Bob of Small End

by David Hockey

  Chapter 42 Selling

  As he was dusting the house on Saturday Bob wondered what furniture he’d keep when he moved. Most of it had belonged to his parents, though he’d changed the bed when he and Betty moved in and they had added her dressing table and his easy chair. The question was, should he move all of it, some of it or none to the new house. With the money he would have if the company sold he could buy all new furniture and choose things that suited the larger rooms. It would be nice to have the kind of easy chairs that Ken and Mary had in the study and lounge. Maria would probably like to select the bedroom furniture. What would he want to keep? He was in his bedroom and looked around. The picture; it was one both he and his mother liked. She’d hung it on the wall above the headboard. He would hang it in his study. He looked again; the furniture was old and a bit shabby. There was nothing besides the picture he wanted to keep.

  He went downstairs and collected his notepad and wrote ‘My Bedroom.’ and put ‘Mum’s picture.’ next to it. Then he went to the spare room, looked at the little that was there and wrote ‘Nothing.’

  Half an hour later his list included ‘Railway lamp, pictures and mantle clock from Sally, wooden lamp stand, my side table, hall rack, his Mum’s sewing box.’ That was all. He didn’t want to keep anything else, it was either worn a little too badly or had no sentimental value. He sat down and looked at the list. Was that all? There must be things he’d miss if he sold or gave all the rest away but he couldn’t think of anything. He had added a note at the bottom of the page ‘keep most of the kitchen things and the best china.’ He’d probably have to buy a set of better plates too. Oh yes, he’d forgotten the fish knives and forks Sally gave him.

  He tore the page from the note book and fastened it to the front of the fridge with a magnet. He would add other items to it when they came to mind. No need to write down his tools and the garden implements; he’d take all of those.

  After lunch he went for a walk. He wanted to tell Betty what had happened, how he was buying a new house. He would ask her if he should keep more of the things they had used. He didn’t expect any answer of course but asking her might jog his memory. He stood by the tree for a while but nothing came to mind so he continued walking and tried to decide when he should put his house up for sale. Should he keep it to the Spring when it might sell quickly or should he put it up for sale now and ask a lower price? And what would it be worth? Twenty five thousand pounds? Yes, it’d certainly be worth that. Not fifty thousand for sure; you could buy a row house with two bathrooms and bigger rooms for that much. Somewhere in between he supposed. His house did have a large garden and a good workshop and a shed. But some people didn’t want those things. Being next to the Community Centre might not be a good thing either. He’d let the real estate agent set the price.

  He had a bath, dressed then walked to the Crown for supper. Rose was talking to Jack about how she’d dress the shop window for Christmas.

  “Hello Bob. Joe and Jane won’t be here tonight. They’ve gone to Howard’s for the weekend. I’ve just been asking Jack about using all your toys in the window, having a village and the train set on one side and the farm with animals on the other. What do you think? Would it be too many wooden items? Jack thinks it would be and thinks I should show more of the china and jewellery.”

  “I think he’s right. I wouldn’t just show toys Rose. I’d put the things you sell most in the window, though it’d be nice if you did have a bit of the farm or village there as well.”

  “Christmas is still a long way off Rose,” said Jack. “Let’s eat, I’m hungry.”

  “All right. I’ll have the curry.”

  “Roast beef,” said Bob.

  “An’ me,” said Jack.

  Jack went to the bar, ordered the food and returned with two beers and a gin and tonic.

  “Thanks Jack. How’s business?”

  “Busy. Can’t do you ‘til a’ter Christmas Bob.”

  “That’s okay, there’s no hurry and I may not need to make any changes after all. I’m going to buy Ken’s house and sell mine. I probably shouldn’t do anything before selling. People buying the place might want something different.”

  “Wot?” said Jack, “Ken’s place? Ain’t it too big fer you Bob.”

  “Not if Maria was there as well,” said Rose. “Will she join you Bob?”

  “I don’t know. She might. For some of the year perhaps. I like the place very much and I can afford to buy it. I’d rather live there than in my current house if Maria came to stay with me. So I’m going to sell mine. What do you think it’s worth Jack? You should know the value of houses around here.”

  “Abat thirty thousand. Could be more, ‘cos you’ve a workshop; but maybe less, ‘cos there’s no garage.”

  “Ah, I’d thought it might be worth about that. And should I sell it now or in the spring?”

  “Not now, no one’s buyin’ in t’winter.”

  “But there’ll be a flood of houses for sale in the spring Jack, I’d have much more competition.”

  “Aye, but they’re already competin’.”

  “That’s a different market, they’re new houses and much more expensive.”

  “Aye. S’right.”

  “What do you think it’ll fetch at this time of the year?”

  “Maybe twenty five.”

  “Hmm, I’d lose five thousand. Well I wouldn’t want to keep it once I’m in Ken’s house. It’d be another thing to worry about. I’d be afraid that someone’s broken in or thrown stones and smashed the windows.”

  “Well, tell Len. ‘e might find some ’en.”

  “Not yet. I’ll think about it first. I’ll tell Len next weekend if I decide to sell.

  They talked about the dancing class next. No one wanted another drink and all felt tired so they paid for the food and walked home.

  He pulled all the remaining vegetables Sunday morning, storing the cabbages and the broccoli in the shed. It was better to put them in there than in his workshop; he’d be heating the shop when he was working there.

  In between the rain showers, luckily light ones, he dug the whole plot and raked it. It looked attractive. Ken’s place would probably have a better soil, he thought, that is, if the river had been wider in the past. Mary certainly had nice flower beds. He would grow better vegetables there in all likelihood. That’d be nice.

  He was too tired to walk in the afternoon. He looked at the carving knives and hand tools in his shop and made a mental note to start collecting boxes so he’d have something to hold them in when he moved to Ken’s place. He’d use the van to move the few things he’d be taking. He wouldn’t move as soon as Ken moved out because he might want to paint or change something first. And any carpets they left might need cleaning. It’d be nice if Maria could know what the rooms looked like before she came. He’d photograph each one and send her the pictures. She could suggest things he might buy or do even if she wasn’t there.

  After supper he wrote to Maria and told her that he would be buying Ken’s house. ‘I’ll take some photographs when he’s left to show you what it looks like. I’d like you to make suggestions about how I should furnish it. I have some ideas but I’d like yours too.’ Then he told her he was going to book his flight because he wanted to learn how to do that. ‘What airport are you landing in and when? I’d like to be there when you arrive. It’s a long time to wait until Christmas, isn’t it? Lots of love, Bob.’

  The milk had not arrived Monday morning so Lori walked to the store to buy it for the tea break. When she returned Ken was in the shop and Bob was sitting at his desk and adding figures. He was wondering how much money he would have to buy new furniture and he was estimating how much the chairs and sofa he wanted would cost. Lori looked at him as he worked away. “Are you checking our expenses Bob?”

  “No, I’m estimating what new furniture for Ken’s house might cost.”

  “What are you doing with your old house?”

  “I’m going to sell it.
I don’t know when though, now or in the spring. I’d get more for it in the spring.”

  “Oh. How much are you asking Bob?”

  “Thirty thousand, but Jack says it’d only fetch about twenty five if I sold it now.”

  “You know, it’d be a good place for Craig and me to live, that is, if we do get enough money to buy Wooden Toys. Save us a lot of bus rides and it’s close by. If there are things to do on the weekends or in the evenings we can easily get here. Can we look at it?”

  “Of course. Anytime. Would you like to come tonight?”

  “No, I wouldn’t buy it if we didn’t buy this place. I’d be a bit afraid that the new owners might change the way we work. If that happened we’d probably look for other jobs.”

  “Yes, of course. And you wouldn’t want it if you weren’t managing?”

  “No, we’d not like to do less than we’re doing now.”

  The next morning a very happy Lori and Craig were waiting for Ken and Bob. Ken arrived first and was told that the last two mortgages had been approved. He cheered and hugged Lori. Bob, when he came in shortly afterwards, was even more happy.

  “Ah, that solves so many problems,” Bob said. “I’ll sleep a lot better from now on! I’m so glad,” and he hugged both Lori and Craig.

  “I’ll phone Arthur and we’ll see him today if he has time. Jose and Luke can be in charge while we are away.”

  Ken picked up the phone and called Arthur and Jennifer answered.

  “Yes, he’s free at twelve. Are you ready to sign the contract then?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me, are there any changes from the way it was set up last time?”

  “No, it’s exactly the same.”

  “Then everything’s ready for you. I guess you are all very pleased.”

  “Yes, we all are. Thanks Jennifer. See you at twelve.”

  Arthur stood up and smiled at them when they walked into his office.

  “I’m glad that everything worked out. You have the money then Lori?”

  “No, not yet. They want to see the signed agreement before taking out their mortgages. But each application has been approved. We’ll have the two hundred and fifty thousand pounds when you want it.”

  “I’ll need it the first of November.”

  “Yes. I know that and they know it too. They’ll put all the money in my Dad’s bank a couple of weeks before then and I’ll transfer it to a business account that Craig and I’ll set up. We’ll do that in time to get a bank draft for you. I can let you have it October 31st, if you like.”

  “Yes, please do that. Er, Lori, you’ve got three uncles haven’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you’ll have three hundred thousand pounds, won’t you? What’s the extra fifty thousand for?”

  “To run the business until Craig and I start receiving income from the sales. That won’t be until January.”

  “Ah, yes, I see. Good. Then I’ll ask Jennifer to come in and witness the signatures.”

  They signed six copies, one for everybody and two for the lawyers. Then they left and Ken drove them to the Moat Manor for lunch. They drank a bottle of champagne in the bar first, then ate steaks and drank another bottle of wine. No one had dessert but they all had coffee. There was much talk about the future and, as they stood to go home, Lori said “Can we see your house tonight, Bob? If Craig and I like it I’d like to talk to Dad about lending me more money. You’d take a mortgage for the rest we’d owe you?”

  “Yes of course, provided the down payment was big enough.”

  “Good. I couldn’t ask him to lend me all of it. He’ll be in a good mood when he hears we’ve signed the contract.”

  “What do you think about moving to Small End, Craig, now you’ve just painted your flat?”

  “I like the idea. We should live in Small End once we own the company. Lori and I have already looked at some of the new houses but they are all too expensive. I never thought about buying your place until Lori talked about it last night.”

  “Well, we’ll go and see it after work. I’ll drive you back to Big End afterwards.”

  “And, Lori,” said Ken, “we’ll ask Simon to audit the company to be sure the books are okay. I’ll phone him when we get back.”

  “Oh, good. I want everybody to be sure I’ve not made any mistakes. He’ll do it before November 1st won’t he?”

  “I should think so.”

  Simon did not answer the phone when Ken called him but called back at four thirty.

  “Yes, I can look at your books but not until next Monday. I’ll come first thing and stay as long as needed. You’ll have all the account books, bank statements, receipts and inventory figures right there for me to look at?”

  “Yes. Lori will have everything you need.”

  Ken told Bob and Lori when Simon would come and what he’d need to see.

  “The only thing I don’t have,” Lori replied, “is an exact count of the number of toys we have. I only have an estimate, though I know it won’t be far wrong.”

  “Well I don’t suppose he’ll want the exact number. If he does we’ll have one or two people help him count them. Don’t worry about it.”

  After work Bob walked Lori and Craig to his house. They looked at his short driveway and the garden, then went into his workshop, shed and peered into the lean-to. Then he took them back to the front door so they could see how it looked as they entered that way.

  “It’s an old house. My parents owned it before me. And it’s not very large. It has three bedrooms upstairs but the bathroom is on this floor. I planned to change it this winter and put the bathroom in one of the rooms upstairs and I have sketches and Jack can give an estimate about how much it’ll cost to do that. You could borrow the plans if you want to look at them.”

  He took them through the lounge, showed them the bathroom and the kitchen then they climbed the stairs to look at the bedrooms.

  “You said it’d be worth about twenty five thousand now Bob. Would you take that if we offered it?” asked Lori.

  “Yes, to you, I would.”

  “What down payment would you want?”

  “What could you give me?”

  “I could probably get another five thousand from my Dad. Would that do?”

  “Yes, that’d be fine. I’d take a mortgage for the rest.”

  “All right. Craig and I will talk about it tonight and, if we agree, we’ll go and see my Dad. I’ll let you know tomorrow what we decide.”

  “Fair enough. Take the plans for the changes I was thinking of doing, they might interest you. I’ll drive you home when you’re ready.”

  On the way back he wondered if Craig liked the house. He thought Lori did. Both knew how sensible it was to live close to the workshop but he didn’t know if Craig liked living in an old house, or taking on one that needed renovating. Well, he’d find out tomorrow.

  Lori told Bob their decision as soon as she and Craig walked in to the office Wednesday morning.

  “We’d like to buy your house Bob. My Dad will lend me the extra five thousand but we can’t take possession until January first. We have to give two month’s notice before moving out of our flat. Will that be all right?”

  “Oh yes, that’d be fine,” and they shook hands.

  “Driving home I thought you might prefer to live in a modern house Craig. You didn’t say much when you were looking at it.”

  “Well, you’re right, I’d much prefer that. There’s a lot to do at your place and I’ll probably be the one to do it. I’d much rather live in a house that doesn’t need any work, especially now, because we’ll be busy at work and I expect there’ll be lots to worry about there.”

  “You don’t have to do it Craig. We can hire Jack. We already talked about that.”

  “Yes we could hire him, if we weren’t going to have to ration all the money we get. We’ve so many debts now, it’s frightening.”

  “Yes, I know it is, but we’ll pull through. We know th
at. We went over it very carefully many times.”

  “Yes. I know. So we’ll buy your house Bob, though, if things do go well, we’ll sell it in a couple of years and buy a new one.”

  “I agree with you about that,” said Lori and gave him a kiss.

  Bob went to the dancing class that evening. There were three new people, two of them men so he didn’t feel so outnumbered. They had learned several new steps when he wasn’t there and he stumbled a bit. His partners and Jenny took time to show him how they went but he sat out when they danced the tango.

  Friday morning Dave ordered a thousand farms, the same number of villages but only three hundred trains. Bob delivered them then, after unloading, walked into Dave’s office and sat in a chair until Dave had finished a phone call.

  “I’ve some big news for you Dave. We’ve sold the company. You’ll have someone else delivering as of November first.”

  “Oh, that’s a big surprise! Who did you sell it to? Perhaps we’re already doing business with them. Are they a big company?”

  “We’ve sold to Lori and Craig so you do know them.”

  “Sold to them? How could they afford it? You must have asked a lot.”

  “Well, it’s a long story. Why don’t I tell you all about it over lunch. Can you take the time off today?”

  “You bet. The answering machine can take over. Let’s go. I’ll take you to a seafood restaurant. I bet you’ll like their food.”

  So, at last, Bob was able to buy a lunch for Dave. He reminded Dave he’d have to buy Lori a lunch next time he saw her. “Not if she has Craig with her too!” was his joking reply.

  When Bob returned he learned that Ken had left at noon.

  “Mary called him. Their Manchester real estate agent phoned to say he had two houses they should see this weekend because other people were also interested in renting them. So he and Mary have driven there.”

  “Okay. Ah, Lori, I told Dave that you and Craig had bought the company today and reminded him that he was to buy lunch for you when you delivered.”

  “What did he say about us buying the company?”

  “He was very surprised. I didn’t say anything more about it, you can tell him when you have lunch together.”

  “We will, both Craig and I’ll go.”

  Before leaving Bob did a quick check of the inventory by counting the number of boxes on one shelf then multiplying by the number of shelves. He knew that would only be approximately right because the shelves were not all the same size, but, according to his count, they had 8,800 farms, 8,000 villages and 4,000 trains. It was the same figure that Lori had on her list so that was one more uncertainty he could dismiss. He wondered if Simon would live with that degree of approximation. He hoped so.

  He decided to collect the overalls tomorrow morning as he drove to Big End. He’d wash them when he returned. That would be another thing he wouldn’t have to do in the future.

  Maria’s letter said she’d arrive in Paris at the Charles de Gaulle at 14:45 on December 22nd and she would be catching the 13:00 flight home on Dec 29th, from the same airport. She added ‘I’d love to help you furnish your new home.’

  In Big End, after depositing the cheques, Bob went to Best Travel and asked one of their agents if she could find him a flight that went to Charles de Gaulle airport on December 22nd and arrived about two pm. She told him that an Air France flight would do that.

  “I’d like to return on December 29th from the same airport, leaving about the same time. Can I do that?” Doing so would give him enough time to get to his own gate after Maria had left.

  “Yes, there’s an Air France flight that leaves at two fifteen. Would that be alright?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want me to book the flights now?”

  “Yes please,” and he handed her his credit card.

  He was surprised when she handed him the tickets. “Oh, Air France flies from Heathrow. I didn’t expect that.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t think to tell you which airport it uses. Will that be a bother?”

  “No, I suppose not. I’ve not flown from there and I hear it’s a very busy airport.”

  “Yes it is, but you’d have no difficulty if you gave yourself lots of time. You’re driving to the airport?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well give yourself an extra hour and you’ll be fine.”

  He walked from the travel agent to Home and Holiday and caught Jenny as she was leaving the shop to buy the weekend paper.

  “Hello, Jenny. How are you? Can you have coffee with me, I’ve something to tell you.”

  “Hello Bob. I can do that but it’ll have to be a quick one. I can’t leave Susan all by herself for long.”

  “Then let’s go to the café.”

  Once they had sat down he told her that he had sold the company.

  “I’ve sold it to Lori Turner. She and her fiancée, Craig Elton, will own it. Do you know either of them?”

  “I know Lori. She sometimes buys things for gifts from us. How did she get enough money to buy your place?”

  “Her Dad and uncles raised the money.” He didn’t bother to tell her about how the balance would be paid. “She’s our office manager and knows everything about the company. And Craig can already manage the shop. They’ll do business just the way we have always done. You shouldn’t see any difference.”

  “It’ll be a big change for you Bob. What are you going to do with all your spare time?”

  He told her that he had bought Ken’s house and that he had a girl friend who he’d like to see more frequently.

  “She’ll help me furnish the place and I hope we’ll have some holidays together. But, mostly, I just want to relax. These past months have been too much for an old man like me.”

  “You’re not old Bob. How old are you anyway?”

  “I’m nearly fifty seven.”

  “That’s not old. My aunt’s eighty two. She lives by herself in a bungalow and walks a mile into town to get her shopping.”

  “Good for her. I hope to do the same when I’m that age but, right now, I’m ready for a rest.”

  “I’ll miss you. Come in and see me sometimes Bob. I’ll have to leave now, it needs two to run the shop these days. All the best Bob.”

  “Same to you Jenny.”

  As he walked back to the car Bob thought he should tell Leo about the change too so, after he had finished his shopping and had been given six strongly-constructed empty boxes by a man at the back of the supermarket, he drove to Twinner. Leo was as surprised as Jenny had been and asked the same questions.

  “Well, I don’t know either of them but if they’re going to continue the way you’ve done I expect we’ll meet sometime. Tell them I wish them luck.”

  “I will Leo. Thanks for all the suggestions you gave me, they helped me a lot. ‘Bye.”

  “‘Bye Bob. Enjoy your retirement.”

  He put half the overalls in the washing machine before heating a can of soup for lunch. After lunch he hung them on the line and loaded the machine again. He then took the boxes to his workshop and began filling them with tools. It took four boxes to hold all that he had on his shelves and in the drawers.

  It was strange to see his shop with no hand tools and just the bench saw, sanding belt and drill press. He’d remove them tomorrow, the screws and bolts that held them to the bench would likely be difficult to undo so he rummaged through the boxes he’d just filled and took out the spanners he might need and a large screwdriver.

  After tea and a bath he put his clothes in the washer then hung all he could next to the overalls. The rest he draped over the furniture in the lounge and kitchen. He had a nap in his chair until his alarm sounded at six and he remembered to turn on the railway lamp before heading to the Crown.

  When he walked in Joe was telling Rose and Jack about his visit to Howard.

  “They’re getting married in the spring Bob. In May.”

  “That’s nice. I hope they’ll be very happy.
Did you take them any of your pies Jane?”

  “Of course. I always do. And I don’t have any left for you to try Bob!”

  “Have you heard what’s been happening to me this past week?”

  “You’ve married Maria.” guessed Jane.

  “No. It’s a long story so maybe we should order before I tell you all about it.”

  Once they’d done that Bob reminded everybody that they were selling the company because Ken had accepted a job in Manchester. “Well Lori and Craig have bought it. Lori’s Dad and her three uncles raised enough money for a big deposit. And Lori and Craig are going to buy my house. So all the worries I had have simply all disappeared!”

  “Wow! You must be so relieved,” said Jane.

  “Yes, I certainly am. I still feel as though it’s not really happening. It’s almost too much to take in at once. It’ll probably take a year to sink in.”

  “Great news,” said Jack.

  “Yes. Lets celebrate, the engagement and the sale of the company,” said Bob. “I’ll buy some champagne.”

  Len brought them a cold bottle and some flutes and they quickly brought him up-to-date. He was happy for Bob, shook his hands and wished him a happy retirement.

  The red lamp welcomed him as he walked into his garden and he thought it’d look nice if he hung it over the door at Ken’s house. He checked the washing before going in and decided to leave it on the line even though it felt dry. It didn’t look as if it would rain that night and he was a little drunk. Drinking champagne twice in one week! This is a step up!