Lil's Bus Trip

by Judy Leigh

  Lil gazed at Maggie, who was engrossed in her book, a smile on her face. Lil hoped she and Brian would manage to repair their tired marriage, that Brian would make a huge fuss of her when she returned home. Lil was anxious about Cassie being lonely; she was troubled that Maggie might feel alone in her marriage, but suddenly Lil realised that she’d forgotten about herself. Cassie would go home to Jamie and Maggie to Brian. Lil was the one who was alone in the world, and for a moment the idea of loneliness troubled her enormously. Lil was enjoying being on holiday, surrounded by people, having fun; time was flying by. It was so much nicer chatting to other people than being by herself at Clover Hill, watching the clock tick alone in her room. Lil blinked in surprise – perhaps she too needed someone in her life. Or, she told herself, perhaps she was being silly: she had left it far too late.

  Lil decided she was worrying too much. She needed something to sweeten her mood. She rummaged in her cat handbag and took out three chocolate triangles wrapped in green paper. She handed one to Maggie, who was laughing intermittently, engrossed in the book she’d just borrowed, Fifty Shades of Hay. Maggie opened the chocolate sweet and popped it in her mouth, grunting her thanks. Then Lil turned towards Albert, who was sitting upright across the aisle, Duncan’s head slumped against his shoulder. He met her gaze, smiling, and held out a large hand, palm up.

  The minibus jiggled along, making Lil’s teeth snap together as Tommy drove down a bumpy track past a rustic sign with the words Groene Velden branded into the wood. The farmhouse nestled between trees in the distance, surrounded by acres of fields, some a lush green, some full of golden barley and others a furrowed muddy brown.

  Denise groaned. ‘This is the part of the trip I’m least looking forward to. I’m not sure what we’ll learn of any cultural value here.’

  ‘I disagree, my dear.’ Sue’s voice was abrupt. ‘Spending time with a local family will be fascinating.’

  ‘Tommy said we’d get a game of five-a-side with the farmers,’ Pat chimed hopefully.

  ‘There might be home-made scrumpy.’ Duncan had woken up, rubbing his eyes.

  Ken cleared his throat. ‘It’s a working farm so we’ll get a taste of authentic rural life.’

  Denise sighed. ‘Oh dear, Ken. I’m imagining mud and cow pats and cold rooms and basic food.’ She thought about her words for a moment and tried again. ‘It’s just that a bit of luxury might have been nice. And none of us speak Flemish or Dutch or whatever it is the locals speak.’

  ‘Cassie has a bit of the language,’ Emily protested. ‘And most people here speak English very well. We’re the ones who should be able to speak their language – after all, we’re visiting their country.’

  ‘I suppose so,’ Denise conceded, gazing through the grimy window at the vast expanse of grey skies. ‘I hope it doesn’t rain.’

  ‘The house is really nice.’ Jake was pointing to a huge white building. The grass to either side was neatly cut.

  DJ agreed. ‘I was expecting a run-down farmhouse with a little windmill.’

  Jake tugged his friend’s shirt playfully. ‘And barns, and chickens running about everywhere, and pigs too…’

  DJ wrapped an arm around Pat. ‘Let’s hope there are no sheep here.’

  Pat’s brow furrowed. ‘Why? What’s wrong with sheep?’

  ‘Vicious, apparently, the Belgian ones. My days, they hunt in packs here.’

  ‘They don’t, do they, DJ?’ Pat turned an anxious gaze towards Jake.

  Emily winked at Pat. ‘No, they don’t. We’re going to have a lovely time, you wait and see.’

  ‘Look,’ Ken called out as Tommy brought the minibus to a halt. ‘There’s the farmer’s wife.’

  Everyone gazed at a tall woman in a dark sweatshirt and jeans standing in the doorway, her curly dark hair blowing around her head. She had a strong, honest face, and looked to be in her fifties. Her arms were folded, and she was frowning.

  Cassie turned from the front passenger seat and announced, ‘She’s called Marieke Goossens, according to the information Tommy has. Apparently, there’s no Mr Goossens – she runs this place by herself.’

  DJ poked Pat with his finger. ‘You’re luck’s in, mate.’

  Pat squirmed in his seat, then delved in his pocket and brought out chewing gum, cramming it into his mouth between blushing cheeks. Tommy called to his passengers from the front.

  ‘Right, we’re here. Everybody out.’

  Cassie climbed down from the front passenger seat, held out a hand to the woman and smiled. ‘Goede middag, mevrouw. I’m Cassie. It’s good to meet you.’

  The woman shook Cassie’s hand firmly. ‘Hello. My name is Marieke.’ She moved her gaze to each of the people dragging cases from the back of the minibus. ‘You are all welcome. My sons and my daughter are at work on the farm at the moment but they will be back later to greet you. I’ll show you to your rooms first. There’s a room for two, one for three, and two rooms for four persons to share. All rooms have a shower or a bathroom. I have prepared some food for you. Dinner is at eight tonight. You are all hungry after your journey, I think.’

  Twenty minutes later, Lil and Maggie arrived in the vast kitchen, having claimed the double room and placed their cases on the beds. A huge iron cooking range stood in the corner, blasting out dry heat; Marieke was standing at the table, her sleeves rolled, sifting flour for pastry. She turned matter-of-factly, wiped her hands on a nearby tea towel and beckoned. ‘The food is in the dining room. You can serve yourself. Come this way.’

  The dining room was dark. Wooden paintings hung on a pale wall, with an open fire at one end, heavy velvet drapes at the window and a long, dark, wooden table. There were twenty chairs around the table – it reminded Lil of something a king and queen and their guests might feast at – and the surface was covered with a damask cloth; plates and dishes of various sizes were filled with food. Lil gazed at two paintings of horses, both white, with fierce eyes and flared nostrils. She turned to Marieke. ‘These are lovely.’

  Pat and Emily were at her elbow. Pat caught his breath. ‘Magnificent, those horses – like something you’d read about in the Bible – you know, the Apocalypse.’

  Marieke’s mouth curved in a slight smile. ‘My daughter, Thilde, paints them. She loves animals. In the hallway you will see others she has painted – cows, sheep, a pig.’

  Lil was wondering whether to offer to buy one for her flat when Maggie muttered, ‘Where’s the television?’

  Marieke shook her head. ‘We do not use it much. My father-in-law watches it during evenings; he is seventy-eight and at night he likes to relax. He is out driving the tractor at the moment. You can go into the lounge room this afternoon if you want to watch it.’

  Lil studied Maggie’s perplexed expression and assumed she was thinking of Brian at home, so she guided Maggie towards the table and handed her a plate. ‘It’s time to try delicious home-cooked farmhouse food.’

  Maggie lifted her plate. ‘What are those round meaty things?’

  Marieke waved a hand. ‘Here we have frites and mayonnaise, cold meats, bread, salad, meatballs and some beer. Eat as much as you can. You are welcome. You can have water if you prefer it to beer.’

  ‘Oh, I’ll have beer, please, Marieke.’ Duncan’s voice came from behind Lil’s shoulder. He had arrived with Albert, Ken and Tommy, all gazing at the food hopefully. DJ’s loud laughter could be heard on the staircase before he, Jake and Pat rushed in and made straight for the food. They tucked into chips stacked high on plates and smothered with creamy mayonnaise as Denise and Sue, their make-up freshly applied, arrived with Cassie and Emily. Marieke smiled and politely told them to ‘Eet smakelijk’ and then disappeared to the kitchen.

  Cassie was helping herself to salad. ‘Marieke says enjoy your meal.’

  ‘These chips are great dipped in mayo.’ Tommy was munching. Between mouthfuls he said, ‘So – we’re all at leisure until this evening. I’ve arranged a game with the Goossens boys at five-thirty and we�
��ll eat with the family at eight. Marieke says we can go where we like on the farm; we can watch the cows being milked, collect eggs, help her with cooking, take a stroll or just have a nap. She said she’s happy to show anyone round the farm if they want to go.’

  ‘Do they have home-made cider here?’

  ‘No, Dunc – but I know Mr Goossens, Marieke’s father, brews his own beer. They grow a lot of barley here so perhaps it’s like barley wine, strong stuff? We’ll meet him later and perhaps he’ll show us.’

  Maggie yawned. ‘I might go for an afternoon nap.’

  ‘I think I will too,’ Duncan murmured.

  Tommy stretched out his arms and yawned. ‘Me too – I’m shattered after all the driving.’

  ‘I might take a stroll,’ Denise suggested.

  ‘Great idea,’ Cassie agreed; noticing Denise’s surprise, she decided to expand her invitation. ‘Since we’re sharing a room, Sue and Em, why don’t we four all go together?’

  ‘I’d be happy to tag along too,’ Ken offered.

  ‘I’m going to practise for tonight’s game, have a kick-about somewhere.’ DJ’s brow wrinkled with sudden urgency. ‘I hope we brought a football?’

  ‘It’s in the back of the minibus.’ Emily gave a rueful smile. ‘I’d better go and practise my penalties with the boys. Are you coming to watch us play later against Belgium?’

  ‘We’ll all be there,’ Cassie replied.

  DJ, Jake and Pat rushed towards the door. Emily followed them and Cassie’s group of four trooped out, closing the door behind them.

  Lil shrugged and glanced at Albert. ‘That leaves you and me, Albie.’ She beamed at him. ‘I vote we go and see Marieke, have another beer or a nice cup of tea, and then ask her to take us on a tour of the farm.’

  Albert took a step towards her, but she could see he was tired. Lil thought he might fall asleep where he stood. She moved over to him and put her arms around him, squeezing his shoulders affectionately. ‘You go and have a rest. We’ll watch the kids play football together later, shall we? You’ll be refreshed by then. Go on, you pop upstairs and lie down, sleep your lunch off.’

  Albert nodded several times in agreement before moving slowly away. Lil took a deep breath. Here she was by herself again, but that had never put her off before. She’d been that way for the last goodness knew how many years, but Lil told herself she didn’t care – she’d make her own way, have her own adventures, as she’d always done. She thought for a moment, then a smile spread across her face. ‘I’ll take a tour of the farm. That can’t do any harm, can it?’

  16

  Lil had found a pair of old wellingtons by the front door, which she assumed were Marieke’s. They were clean and green and looked as though they’d fit, so she pulled them on, tucking her jeans in, and set off over a ploughed field towards a clump of trees and a farm building, an open barn, which she hoped was a milking shed full of soft-faced cows with long eyelashes. Ten minutes later, she reached the barn; her legs ached. Tall trees edged a field in the distance; one had no leaves at all, it was bent over, a gnarled grey skeleton with long bare branches stretching towards the sky. There were no cows, pigs or sheep to be seen, just a steel-framed building with a domed roof and sickly-sweet-smelling hay. Lil wandered inside.

  There was a tractor in the corner, bright green with yellow wheels and a little cab for the driver to sit in. Lil suddenly felt tired. She looked around: she could rest in the hay in the corner; it would be soft and she could snooze for a few hours. Then she stared up at the tractor. There was a seat in there, illuminated by sunshine. She clambered up the three steel steps into the cab and onto the hard seat. She sighed, wriggled until she felt more comfortable, cocooned in the firm embrace of the leather backrest, and closed her eyes. The scent of the sweet hay filled her nostrils. The inside of the tractor was warm; sunlight streamed into the barn and little particles of dust twizzled in the beam of honey-coloured light. Somewhere, a crow cawed and another one answered with a single melancholy croak.

  Lil dozed for a while, her limbs relaxed, her body slumped in the tractor seat, her breathing regular. When she opened her eyes, her heart leaped: a face was inches away, staring at her. Lil gasped; the man was wearing a trilby hat; his eyes were the intense blue of cornfields; his expression was one of scrutiny, as if he’d never seen a lady asleep in a tractor before. Lil gave a little scream and sat up, glaring at the man whom she supposed to be the same age as she was, fit and lithe, wearing an old duffle coat.

  She frowned. ‘I thought I’d died and gone to hell and you were old Nick, come to take me away. You gave me the shock of my life, sneaking up like that.’

  The man spoke slowly in hesitant English. ‘I thought I had found a sleeping princess and I must wake her with a kiss.’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ Lil retorted. ‘You terrified me, staring at me like that.’

  The man raised thick eyebrows. ‘You forget something – it is my tractor you sleep in.’

  ‘Ah.’ Lil was for once lost for words.

  ‘I also think you are staying in my house.’

  ‘Oh, you must be Marieke’s father.’

  He shook his head. ‘Marieke is the wife of my son, Dirk, who died.’

  ‘Oh,’ Lil repeated and then said, ‘I’m sorry.’ She took in his expression, one that was difficult to read; he was simply staring at her, and she added, ‘I’m sorry I fell asleep in your tractor too.’

  The man shrugged. ‘It is no problem. I wasn’t using it.’ He held his hand out. ‘I am Herman Goossens.’

  ‘Lilian Ryan,’ Lil replied, feeling the warmth of his hand, the hard skin against her soft palm.

  ‘Well, Lilian – may I drive you home in my tractor?’

  ‘My friends call me Lil – that is, if you want to be a friend.’

  ‘Why not?’ His eyes twinkled. ‘So – if you can move over, I can take us back to the house in time for the football game.’

  Lil wriggled across, conscious of the tall man who had sidled in beside her and the fact that there was little space for them both. Herman started the engine, a rattling ticking sound. Lil raised her voice over the clatter. ‘Are you going to watch the football game with us?’

  She hoped she hadn’t sounded too interested. Herman was grinning; Lil liked the lopsided twist of his mouth.

  ‘I wouldn’t miss Belgium versus England.’ He winked. ‘Besides, I am one of the players.’

  Lil was amazed. ‘Aren’t you a bit old to play football?’

  ‘Seventy-eight years old and fit all my life working on my farm.’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘Besides, I am the goalkeeper. I won’t need to do anything against your team except stand in the goal and watch. We go now to pick up my granddaughter. She is our super striker.’

  Lil wondered how they would fit another person into the cab; she and Herman were already squashed together, too closely for comfort. Lil patted her hair and took a furtive peek at Herman. The tractor bumped across the uneven ground towards a clump of outbuildings where an open-fronted building was crowded with black and white cows. A young woman was waiting close by, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, her hair a mass of dark curls. Herman slowed the tractor and she swung herself up on the steps, clutching onto the side of the cab. Herman said something to his granddaughter in his own language and Lil couldn’t help her thoughts: his voice was a low, sexy drawl. The girl held out her hand to Lil, despite the fact that the tractor was moving again and she was hanging on the side. She smiled shyly.

  ‘Hello. I’m Thilde.’

  ‘Lil,’ said Lil, with her most friendly grin. ‘I’ve seen your paintings of horses. They are wonderful.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Thilde replied, her cheeks turning pink.

  Lil studied her face, wondering for a moment, and then an idea came to her. ‘You’re playing football this evening, Thilde – and you’re the striker.’

  ‘Yes,’ she replied, concerned.

  ‘Thilde doesn’t care if the English players are big and tough,
’ Herman observed. ‘My granddaughter can find the back of the net.’

  Lil nodded. ‘And do you have a boyfriend, Thilde?’

  Thilde’s cheeks became an even deeper pink. ‘Oh, no. I work on the farm – I don’t often have time to go into Boom to see friends…’

  ‘That’s good.’ Lil rubbed her palms together excitedly. ‘I mean – that’s going to be a good game to watch.’ She glanced at Herman, wondering if he would wear a tightly clinging football shirt and revealing shorts. The tractor had arrived at the farmhouse, the engine idling with a slow rattle. She met Herman’s smile. ‘Yes, I’m looking forward to this game a great deal.’

  Cassie gazed out of the first-floor bedroom window, her phone in her hand, listening to Jamie’s low voice, enjoying the familiarity of his tone, his words a whisper in her ear. He sounded cheerful, but Cassie knew he was missing her. She glanced down at the football game below. The English players were wearing white tops and shorts, now streaked with mud, and the Belgians sported a red strip. Both teams were rushing around furiously, trying to pass the ball to their female strikers; Emily was fast and tenacious, Thilde strong, focused and determined. DJ and Jake were athletic in their pristine strip, serious and frowning as they attempted to tackle Thilde, who simply dribbled the ball between them as they collided roughly and fell over face first into mud.

  Cassie’s eyes strayed to Lil, who was standing behind one of the goals, flanked by Maggie and Albert, wearing huge scarves, watching an older man in a purple tracksuit leap up and down to keep warm. Cassie assumed that the Belgian goalkeeper was Marieke’s father-in-law. Three tall young men in the red strip, all with curly dark hair, passed the ball to each other, rushing athletically around on the grass. The youngest was around seventeen and the oldest and tallest perhaps twenty-four: Marieke’s sons, Teun, Maarten and Damiaan. Tommy was running around waving his arms in a too-tight football shirt and shorts. She watched his clumsy attempt to tackle Thilde, but Tommy was left staring in wonder as she nimbly stepped past him and hammered the ball into the net over Pat’s head. Pat fell over in the pretence of trying to make a save, picked the ball up and grinned. He rushed over to Thilde and held out a grimy hand, congratulating her on the goal. They both laughed shyly, their cheeks pink. Emily was on the attack again, leaving Teun on his backside in the dirt as he lurched towards her, too slow. Cassie moved away from the window to concentrate on the phone call.