The week went
as planned. Jenny’s cheque arrived in the mail on Monday and Bob
wrote it down in his account book. He worked about nine hours most
of the days and had his twenty village sets ready for sanding at
the end of the afternoon on Wednesday. Thursday morning he sanded
all the pieces, doing most of it outside to keep the dust out of
his shop but a half-hour drizzle, which came immediately after he’d
returned from his coffee break, forced him to finish the job inside
his shop so he left the door and windows open during lunch. When he
returned the room was cold but there was no lingering dust. He
closed the windows and locked the door then went to the Community
Centre.
No one felt
like working all the afternoon. Jim said the weather affected how
everyone felt so they stopped early and talked about going to the
Crown.
“
I can’t
today,” said Ken, “we’re visiting friends.”
“
That’s
okay by me,” Bob said, “I’ve some work I should get back
to.”
He went
directly to his shop when he got home and moved the electric fire
closer to his seat and settled down to paint. He used the tins of
acrylic because he wanted to find out how much paint twenty village
sets required, a figure he might need for his books, though he was
pretty sure he didn’t have to be that particular when calculating
the cost of making a set. He’d use the tubes when he had just a few
to paint. He’d completed half of the painting by five o’clock.
He was putting
the tins of paint on the shelf when someone knocked on the door. He
was very surprised; it was unusual for anyone to visit. He opened
the door.
“
Maria!
Is that you? Hello. How are you? Here, come in. Jane and Joe told
me that they had seen you in Winchester.”
“
Hello
Bob. Well I was interested in what Small End looked like, having
heard so much about it from all of you last month. I decided to
take a couple of night’s holiday and I’m staying at Bonnie’s Bed
and Breakfast. I arrived earlier this afternoon and phoned Jane but
there was no reply, then I phoned you and again, no reply. So I
asked Bonnie where you and Jane live. There was nobody at home when
I called at Jane’s place so I came here. I thought that you weren’t
here as well but then I saw a light on in this building so I came
here.”
“
It is
good to see you Maria. Sit down. I’ll just tidy up then we can go
to the house and have a cup of tea or a drink. I’ve still got some
port but I’ve other stuff as well.”
“
So this
is where you make your toys and ornaments. The shop’s bigger than I
imagined. And all these toys! I didn’t think you made that
many.”
“
Well
things have changed since I saw you in Lagos. I liked that holiday
so much that I want to have more in the future, two each year if I
can, but that means I’ll have to earn more money. So that’s what
I’m doing most of my time now, making lots of toys. Two retailers
sell them for me. I’ve decided about next year, Maria, I want to
return to Lagos. Can you ask your friend to book the apartment that
we saw in the Old Town? For next February, for the whole month, if
that’s possible.”
“
Of
course. I’ll check when I get home. You are talking about the
expensive place, the one that cost twelve hundred pounds a
month?”
“
Yes,
that’s the one. It’s such a nice location. I’ll look forward to it
all year if your friend can book it.”
“
Well,
she’ll do what she can. I hope it’s not already taken.”
“
Thanks.
Well, I’m done. Come, let’s go and have a drink.”
Bob ushered
Maria out, locked the door and they crossed the garden and went
into the house.
“
This is
the kitchen. Here, give me your coat. What would you like to
drink?”
“
Tea’s
fine. I’ve been drinking lots of it this past month.”
“
I’ll
put the kettle on and we can go to the lounge until it’s
ready.”
Bob hung the
coat on one of the a hooks that were on the wall beside the back
door then opened the door to the lounge.
“
Sorry
it’s a bit messy. Sit there, that’s where I sit when reading. You
can see a bit of the country from that window.”
“
Thanks
Bob. This is a comfortable-looking room.”
“
Yes. I
think so too. I clean and dust it once a week, on Sundays, usually.
That’s why it’s untidy.”
“
It
looks okay to me. Er, what’s that noise?”
“
That’s
the kettle, it’s boiling. I’ll go and make the tea. Won’t be
long.”
Bob went to
the kitchen and made a pot of tea then looked for biscuits. He had
his digestives but wanted something better for Maria. He thought he
had some cream filled biscuits left over from Christmas and
eventually found the package at the back of the shelf. He arranged
the biscuits on a plate and put it, the pot of tea, the bowl of
sugar and a jug of milk on a tray and carried it into the lounge
and put it on the side table beside Maria.
“
You’re
designing a South of England tour I’m told,” Bob said.
“
Yes
that’s right. I’m pretty sure the office will run one or more from
all the information I’ve collected. If they do I’ll likely be the
guide for the first two or three because I made all the contacts
and can sort out any problems that arise. The agency partners’ make
the decision about which tours to offer. I’m just doing the
research right now. I’ve done that a couple of times before but
most of the time I’m just an agent in the office. I guide maybe
four or five times a year.”
As they were
finishing their tea Maria asked Bob if she could take him to dinner
that night.
“
I was
just thinking of asking you if you’d like to come with me,” Bob
said.
“
Well.
Let me take you tonight and you can take me tomorrow.”
“
OK But
you should know that Saturdays I eat at the village pub. You’ll be
able to meet Jane and Joe there and some of our
friends.”
“
That
sounds very nice. Good, we’ll go there tomorrow and tonight I’ll
take you to a Big End hotel I stayed in several days ago: Mulberry
Court. They serve a nice meal. I’ll come around seven if that’s
okay.”
“
Yes,
lovely.”
“
All
right. I’ll be off now. Thanks for the tea Bob.”
Bob watched
her drive away thinking ‘She’s a very nice woman and interested in
what I’m doing. I like her.’ Then he stopped and asked himself,
‘Why did I think that about Maria? Am I still looking for a girl
friend? Surely not, after what happened with Claire. Ah, well, if
so, I’ll be more careful about what I imagine when Maria comes to
mind. I don’t want to really make a fool of myself as I almost did
with Claire.’
Bob had
bathed, dressed smartly, and was watching the road through the
window fifteen minutes before Maria arrived. She did a three-point
turn and pulled to the curb beside his front gate. He waved, locked
the door and ran out to the car.
“
You
know, this might be the first time ever that someone has driven me
out to dinner,” he said, as he climbed into the front
seat.
“
Well
I’m glad you can join me. I’ve had enough lonely evenings for a
while. Let me see now, I turn right at the corner and follow the
road all the way to Big End, right?”
“
Yes.
How do you find your way around a strange country Maria? Do you
organise every part of the trip before you leave or do you just go
where you like?”
“
I do
lots of planning and know mostly where I want to go before I set
off. The agency partners usually decide what groups to target,
historians or gardeners, for instance. First I make lists of what
might interest the groups we are soliciting. Then I look at the
brochures from other agencies and see where they go. I write to
Chambers of Commerce and note what they have to say about their
towns. Then I roughly plan my trip to see as many of the places as
I can. I also make lists of hotels before I go and visit several in
each location when I arrive. I do more research in the town’s
library if I have time. I analyse what I’ve found each evening
during the trip and rough out what might be suitable tours. I have
a list of five this time; one for historians, one for gardeners,
one for sea-food lovers, one for lighthouse aficionados and one for
religious groups. I give the partners my suggestions and they
decide if any are good enough to add to the next
brochure.”
“
That’s
an awful lot of work. You must be tired after doing all that. Do
you have a holiday when you get back to Lagos?”
“
No.
These extra days in England are all I get.
“
That’s
too bad. Oh, about my Lagos reservation, should I give you a
cheque?”
“
Not
right now, I’ll tell you what to do if you get the apartment.
You’ll probably have to send about five hundred pounds as a deposit
to my friend. If it’s already booked would you like a different
one?”
“
Yes
please, anything as long as it’s in Old Town and has a balcony
overlooking an interesting street or a plaza and in an area that’s
nice to walk around.”
“
Okay.
I’m sure there will be several apartments to rent in places like
that. She should have no difficulty in finding one.” They chatted
about Lagos on the rest of the way to the hotel.
The
receptionist recognised Maria as soon as she walked through the
door.
“
Hello
Mrs. Schroeder. Welcome back. Do you want a room?”
“
No
Tess, thanks. We’ve come for dinner, that’s all. Is Chef Joseph
cooking tonight?”
“
Yes, he
is.”
“
That’s
good. I want my friend to taste his cooking. This way Bob. Let’s
hope we get a seat near the fire though anywhere in the hotel is
comfortable and warm.”
The meal was
excellent. Bob, of course, chose a fish dish, settling for a
grilled trout. Maria had pork chops. Bob insisted on buying a
bottle of wine, a Chardonnay. Maria told Bob that he had to drink
two-thirds of the bottle because she would be driving back to Small
End.
It was a very
pleasant evening. Maria told Bob about her life. She grew-up in
Lagos, went to school there and found a job in the travel agency.
She, a couple of years later, married a man who came into the
office to add a short tour to the end of a business trip he had
just completed. He was charming and she fell for him. They married
and lived in his apartment in Berlin where she found a job even
though her German was not perfect. At first everything was
wonderful but her husband lost his job and took to the bottle. He
became abusive when drunk. It was two years before he found another
job. Maria stayed with him thinking things would return to the good
times when he was working. However he was hired as a travelling
salesman and he hated the work so he never stopped drinking and
drank until he was sick each weekend. “I told him I’d leave him if
he didn’t stop. He didn’t but I stayed with him for another year
then left. As you know, it’s been three years since we divorced and
I haven’t heard from him during all that time and I don’t want
to.”
“
Do you
have any children?”
“
No. We
both thought we should wait for a while. We wanted to buy a house
before we had children and were saving all our money. He spent most
of it on booze. Ah, well, I’m glad it’s over. Do you have any
children?”
Bob told her
about his wife, Betty, that she died nearly four years ago and that
he had a daughter, a son and three grandchildren.
“
Regina
has a boy and Sam has two girls. I’m 56, by-the-way.”
“
I’m 52.
I have a sister, Delizia. She’s fifty, married and has two
children. So I am an aunt. They’re both girls, too.”
They finished
with coffee and mint chocolates, then Maria drove Bob home.
“
Drive
past my place and turn in the station’s parking lot,” Bob told her.
“It’s easier than doing a three-point-turn.”
“
Okay.”
“
Would
you like me to show you the village and its surroundings
tomorrow?”
“
Yes,
I’d like that.”
“
Good.
However I have to take some of my toys to Big End in the morning.
Can we do that first?”
“
Of
course. How about I collect you at nine?”
“
Great.
Well thanks for a lovely evening and an excellent dinner Maria.
Good night, and sleep well.”
Bob waited at
the gate and waved as she drove off. ‘That really was a lovely
evening,’ he thought as he walked to his front door.
He woke early
had a bath and dressed carefully on Saturday morning. It was going
to be a warm and pleasant day, the sun beamed through the trees
across the road and there were no clouds in the sky After breakfast
he took three large shopping bags to his workshop and put six
villages in two of them and six trains in the other. He didn’t
think he needed an overcoat, a thick sweater under his jacket would
do. He picked up one of the bags holding village sets and carried
it to Rose’s gift shop, wondering if he was too early but the sign
was outside so he knew the shop was open. Rose was sitting behind
the counter finishing a mug of tea when he walked in.
“
Hello
Bob. It’s going to be a glorious day.”