by Lucy Coleman
‘We have a king-size bed and some flat-pack wardrobes. It says here “alternative access”, so we can’t get round the back?’
I indicate for Gray to dump the shopping bags by the front door, so he can deal with our delivery man.
‘You can, but unfortunately you can’t trolley anything heavy across because the parking area is gravel and then there’s a large orchard with uneven ground, before you can access the pathway to the cottage,’ Gray informs him.
‘I did explain the problem when I placed the order and we paid an additional charge on top of the standard delivery cost,’ I point out, but the guy doesn’t look happy.
‘Are you parked up in the public car park next to The Bullrush?’ Gray interrupts.
The man nods.
‘Right, come and have a look around the back, but the best bet is to use the towpath.’
The man rolls his eyes, but he cheers up a little when he sees Tollie’s contraption purpose-built for times like this – two men can move anything with that, no matter how heavy.
Leaving them to it, I take the bags through into the kitchen and as I look out Tollie appears. There’s a short conversation before he leads the lorry driver and Gray over to the big shed.
I put the food away as quickly as I can and then jump online to find out how to cook French toast. I didn’t even know you could make it with brioche. Perhaps I should consider attending some cookery classes. Out of mere curiosity, I type in a general query and our post code and begin scanning down the list. The first hit is a manor house near Stroud, which runs a luxury weekend retreat with a cookery class each morning and, in the afternoons, there is a choice of attending a talk with a vintner and winemaking team, or relaxing with yoga, or a spa session. What a lovely wedding present to give Gray in lieu of a honeymoon. It’s something we can do together, and his new wife may well be inspired to be more adventurous in the kitchen!
Gray is late leaving for Rona’s and is gone quite a while, so I’m hoping they are having a frank and honest chat. In the meantime, I’ve ironed the new bedding and made up the bed. There is nothing more luxurious than the feel of a crisp, new sheet on the mattress and a pristine duvet cover. The next job is to begin unpacking the boxes of china. As I trek up and down stairs, every single movement seems to echo around me. There are so many small jobs to be done to make the cottage feel more homely and give it some substance.
‘I’m back and we have company,’ Gray’s voice filters up the stairs as I’m about to grab yet another box that has ‘glassware’ written on it.
‘And we have takeaway pizza with us,’ Fisher calls out, seconds later.
When I walk into the kitchen Fisher is poking around in the cutlery drawer as I place the box carefully on the worktop.
‘Do you have a pizza wheel?’ he asks.
‘Somewhere. But it might still be packed. I just kept the basics to hand. Anyway, what are you doing out and about on a Thursday lunchtime?’
The two guys look at each other, guiltily.
‘What’s going on?’ I ask, peering from one to the other.
‘I’m taking a couple of days off and I wondered if Gray wanted a hand getting things set up.’
I can feel tears start to prickle in the corner of my eyes and Fisher puts down the knife in his hand to wrap his arms around me.
‘Hey, I wanted to help out. Don’t be getting all weepy on us. Val runs the office anyway, you know that. You’re the one who taught her.’
‘And don’t blame me,’ Gray adds. ‘It wasn’t my idea. Anyway, let’s eat that pizza and then we can make a start. We don’t need plates, do we?’
We stand at the countertop munching away and Fisher scans around the empty room. ‘This is quite a space to fill,’ he remarks.
‘Hopefully by the end of the day we’ll have a table, six chairs and a couple of sofas.’
‘Bet the delivery men aren’t too pleased.’
Gray frowns. ‘I ended up giving the two men a hand with the bed and the flat-packed wardrobes. One of them was a bit of a jobsworth, but Tollie’s flatbed trolley works a treat. It just took a few trips as there seems to be an enormous stack of boxes.’
‘Well, I’m pretty handy with a drill,’ Fisher replies keenly. Having stripped out and rebuilt the interior of The Star Gazer, he loves getting hands-on.
‘Tollie helped me sort out a box of tools earlier and they’re in the spare bedroom,’ Gray confirms.
It doesn’t take long for the three of us to demolish the pizza and as I put the kettle on, the guys head upstairs. When I take the tray of drinks up to them, they’re in the bedroom, Gray hunched over an instruction booklet that is as thick as a magazine. Fisher is busy sorting screws, dowels and angular bits of metal into neat piles.
‘That looks daunting,’ I remark. ‘I’ll just put this on the windowsill and leave you to it. Shout if you want anything.’ They barely raise their heads in acknowledgement, and I make a quick exit. It’s going to be a long afternoon.
An hour later the sofas arrive and this time the delivery guys couldn’t be more helpful and cheery.
‘Lovely place,’ one of them says as they manoeuvre the first sofa through the hallway. ‘And what a location.’
‘Yes, it’s a beautiful spot.’
‘Amazing looking out at the view,’ the other man joins in.
As they walk back up to the car park to trolley down the other sofa, I go in search of my handbag. I know we paid extra for delivery, but they deserve a little something for getting on with it and not making a fuss.
When they return, before I even have time to offer the ten-pound note, the younger man says, ‘Do you want us to unpack them and take the rubbish away? It’s no trouble.’
‘That would be a real help, thank you so much.’ My phone begins ringing and before I rush off to grab it, I offer him the note. He looks surprised. ‘You earnt a drink for that,’ I reply.
‘Thanks, lady, appreciated!’
When I lift the phone to my ear, Val’s voice is on the other end and I walk out into the hallway. The landscapers are using a machine that compacts the soil and there’s a loud thumping sound in the background that is shaking the ground beneath my feet.
‘Hi, Immi. I don’t know if Fisher mentioned it, but as soon as I close up the office I’m coming round. So, save a few jobs for me.’
That makes me laugh out loud. ‘I think there are enough jobs to last a week, but thank you, Val.’
‘I’m happy to make dinner. I can pop back to Byre as I have a steak and ale pie I made last night, if you like.’
‘No, just come straight here. We did a big shop this morning and I’ll rustle something up.’ If I can figure out how to use the new oven, then I’m halfway there.
‘Okay, if you’re sure. See you later, then.’
There’s a loud thump from upstairs and the sound of drilling. Then another loud thump. I hope it’s going well. As I stand at the bottom of the stairs and look up, a voice breaks my reverie.
‘All done.’ The two delivery guys approach, their arms full of packaging. ‘We did a once-over, and both sofas are in good order. We screwed the legs in, too, and left a sheet of information on the side. Thanks for the tip, missus.’
‘My pleasure. Let me get the door for you.’
After seeing them out, I hurry back to take a look. The lime-green sofas are perfect, and the colour lifts the room and seems to give it a glow. But they do look insignificant in the open space, even though the sofas are generously proportioned. I was expecting them to dominate the room and although they are fabulous, I’m a little disappointed. A light tap on the glass doors attracts my attention and Pete indicates yet more delivery men who seemed to have found their way around the back.
I’ve only opened the doors once and they’re still rather stiff, so I put up my hand, pointing to the front door. We meet at the side of the house.
‘We thought we’d see if we could get down the lane as we only have a Transit van,’ the older of the
two men informs me. ‘We’d best not trample on your lovely patio, though, so we’ll carry the boxes around to the front.’
‘Oh, fine, if that’s doable. Would you like a cup of tea, or coffee?’
Two smiley faces look back at me gratefully. ‘Thanks very much. Two teas, strong as you can make it and only one with sugar, one spoonful.’
As I head back inside, leaving the door ajar, there’s a loud bang and an expletive. I guess a cup of tea might not go amiss right now for my crew beavering away upstairs and it’s going to be biscuits all round, to show my appreciation.
14
The Best Things in Life Are Free
Poring over the instruction manual for the cooker, I’d hoped it would be fairly simple to operate the oven. But no. When the two knobs spring out and I turn it onto fan-assisted mode, three icons light up on the panel. It also goes into countdown, starting at ten-minutes. As you are supposed to run it for at least thirty minutes to remove any residue from the inside surfaces, I stab at the plus and minus icons on the touch pad, but nothing I do seems to make a difference. I’m going to have to reset it twice over, and the manual advises to ventilate the room to diffuse the fumes, so I open the kitchen window a little wider.
Sauntering across to stare out at the beautiful flagstones now back in situ and looking better for having had a light brushing, I can see it won’t take long for the gaps to age a little to match the surface. The borders have been dug over and compost added, ready and waiting for the plants to go in tomorrow. Only one of the old climbers survived the digging out of the foundations and the trenches for the new pipes. It’s a prolific pink rose and, while I am sad about what has been lost, I can’t wait to see all the new plants begin to flourish in the ground. I turn my attention back to the doors, as the smell wafting over from the oven is very unpleasant. I turn the key in the lock but instead of the doors concertinaing back, I can’t even move the first one. The brochure said it was effortless, but I just can’t get it to shift.
Beep, beep, beep. The timer is going off and, in desperation, I walk over to switch off the oven and turn it back on again.
There’s a tap on the front door and I glance up at the clock. It’s just after six and I suspect it will be Val, but when I open the door both Rona and Val are standing in front of me carrying larges dishes wrapped in foil.
‘Come in, come in,’ I greet them, delighted to have visitors.
‘We met up on the towpath,’ Rona explains. ‘I thought you might like something you can just pop in the oven tonight.’
‘Ah, that’s very kind of you, Rona,’ I reply, thinking that’s assuming I can get the oven to work properly. I hope Val isn’t upset that I turned down her generous offer earlier on, but, as it happens, I couldn’t be more grateful right now.
‘And Sarah sent an apple pie,’ Val chimes in.
‘That’s one big pie,’ I exclaim. ‘Come on through. Sorry about the smell. I’m having problems opening the glass doors.’
They both wrinkle their noses the closer they get.
‘Let me take those from you. And that’s so kind of Sarah. I’ll just pop these down here and have another go on the doors.’
‘What a difference!’ Val utters and I realise it’s the first time she’s set foot inside the cottage since the new year.
‘And the furniture arrived on time, I see,’ Rona adds.
‘Gray hasn’t seen it yet – they’re still upstairs assembling the wardrobes. I don’t think it’s as straightforward a job as they’d anticipated, so I decided to leave them to it.’
As I’m fiddling with the key and puzzling over whether it’s the lock that isn’t working properly, a shadow falls in front of me and I look up to see Tollie. I put up both my hands and shrug my shoulders. He tilts his head to the right and disappears around the side.
‘Can you let Tollie in, please? I’ll just have one more go.’
‘I’ll do it,’ Rona says as Val crouches down to look at the touchpad on the oven.
‘The instructions are just inside the first wall unit. The timer won’t switch off. And these doors won’t shift!’ I declare, starting to run out of patience now.
‘Hi, ladies. Shall I take a quick look, Immi? There might be a knack to that lock as it’s new. It shouldn’t need any pressure to slide the doors back. It’s lookin’ grand in here now.’
Val and Rona are both kneeling on the floor and suddenly Val pipes up. ‘We got it. The third icon was the lock mode. It’s still very smelly, so I think we should leave it on for a while longer.’
Rona leans over the sink to push the window open as far as it will go. Tollie isn’t having any luck, so he asks for the key for the other set of sliding doors on the far side of the room. ‘My goodness, this is a view and a half, Immi.’
Within less than a minute he slides them back with apparent ease and we turn to look at each other, perplexed. He closes them up. ‘You have a try, now.’
Feeling a little sceptical, I’m shocked when they slide back so smoothly it takes no effort at all.
‘The other side needs adjustin’,’ he says. ‘The first door is probably touchin’ a bit on the bottom. It’ll be a five-minute fix, but you need the right tool.’
Val and Rona come over to stand with us, admiring the fact that the garden to the side now feels like a natural extension to the cottage.
‘Once you get that temporary path taken up and the new turf goes down, it’ll soon bring it back to life,’ Tollie remarks.
‘I know and patience is a virtue,’ I say over my shoulder as I head back to the kitchen area to begin preparing a salad. ‘One that I don’t possess, it seems. At least the smell isn’t quite so overpowering now and, with the new sofas too, it’s nice to air the room.’
‘Shall I venture upstairs and see how it’s going?’ Rona offers. ‘It won’t take long to get rid of that acrid smell and then why don’t you heat up the lasagne I made? That and a salad will make a meal.’
‘Great idea. I’ll pop in some part-baked ciabattas and there will be plenty for all of us.’
Rona looks at me hesitantly. ‘Oh, I didn’t intend staying.’
‘I insist. It’s lovely to have everyone here. Another forty minutes and the food will be on the table, barring any accidents, of course.’
Rona scrunches up her face, making me smile. ‘It’ll be fine.’
‘Oh, Val. I only have two plates unpacked. Some of these boxes are marked china, but I’m not sure which one has the plates in it. Would you mind doing some digging? I’ve already washed up the glassware and put it in the unit.’
‘I’ll pop back to The Retreat and grab a couple of bottles of wine and a few beers,’ Tollie offers.
‘We have red, so just bring a bottle of white. I didn’t think to get beer, thanks, Tollie.’
I turn to rinse the lettuce leaves and Tollie appears behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders to give them a squeeze.
‘It’s good to see the place with some furniture in it. You made it yours, m’dear, and that makes me very happy,’ he whispers.
‘It’s our forever home and I’m lucky to have a man who feels the same way as I do. Thank you, Tollie, for the money you gave us. I wanted something timeless that would last forever, and the stunning oak table and chairs are simply beautiful. And now we’re about to christen them with our first meal together.’
‘And the best thing of all is that I’m not the one doing the cookin’,’ he roars, putting his head back and belly laughing. ‘It makes me so happy to be witnessin’ this day, m’dear.’
‘There’s some more lasagne if anyone wants seconds,’ I interrupt and both Gray and Fisher jump up from the table, plates in hand.
Tollie, Rona and Val are talking about this year’s Santa Ahoy Special cruises and how many we’re going to run, given that it’s a landmark year.
‘I’m thinkin’ we should kick it off in the last week of November to give us an extra weekend. What do you think?’ Tollie throws the idea out there
.
‘The extra ticket sales would be most welcome,’ I acknowledge. ‘If everyone is in agreement, then let’s do that. And I’m thinking about approaching the local schools. Do they still do those non-uniform days, does anyone know? The playground is going to benefit all the local children and I wondered if it was worth approaching them to be a part of the fundraising.’
‘Little Hampton primary school hold one a couple of times a year. Usually, it’s organised by the Parent Teacher Association and sometimes it’s to buy equipment or subsidise school trips. I think it would be worth approaching all the primary schools within a reasonable distance and see if they’d like to take part,’ Rona confirms.
‘And the children love an excuse to dress up – you only have to look at World Book Day for a prime example of that,’ Rona continues. ‘I could ask the school secretary to get a list of contact names and addresses, if you’re willing to draft a letter, Immi.’
Gray jumps up to grab the wine bottle and top up everyone’s glasses.
‘Another beer, Fisher? Tollie?’
‘Not for me, I’m watchin’ my waistline,’ Tollie replies, but Fisher nods enthusiastically. Since when did Tollie worry about a little bit of weight? Normally I can read him like a veritable book, but these days I have no idea what’s going on inside that head of his.
Gray places his hand on my shoulder as he leans forward to top up my glass. ‘Thank you.’ The look we exchange is one of pure contentment. We’re christening our new home at last – it’s been a long time coming.
‘So, is everyone in agreement about starting the cruises a little earlier? It’s two extra days’ work so I will check with Abe and Ethel, as we couldn’t do it without them. And, Immi, I’m not sure about Jude and Jade, so you might be on your own. What do you think?’ Tollie enquires, looking around the table at the nodding heads.
‘We’ll work something out.’ I smile, knowing full well the girls will be up for it.