Fireworks to Thailand

by J. R. Bonham

  “Oh, probably not,” Jan said as she thought about it. “I’m only 50. Probably too young to retire and anyway I enjoy my job.”

  Later that year, just after his 55th birthday, Mike had a leaving party at work and invited a lot of his clients, as well as his colleagues from his office. His former secretary, Wendy, was invited too. She had retired a couple of years before.

  “What are you going to do with all this extra time you’re going to have on your hands?” asked Gerry, one of his clients.

  “Well, we’re going to have more holidays, I expect. Or we could move to a bigger place. Our flat is very cosy, but it’s a bit small. Now we’ve got my pension with a lump sum, our divorce settlements and Jan’s inheritance from her father, I reckon we’ll look for something bigger. Maybe out in the country. No harm in looking anyway.”

  “You lucky devil! I wish my company would get rid of me so easily. I shall probably have to work until I’m 65. That gives you about ten years on me! Once you’ve got your perfect country estate, you’ll still need to do something with your time.”

  “Yes,” agreed Mike. He liked the words ‘country estate’ and thought that sounded grand. “I shall just have to see what there is. I could do some volunteer work, and they’re always wanting hospital drivers and things like that. I could have an allotment or if we have a big garden, I could have a vegetable patch and grow all my own veg. It all depends. I’d like Jan to give up work too so we can spend as much time together as possible. Of course, there are lots of places we want to visit. Jan’s hardly been anywhere before now, so I want to show her as many places as I’ve been to already. Plus there’s a lot of new places I want to visit.”

  “Sounds perfect, I’m very envious! Where are you going to move to? Do you have any ideas?

  “No idea at all. Somewhere not too far away as Jan has made a lot of friends near where we live, especially her tennis and badminton pals. She definitely doesn’t want to move to the coast. She had enough of that when she lived in Devon. She hated it there.”

  “You could do worse than move to where I live. Clayfold. I think it’s called that because the whole area is clay and the word ‘fold’ is an old English name for a field. We have ancient woodlands surrounding us and apparently, Oliver Cromwell visited. A long time ago of course!”

  “Oh yes, I know Clayfold. I used to know a man who lived there. I’ve been there a few times. It’s a lovely village, from what I know of it. How big is it now? They were building lots of houses the last time I was there.”

  “The population is over 12,000 now and they’re still building! We are one of the largest villages in England. It’s not too far out for Jan, is it?”

  “I don’t know, I’ll have to ask her. It’s further out from where we’ve been looking. I could bring her over and show her the village. I always thought it had a good feel about it. Houses there would be cheaper than where we are now, I’m sure. We’re on the commuter belt with good train services to London. Very handy when you’re working but I won’t be needing that now.”

  “Don’t rub it in!” Gerry laughed. He was happy for his friend. “Vicky would love it if you came out to see us and we could show you around. Show you what’s on offer in the village in general and see what houses there are for sale. Usually, people our age are downsizing – it looks like you’re going to be upsizing!”

  “Well, because we’ve both come from other marriages we’ve had to wait until our divorces came through before we could get married. Now that our settlements are sorted out, we have some cash at last.”

  “And your lump sum from work too, I guess?” Gerry looked envious.

  “Yes, that too,” Mike smiled.

  Between them, they arranged a visit to Clayfold to see if Jan liked the village and also to see what houses were available. Gerry invited them to his house to meet Vicky too. They could have some lunch and they would show them around the village and surrounds.

  “What shall we do first? Move house or have a nice long holiday?” Mike asked Jan. He kept his conversation with Gerry a secret for the time being. He would surprise her later.

  “Can we afford both?” Jan answered a question with another question..

  “I reckon,” Mike confirmed. “I think we should go to Australia and New Zealand. Push the boat out. We could go next winter. There’s a couple I want to visit in New Zealand and I want them to meet you. I used to work with them, but then they emigrated quite some time ago. I haven’t seen them for years.”

  “That sounds fab,” Jan confessed. “Marian and Kai’s house in Australia is finished now. There were some hiccups along the way but her last letter confirmed they can now use it. It’s only for holidays. She’s invited us to go there to see it and stay there. It’s got five bedrooms, four bathrooms and great views of the sea. D’you remember she told us it was on the grounds of a golf course? Kai’s quite into golf and I think Marian is learning. She and I used to play tennis but I don’t know if she still does.”

  “We’ll include it in our itinerary if you like. Must start planning soon, it might take a while. That means two lots of people to visit. Any more?”

  “I don’t know anyone else there. What about your half-auntie you told me about?”

  “Oh yes!” Mike suddenly remembered after Jan’s nudge. His maternal grandmother had emigrated to Australia after she was widowed, leaving his mother who was quite young with her grandmother. Mike’s grandmother then remarried and had three more children, one girl and two boys. “Auntie Edith is the only one left after her second brother died a few years ago. It would be nice to meet her after all this time. I’ll write to her and tell her we’re coming over.”

  “That all sounds like a plan,” Jan enthused.

  Chapter 48

  Mike told Jan about his conversation with Gerry and their proposed visit to Clayfold.

  “I don’t know anything about the place,” said Jan. “It sounds OK, but you know I’m a city person at heart. A tiny village isn’t really for me.”

  “It’s not tiny I can assure you!” Mike exclaimed. “It’s one of the largest villages in England with over 12,000 people. It’s got a whole High Street of shops, including three supermarkets!”

  “Three! Oh! That doesn’t sound like a village to me,” Jan mused. “I was thinking of a village as being with one church and a pub and maybe a general store if you’re lucky. Yes, I’d like to check it out and meet your friends.”

  “Good, because it’s all arranged!” Mike confessed. “We’ll go over at the weekend and meet Gerry and Vicky, have lunch with them and then he said they’ll show us around. We can go to estate agents if you like and see what there is available. It’ll be cheaper than buying something bigger around here, I can assure you. We would get better value for our money.”

  “Is there a tennis club?” Jan asked, getting her priorities into perspective. “I would have to resign from the club here because it would be just too far away. It’s a pity because I’ve made so many new friends here.”

  “You’ll have to ask Gerry when we see him.”

  They went to Clayfold on Saturday morning and stopped in the High Street before they went to Gerry and Vicky’s house. They knew that estate agents only open on Saturday mornings so they went in to get some details of houses. This was just to get an idea as they didn’t really know what they wanted. Or in fact, if this was the place they were going to settle.

  “Hello!” Gerry greeted them. “Do come in and meet my wife, Vicky.” Mike had never met her before, so as soon as he saw her in the doorway he made a beeline for her.

  “How lovely to meet you at last,” he said as he put his hand out to shake hers. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Oh, thank you,” she said, rather bemused. Gerry heard what they were saying and so he copied Mike.

  “How lovely to meet you at last,” he said to Jan. “I’ve heard so much
about you.” They all fell about laughing and that broke the ice. Complete strangers, most of them, but easy in each other’s company at first sight.

  “You copycat!” said Mike to Gerry.

  “Now, now, children!” Vicky took control. “Jan, it’s a real pleasure. Take no notice of them. They’ve known each other for far too long!” She ushered her indoors.

  “Thank you so much. This is a lovely house. I have to say at first glance in coming through the village, it all seems very pleasant. A good High Street with just about everything you need.”

  “Yes,” There’s no need to go anywhere else if you don’t want to,” Vicky confirmed. “There’s plenty of things to do too. There are all kinds of clubs – you name them, we seem to have them.”

  “There’s a tennis club then?” Jan enquired.

  “Ah,” Vicky pondered. “I’m not sure about that, but I can find out for you. I expect so, yes. The sort of clubs I meant are for walking, gardening, photography, singing and there’s a History Society and a Civic Society. I belong to the singing class and we sing in a choir about once a month and also in church. Some other clubs are once a week. There are Scouts, Cubs and Brownies, but I don’t suppose you’re interested in them”

  “Not really, no.”

  “If you really wanted to join in things you could find out about the U3A, the University of the Third Age, I believe it’s called. Although you might be too young for that.”

  “That’s great, thanks. I expect I shall probably try and find a job first, I can’t keep going back to Surbiton. It’s about time I found something else anyway, I’ve been there for a while now. We stopped off at some estate agents to see what houses there are for sale. They look quite interesting. Much cheaper like for like than where we live now.”

  Vicky provided a superb lunch. Afterwards, Gerry drove them in his car to show Mike and Jan around the area and to some of the places for sale for which they had the particulars.

  “Food for thought,” Mike intimated to Jan on the way home. “What did you think?”

  “Good if there’s a tennis club. And badminton too!”

  “Is that all you can think about?”

  “Of course! No seriously, though, I thought Clayfold has a lot going for it. I know I said I’m a city person at heart but actually I really do like the place. It has a good feel about it. You were brought up in a tiny hamlet in the country and I was brought up a city. I think this could be a good compromise.”

  “Exactly my thoughts,” he agreed.

  They put all thoughts of buying a house on the back burner until they came home from their mammoth holiday to Australia and New Zealand. Mike wrote to his Auntie Edith in Australia and also to his old friends, Daphne and Ray in New Zealand. Ray was English and Mike had met him at work over thirty years before. Daphne, or Daf as Ray called her, was a New Zealander who went to England in her 20s and worked in the same place as Mike and Ray. Ray was smitten with her straight away and they married soon afterwards. They were Mike’s son Richard’s godparents. Eventually they went to New Zealand to live and Mike kept in contact with them. They had more contact with Richard than Mike did and they told him that Richard went to New Zealand when he finished university and that they had seen him occasionally.

  Jan wrote to Marian to confirm that they would see her again very soon but in Australia this time.

  It was exciting putting the itinerary together and they reckoned to be away for about three months. They would start off in Australia with a trip on the Indian Pacific train from Perth to Sydney. Stay a few days there to look around Sydney and then hire a car and go and see Auntie Edith in the Hunter Valley for a few days. Then they would drive up to see Marian and Kai for a short visit to their newly built house in Mount Coolum on the Gold Coast. Stay a few days with them before driving back to Sydney, taking their time and staying at out-of-the-way places like farm stays.

  Then take a tour from Sydney to Adelaide and from there all the way up the Red Centre to Ayres Rock and on to Darwin. Then a short flight to the East coast to pick up another tour which would take them all the way down the eastern seaboard. Jan was interested in seeing and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, which was included on the tour.

  They would then fly to New Zealand and have a tour, firstly to the South Island and then in the North Island which would finish in Auckland. Ray and Daphne would meet them there and take them home to stay with them for a few days.

  They heard back from the respective people they were going to visit and then decided on a time to go. Mike had had an air mail letter back from Daphne who invited them to spend Christmas and New Year with them if they could possibly arrange it. Mike worked out how long they were going spend to do their tours and visits.

  “Yes, it’s all going to work out fine,” he confirmed to Jan after he worked out the logistics which took him quite some time. “If we leave mid-October and do all our planned tours we can end up in New Zealand for Christmas with Ray and Daf and be home early January. How does that sound?”

  “Oh, that sounds absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait! I’m so lucky. I can’t believe this is happening to me.”

  “This is just the start don’t forget. Now I’m retired, the world is our oyster. We have the time to do exactly what we like.”

  “And we will!” she enthused.

  Chapter 49

  Their whole tour ended in Auckland where Ray and Daf picked them up and took them home to share Christmas with them. Jan met them for the first time and enjoyed their company.

  “Come in, come in. It’s so lovely to see you,” said Ray as Jan and Mike came in through the front door carrying their heavy suitcases.

  “Just drop them in the hall, you must be exhausted with all your travelling,” said Daf. “I have Christmas all sorted but first I want you, Mike, to go into the sitting room.”

  Mike was intrigued. He did as he was told, followed by Ray and Jan while Daf went into the kitchen to put on the kettle. She soon joined them so as not to miss the look of surprise on Mike’s face that she was anticipating before going back to the kitchen to make hot drinks for all.

  There, sitting on the sofa behind a newspaper, was a dark-haired young man. He suddenly put the newspaper down and jumped up to surprise Mike. It was his son, Richard.

  “Oh,” cried Mike, smiling all the while. “I wasn’t expecting that! This is fantastic. How are you, son? It’s great to see you again after all this time. But, what are doing here?” He went to shake his hand and give him a manly hug.

  Richard had left England soon after he finished university, which was when Mike lost contact with him. He went to New Zealand and often visited his godparents, Ray and Daf as he lived and worked nearby.

  “He’s going to spend Christmas with us, that’s what he’s doing here,” Ray answered for him.

  “What have you been doing all these years, since you left Uni? Oh, where are my manners? This is Jan.” He introduced Jan who put her hand out to Richard and he shook it.

  “It’s really lovely to meet you, Jan,” he said genuinely. “I’ve been bumming around in this area and sometimes crashing here,” he continued to tell his father. Ray and Daphne’s own three children were of similar age to Richard and he had become great friends with them all. “But you’ll be pleased to know I do have a job now, although it took a while. Ray and Daf have been very good to me and given me many meals when I’ve been on my uppers.”

  “It’s been lovely to see him grow into such a lovely, grown-up, sensitive young man,” said Daf as she arrived with drinks on a tray. “You should be very proud of him.”

  “Well, I am, of course,” said Mike. “But I’ve not really had the opportunity, until now. Thank you so much for being the catalyst in getting us together again. I knew that he had left the country but I had no idea where he had got to.”

  “Too busy with other things?” interjected Ray
, nodding towards Jan.

  “Well, there’s that, of course,” Mike smiled. “So I’ve had my mind on getting my life together and Jan has helped me with that.”

  The whole of the Christmas period was spent with catching-up on past lives and generally enjoying the festive period. Mike asked Richard about his sister, Sonia, to whom he was in contact periodically. Richard told Mike that Sonia had recently had a baby girl. Mike wasn’t sure what it felt like to be a granddad but Richard told him that Sonia was still very distant towards her father. She did not want any contact with him and hadn’t done since she was a child.

  They all enjoyed each other’s company. Jan was delighted that Mike was able to have a good relationship with his son, albeit long distance as it did not look like Richard would be returning to England. She was still hoping to have contact with her own children and promised herself she would try harder to keep communications open with them.

  Richard went back to work and Mike and Jan stayed with Ray and Daf until after the New Year. The time came for Jan and Mike to go home and they all promised to keep in better contact in the future.

  Jan’s inheritance from her father was put towards the new house in Clayfold. John’s lifelong ambition had been to own a bigger yacht so his share went on that. He and Vera spent many happy hours, not only in British waters but also on the coast of France. Clare’s share of the inheritance was going towards buying a property in New Zealand. She had fallen in love with a little island off Auckland. She and Jamie were going to spend their winters there when they retired. With Jan and Mike’s many future visits to New Zealand to see Daphne and Ray, Mike looked forward to rekindling his relationship with his son. They would also be able to see Clare and Jamie there. They would probably see more of them there than in England.

  It took Jan and Mike a good six months to find their ideal house in Clayfold and another few months for the conveyance to be finalised as the vendors proved very difficult to deal with. They had viewed only three houses in the area before coming across their perfect ‘forever’ home. It was a detached house in a cul-de-sac. It had four bedrooms, two bathrooms and good living areas with a conservatory. The house ticked all the boxes and the garden had the ‘wow’ factor that they had been looking for.