Summer's Out at Hope Hall

by Pam Rhodes

  “I guess the evenings are much the same…”

  “She always had our evening meal ready when I got back from work. I’m hopeless at cooking. That’s the problem when you spend most of your life with a wonderful cook. But my job was the washing-up, and then I used to make us both a cup of cocoa. Well, it doesn’t take long to wash up one plate and one set of cutlery – and I can’t bear the thought of drinking cocoa on my own, so I don’t bother.”

  “There’s nothing you’d like to do in the evenings? I know you’ve never been one for watching telly.”

  “No, I can’t be bothered with all those soaps and repeats they put on now. I don’t mind the Six O’Clock News, but the TV goes off after that.”

  “So, what do you do all evening?”

  “Not much. I think. I look at photos. I remember.”

  “No friends you could pop round to see, or who might like to come and join you for an hour or two?”

  He smiled sadly at her. “I’m not great company, Shirley.”

  “Hobbies?”

  “Not really. I don’t mind a good jigsaw once in a while.”

  “Have you got any to do at home?”

  “Dozens. Sara gave me a box every birthday and Christmas.”

  “Well, why don’t you dig out one of those that you’ve not done for a while? That would be a very entertaining way to spend a few hours.”

  He sighed. “Yes, I suppose I could.”

  She moved her chair nearer to his so that their shoulders were touching. “You know, your emotions are all over the place right now…” she began.

  “Like a jigsaw puzzle where none of the pieces seem to fit,” he continued.

  She nodded and leaned in towards him, tilting her head to rest against his. “Start with the corners,” she said gently. “That’s the way to begin. Then look for the blue sky pieces. They’re all there – and with a bit of time, you’ll find them.”

  “At the order, to the front, salute!”

  This command, which came ringing across the playground, stopped Kath in her tracks as she stepped outside the front entrance of Hope Hall.

  “I will call the timing!” boomed the voice, which Kath instantly recognized as belonging to Muriel Baker, the intimidating unit leader of the Sea Cadets.

  “She’s terrifying, isn’t she?”

  Kath spun round in surprise at the sound of a voice that seemed to be coming from around the corner of the hall. Curiously, she followed the sound to find the man she had so spectacularly bumped into a week or so earlier, spilling her folders all over the floor at his feet. He was leaning casually on the wall looking across the school playground at the troop of about twenty Sea Cadets who were deeply engrossed in drill practice under the eagle eye of Muriel. About two-thirds of the cadets were boys, the rest girls, with ages ranging from about ten to late teens.

  “Their knees must be knocking with fear,” grinned Kath. “What happens if they get it wrong? Are they clapped in irons?”

  The man turned towards her then, his eyes dancing with amusement. “Or ordered to walk the plank? Nothing quite that draconian these days, I’m glad to say. And it is very character-building, training like this with the Sea Cadets. It’s years since I did it, but I know it set me off on the right path.”

  “Did you have a career at sea after that?”

  “I was in the Royal Navy years ago, just long enough to prove a point to my dad that I could stand on my own two feet. I only put in about seven years of service before I felt I had to do my duty and follow Dad into the family business, manufacturing agricultural machinery. I still enjoy sailing a bit when I can, but only as a lowly crew member when I’m sure someone who really does know the ropes is wearing the captain’s hat. So I have to own up to being a bit of a landlubber these days.”

  “But you’ve retained your interest in the Sea Cadets?”

  “That’s my son standing alongside the magnificent Muriel. William is a petty officer cadet now, and he really is keen to take up the naval life. If he knuckles down and gets the A-level grades he’s predicted at the moment, he’s hoping to be sponsored through his degree studies by the Royal Navy.”

  “‘Join the Navy, see the world!’ Although it seems to me that it can be a very challenging and dangerous world for the military man nowadays,” mused Kath.

  His eyes locked with hers. “I’ve had that conversation with him. Whenever I mention the state of world politics and the potential danger for anyone in military service, he accuses me of being patronizing, and he’s right. I can hear my dad saying exactly the same thing to me when I told him I wanted to join up all those years ago. But that’s a dad’s job, isn’t it, to look out for his boy? You want them to learn from your experience, save them the pain of getting hurt. I remember feeling just like him, hating the way my dad always felt he knew best about anything I wanted to do. William just throws back at me that I’ve always encouraged him as a Sea Cadet, but he’s the one who, since he was ten years old, has put the work in to move up the ranks. He’s right. I have to respect that. He thinks he’s going into the service with his eyes wide open. But I watch the news bulletins every day and I’m terrified for him.”

  “That’s a dreadful dilemma for you as a parent. Of course, you only want what’s best for him, and top of your list is his safety.”

  “I suppose it’s in his genes. His mum’s father was Admiral of the Fleet.”

  “Does that make the dilemma any easier for her?”

  “We lost Elizabeth five years ago now. William was only twelve. It hit him hard.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” mumbled Kath, appalled at the thought that her questioning might have been intrusive and prompted painful memories.

  “No apology needed,” he smiled. “She was a wonderful person, who approached her illness in the same pragmatic way she treated everything else life threw at her. She prepared for her own death by preparing us well too. She instilled in us both the need for courage and hard work.”

  “And William will need both of those qualities in his military career.”

  “He will, and because of Elizabeth he understands that. So do I.”

  Sensing a need to move the conversation on, Kath glanced out towards the cadets, some of whom were plainly struggling with the timing of the drill exercise. “That’s obviously harder than it looks!”

  “William will sort them out. Muriel gives the orders, but he’s the second-in-command, charged with making sure the younger cadets get the one-to-one time they need.”

  “Do you always come to watch?”

  “Heavens, no!” he laughed. “William hates me being here, but I had to be this evening. I don’t know quite how it happened, but I’ve ended up being chair of the local trustees for the Sea Cadets in this area. It was me who had to put the rubber stamp on the unit using Hope Hall this summer while their own hut is being repaired. And it will be me paying the bills to the hall – so perhaps we should introduce ourselves properly? I’m Richard Carlisle.”

  “Kath Sutton, administrator here. Carlisle? You aren’t anything to do with the Carlisle Family Trust that so kindly gave us a donation earlier this year, are you?”

  “Guilty as charged!”

  “That was very generous, and much appreciated.”

  “From the little I’ve seen of the activities here, I can imagine you’ve put the money to good use.”

  “It’s gone towards our Good Neighbours scheme, so we can keep in close contact with vulnerable people in the community. That includes all sorts of folk – from the elderly who come along to our weekly Grown-ups’ Lunch to the trips and outings we organize, as well as a huge programme of befriending and practical support in their own homes.”

  “It’s a very impressive scheme. I’d been keeping an eye on it from a distance for quite a while before we made that donation. Your accountant, Trevor, has kept me in the picture.”

  “Oh, of course,” said Kath, grimacing at the memory. “That first day when I literally fell at your fe
et you were going to the trustees’ meeting for the Money Advice Group here. It was Trevor who almost introduced us, but not quite!”

  “How could I forget?” grinned Richard. “That was quite an entrance. But I recognized who you were immediately from the big build-up Trevor had given you. He’s always talking about how you’re stretching the programme and the achievements of Hope Hall in many excellent directions.”

  Kath could feel the flush of embarrassment colour her cheeks. “Yes, we’ve got a good team here.”

  “A team which benefits from strong and insightful leadership from the top.”

  “Well,” began Kath, taken aback by his compliments. “I must be going. It’s been very good to see you again, Mr Carlisle.”

  “Richard. And it’s been most enlightening to meet you properly too. May I call you Kath?”

  “Of course. Hopefully our paths will cross again soon.”

  “I’m sure they will. Goodnight, Kath.”

  Smiling a goodbye, she quickly made her way out of the main gate, crossing the road towards the park through which she could walk back to her apartment. Ten minutes later, as she put her key in the door, she realized she was still thinking about the disarmingly intimate conversation she’d just shared with a perfect stranger: Richard Carlisle.

  “They’re not dancing! Why aren’t they dancing?”

  Moving to stand alongside her sister Barbara, Shirley’s expression was full of concern as she stared out at the crowd that had gathered in the hall for their school reunion.

  “Because they’re talking,” replied Barbara. “Most of them haven’t seen each other for thirty years or so. They’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

  “But they loved dancing. There was always music when we were teenagers and we couldn’t stop ourselves dancing. Shall I ask the DJ to turn the volume up?”

  “Later,” smiled Barbara. “They’ll dance later. I’ve given that DJ a complete playlist for the evening. We’re going to build up slowly, but I guarantee they’ll be bopping away just like they used to before the evening’s out.”

  That silenced Shirley for a while as she scanned the faces around the hall. “Honestly, are this lot capable of bopping? They’re all so old! There’s a lot of very round waistlines here and quite a bit of grey hair. How come men get bald so quickly? I didn’t recognize who it was when that Dennis Freeman came over to say hello. He had long straggly hair when we used to hang around together. He thought he looked like Mick Jagger back then, and I quite fancied him. I wouldn’t want to get locked in a lift with him now!”

  “Did you see that Marcus Williams is here tonight? I used to have such a crush on him,” sighed Barbara. “Good job I avoided that one. He’s just told me he’s been divorced twice and he hasn’t seen his two boys since they were toddlers because both his ex-wives have taken out restraining orders against him!”

  “Whatever for?” demanded Shirley, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Is he violent? Or just mean and heartless?”

  “Oh no, he’s completely innocent and misunderstood – or at least that’s what he’s just told me. I think I dodged a bullet by missing out on that charmer.”

  “I’ve been looking out for Dan Marshall. Have you seen him? He replied to say he was hoping to come.”

  Barbara looked at her sister with a grin. “And you were definitely hoping he’d make it. You were soft on him for ages. It’s a terrible thing, unrequited love—”

  “Well, not quite unrequited. I never told you – and you must promise never to breathe a word of this to Mick – but what actually happened was that as soon Mick asked me out and we started dating, Dan suddenly found me a lot more interesting.”

  “Did Mick realize that?”

  “He would have dumped me in a flash if he’d any idea at all I was two-timing, and he’d have punched Dan’s nose as he left!”

  “Did you and Dan have a bit of a fling, then?”

  “Well, it wasn’t even that, really. He asked me out for a walk – and we all knew what a fella had in mind back then when he said he wanted a walk.”

  “But you went anyway?”

  “I had to know, Barb!” Shirley’s expression clouded as she relived the old memories. “I’d fancied Dan for ever. If I had a chance with him, well, I didn’t want to miss it. And I hardly even knew Mick; we’d only been out twice. I liked him, of course, but he was a bit shy at the start, so I hadn’t really got the measure of him then.”

  “What happened?”

  “Not a lot really.”

  “Was that Dan’s choice or yours?”

  Shirley thought about that for a moment. “Mine, actually. He was really full of himself. He started off by telling me he knew I fancied him. I was mortified. I thought I’d been really off-hand and cool. You know, treat ’em mean, keep ’em keen!”

  Barbara threw her head back and laughed. “You were never cool and off-hand! If you liked someone, it was written all over your face. Of course Dan knew you fancied him. Everybody did!”

  “Well, that night on our ‘walk’, he went in for the kill too soon for me. And I thought about Mick and how nice he was, and how I rather liked the fact that he was a bit shy, and I wondered what on earth I was doing there with Dan, who plainly thought he was God’s gift to women.”

  “So, for heaven’s sake, why are you hoping he’ll be here tonight?”

  There was a touch of steel in Shirley’s smile as she replied, “Because I want him to know what he missed. I want him to catch sight of me in this new dress of mine and wish he’d been kinder to me. I want him to see me with my lovely Mick and know that’s what relationships should be.”

  “Well, breathe in and put on your very best smile in that case. Isn’t that Dan walking over towards the bar now?”

  With a start, Shirley stared in his direction. “Do you know, I think you’re right. Shall I go over?”

  “Cool and off-hand, remember? Why don’t you go over to the kitchen to see if Liz is ready to serve the hot buffet? Then you can stand silhouetted in the light of the kitchen hatch looking alluring and untouchable!”

  “I’ll laugh. I know I’ll laugh.”

  “Then, my lovely little sis, the last laugh will be on you. What’s Mick’s favourite dance track?”

  “‘The Only Way is Up’, by Yazz and the Plastic Population. He loves that.”

  “Once the buffet’s over, I’ll make sure the DJ plays that so that you and Mick can take to the floor and stun that Dan with how well you dance together.”

  “I don’t fancy dancing all on our own. You and Stu will come up too, won’t you?”

  “I’m your sister. I’ve been a bossy dance teacher for years. If I tell them to get up and dance, they will all get up and dance!”

  Ten minutes later, when the DJ had announced that the hot buffet was about to be served, Mary Barratt tugged at her husband’s arm. “Come on, Trevor, you know how good this buffet will be. I can tell from your waistline that you don’t just stick to crunching numbers when you’re here supposedly concentrating on the Hope Hall accounts. You clearly sink your teeth into a fair amount of Maggie and Liz’s cooking too! So, come on, let’s get to the front of that queue.”

  “Tell you what, Mary,” sighed Trevor, “you go and save me from myself. Just don’t bring me all lettuce leaves! That Chinese stir-fry smelt great when Liz was cooking it up earlier. I’d like some of that please and some shepherd’s pie. And don’t forget the beans!”

  Mary huffed a little as she made her way over to the buffet on her own. Trevor had made no secret of the fact that he hadn’t been looking forward to her school reunion. The two of them hadn’t met until university, so he knew no one here, and he hated disco music. On top of that, a big golfing tournament was being aired on one of the sports channels that evening, and Mary knew he was sulking a little because he would far rather be stretched out in his recliner chair watching TV with a couple of beers and a large packet of his favourite salted cashew nuts.

  “Mary?” The lady stand
ing behind her in the queue stared at her with open curiosity. “Mary Brewer, is that you?”

  An instant image shot into Mary’s mind of Latin A-level classes taught by Mrs Jackson, who had seemed to her teenage students to be so old that she might have actually been around in the time of Homer and his odyssey.

  “Linda? Linda Sandford?”

  “Linda Armitage now. You remember Bruce, don’t you? Bruce Armitage from the year above us?”

  A smiling man peered over his wife’s shoulder. Mary’s mind went into overdrive as she tried to tie up the old hazy memories she had of Bruce as a seventeen-year-old youth with the man now standing in front of her.

  “My goodness! You married him!” exclaimed Mary, recalling how she and Linda had giggled when Bruce first asked her out, because, with the natural cruelty of teenage girls, they’d always dismissed him as potential boyfriend material because he was not only thin and gangly, but suffered from the double whammy of acne on his face and dandruff dotted across the shoulders of his dark school blazer. This man was tall, and his broad shoulders fitted perfectly into a smart and spotless jacket. His face looked fashionable and friendly with its neatly trimmed beard.

  “I did marry him!” laughed Linda. “Because when I finally gave in and kissed him, this darling frog of mine turned into a handsome prince!”

  There were hugs all round as the three friends exclaimed how wonderful it was to see each other again, and how none of them had changed a bit. Mary pointed over to where Trevor was sitting at their table, hoping with all her heart that he would look at least a little interested when she waved at him. Bless him, he obviously got the message because Linda and Bruce said they couldn’t wait to come across and join Mary and Trevor at their table so they could catch up properly.

  Twenty minutes later, Shirley checked her lipstick, sucked in her stomach, then timed her exit from the kitchen just as she knew Dan would be passing. She looked over in his direction to be sure he got a good look at her, but her gaze was lifted over his head, as if she were in a hurry, a woman on a mission.