve tried it.”
Joe drank nearly half of his bitter while they were talking and said to Bob, “It’s been a hot and busy day for me in the greenhouse.”
“At that rate you’ll soon put the water back!” he replied as they carried the drinks back to the table.
“Rose’s shop was closed when we went past Jane,” said Bob. “Are they away?”
“No. Jack is showing some people the cottage that’ll be ready to sell soon and Rose went with him. They’ll be here later. Have you found enough places to design some tours Maria?”
“Yes. Lots. I’m pretty sure the agency will accept one or two of my suggestions. I hope they let me run them if they do.”
Joe said that he was hungry and asked everyone what they would like to eat. Maria and Joe chose pheasant and Jane asked for the rabbit. Bob said he would have the mackerel and Joe took the order to the bar with his empty tankard. “Is anyone ready for another drink?” he called as his glass was being refilled. None of them was so he returned, with quarter of his bitter already drunk.
“We’re going to Spain next year,” Joe told Maria. “I’ll write you later for recommendations, you’ll know Spain better than our travel agent. Bob told me that he wants to return to Lagos. Is that because he likes the place or because you’re there Maria?” he added, with a smile.
“Oh, no, it’s not me, it’s the place,” she replied. Bob didn’t know how to reply and remained quiet.
“Where are you going to stay Bob?”
“I’ve seen an apartment I like. It’s in the Old Town and you can see right into the central park from the balcony.”
They chatted for a while about Lagos then made room for Nancy to put their meals on the table.
“Hope you like the pheasant. My uncle shot them on his farm,” she said, “and his son caught the rabbits. They’ve all been properly aged.”
Jane tried her rabbit pie.
“It tastes great Nancy. Rabbit pie’s a favourite dish of mine ever since my mother made it. Joe, you should put snares along the east boundary. There are lots of rabbit holes along that hedge.”
“I would but they would be mostly for you Jane. I don’t like rabbit pie, I had it too often when I was young.”
“Maybe mine would taste better than the ones your mum made. Do you have any snares?”
“I think so. Dad kept them in the tack room in the big barn. I’ll look there tomorrow, if I remember.”
�
�I’ll remind you,” Jane said. “This pie’s delicious. How do you like the pheasant Maria?”
“It is very nice, especially the gravy.”
“It needs gravy because it is too dry without it, I think.”
“The mackerel’s excellent,” said Bob. “It’s a pity we don’t have fish mongers in Big End any more. I used to buy crab from the one on High Street. You can’t get a nice crab anywhere now.”
“I’m ready for another drink. Who want’s one?” Joe asked.
Shortly afterwards Jack and Rose joined them with drinks in their hands. Bob dragged up two more chairs and they sat down. Joe introduced Maria and told them how they met. Nancy came over and asked if they wanted to eat. Jane had told them how much she had enjoyed the rabbit pie so that’s what they ordered.
They talked about England, Portugal and their holidays until nine o’clock when Maria said she should go and pushed back from the table. “I’ve still got to pack my suitcase.”
“What time’s your flight?” asked Bob.
“11 am, from Gatwick.”
“Sound’s like the one we caught in February,” said Joe. “If the traffic’s normal you can get to the airport in less than two hours. We left at seven because we had to meet the group at nine thirty. You’ll have to return the car first, though, so you’ll have to leave time for that, I suppose.”
“Yes. I’ll probably leave at seven as well.”
“I’ll walk back to Bonnie’s with you,” said Bob and stood up. “Pay the bill for us Joe and I’ll give you the money next time we meet.”
“Okay.”