Bob of Small End (16 page)

Bob heated a
can of soup and drank it from a mug with a slice of bread, not
feeling hungry, just thirsty. The soup and his tea put back some of
the water he had sweated out that morning.

He had filled
all the trench by four o’clock and was ready for a rest. He cleaned
the barrow and the hoe and sprinkled water over the concrete then
went indoors for a mug of tea and two of the Hot Cross buns he had
bought when shopping, warming them in the oven before eating them
in the kitchen.

‘
Now for
a bath and clean clothes,’ he told himself. ‘I hope Peter doesn’t
question me on the rules of the road, I’ve not yet looked at the
book.’

He walked down
to the garage and saw Peter standing beside the car.

“
Hello
Bob. Get in and I’ll drive to the parking lot then you can take
over.”

In the lot Bob
practised changing gears and reversing for twenty minutes. Then
Peter told him to drive to the road and turn left, away from the
village.

“
I’m
breaking the law when we do this because your provisional licence
hasn’t arrived yet so drive carefully! We’ll take the road to
Easing. You’ll be able to change into third and fourth gears along
that road, it’s wide and there are few cars to worry about. I
usually have beginners practice there.”

He
enjoyed the drive and learned how to keep his eyes on the side of
the road when other cars approached rather then look at them, which
Peter said might cause him to drive towards the other car.
The
Peter’s Driving School
sign on the roof probably made other drivers slow down and
keep clear as well.

When they got
to the outskirts of Easing Peter told him to drive into the pub’s
parking lot and park the car. There they discussed the drive and
the parts that caused a little difficulty then Bob drove home.

“
I think
you’ll be ready to take your test next month at the rate you’re
going Bob. Do you want to?”

“
If you
think I’ll be ready, yes, I do.”

Bob cooked
salmon for supper that night. Then he watched television but found
himself falling to sleep in his chair so he went to bed, knowing
that it would be another hard day’s work tomorrow. He felt good as
he fell asleep; he would have a shed to store things in when he was
finished.

There was an
intermittent drizzle most of Wednesday morning but Bob didn’t mind.
It wasn’t enough to stop him from making, laying and smoothing the
concrete floor and the thin coating of moisture kept it damp,
helping it to cure properly. ‘I’ll take a risk and not cover it
with plastic, it’s not going to rain much longer,’ Bob thought.

After lunch he
worked in his shop, scraping the flaking paint from the windows
then renewing the putty where needed. He took a short tea break
before returning, when he painted the window frames white. After
supper he tried reading the drivers’ manual but kept falling asleep
so he went to bed, knowing that it had been another good day.

Thursday he
made the shed door. It was a simple one, wide boards held together
with three boards and two cross-pieces. It was finished and painted
white by lunchtime. He had a sandwich for lunch then walked to the
Community Centre. The Smiths and Jack were already there and were
looking at the plan for the new Centre. It would be nearly three
times bigger than the one they already had, having a hall, a
cafeteria, cloak room, toilets and about ten meeting rooms.

“
Impressive,” said Jack. “Wots they goin’ t’do wiv t’old
Centre Jane?”

“
It
hasn’t been decided.”

“
Wud
they sell it?”

“
Perhaps. Why do you ask?”

“
I’d
make it inter a shoppin’ complex if I ‘ad backers.”

“
I’ll
let you know what the committee decides Jack. Okay everyone. It’s
the comedy we’re working on this afternoon. We have the wood so the
sets can be made but the canvas hasn’t arrived. I ordered it two
months ago and they promised it would be here by now. I’ll be very
worried if it’s not here by next Thursday.”

As they were
walking to the pub afterwards Bob told the crew that he wouldn’t be
having his supper in the Crown on Saturday. “I’m having driving
lessons.”

“
How’s
it goin’?” asked Jack.

“
Pretty
well I think. Peter says I might be ready to take the test next
month and he’s going to book one for me. I have three lessons each
week and I’m going for one now.”

“
All
right,” said Ken.

“
We’ll
be careful and keep to the side of the road when we come out!”
added Jim.

“
Ha,
Ha!”

Peter wasn’t
at the garage when Bob entered.

“
Hello
Bob,” said Tim. “Peter had to go to Big End to collect some parts.
He’ll be back soon. Do you want to wait here or do you want him to
collect you from your place when he arrives?”

“
I’ll
wait for him here Tim. I’d like to look at the cars you have for
sale to see what they’re like.”

“
I’ll
come with you but there’s still nothing selling for less than a
thousand pounds.”

“
That’s
all right. I just want to know what I would get for my money if I
bought one, although I’d be looking for one that cost around five
hundred, not a thousand.”

Peter
interrupted their discussions when he drove into the yard twenty
minutes later.

“
Sorry
I’m late Bob. The shop needed the parts urgently.”

“
That’s
all right. I’ve been learning about buying a second-hand
car.”

“
Well if
you’re ready we’ll start the lesson now. I think it’s time you
practised three-point turns. We’ll do some in the station’s parking
lot then try them on one of the wide sections along Easing Lane.
Oh, here’s your provisional. Bring it each time we
drive.”

“
I’ll
put it in my wallet Tim.”

“
I also
have the date for your driving test. It’s on April 26th. That’s a
Friday. It’s at ten o’clock and we have to be at the test centre at
nine thirty. Because the test’s in Bournemouth, we’ll have to leave
about seven thirty. Will that be alright?”

“
Oh,
yes.”

Three-point
turns were easy for Bob to do in the parking lot. The first time he
tried doing them in the lane it became a five-point turn but he
soon learned how far he had to turn the steering wheel and did four
turns without trouble after that.

“
Excellent Bob, you’re doing well. Now this Sunday we’ll
drive along the coast road, you’re ready to do that. We’ll use the
back roads to get there. Don’t worry about the traffic; there won’t
be much.”

“
I look
forward to it.”

The phone rang
at eight o’clock Friday morning, just as Bob was leaving the
kitchen to go to his shop.

“
Hello.”

“
Hello,
Is that Bob Barns?”

“
Yes.
Who’s calling?”

“
It’s
Leo Tinnet. I’ve been trying to reach you the last two days. Have
you been on holiday?”

“
No.
It’s probably my phone. If I’m working in the garden or in my shop
I can’t hear it ring. I’ll have to have an extension line put
in.”

“
Oh, use
a cordless phone, that’s what we use. Get one with a long range.
Now, I’ve sold all the toys you gave me and I need some more as
soon as possible, before the weekend if you can. Can I have six of
each?”

“
Oh,
that’s great Leo. Yes, I’ll bring what I’ve got but I’m not sure
when. I’ll come as quickly as I can.”

“
Thanks
Bob, they’re popular with the tourists. Selling your farms helps me
to sell my animals too. In fact I’d like to make it a dozen farms
if you have them.”

“
I’ll
bring what I can.”

He hung up,
fetched his notebook from the lounge and checked to see how many
sets he had. The totals were as he remembered; the book said he had
five village sets, seventeen farm sets and no train sets. He’d have
to tell Leo that he would have to deliver the trains next week.

But when? He
didn’t want to waste a whole day delivering them. Then he
remembered his driving lesson. He’d call Peter and ask him if he
could have it today instead of Sunday. Since he had said they would
be driving along the coast road he could drop them off in
Twinner.

He called the
garage and Tim answered.

“
Tim,
it’s Bob Barns. Is Peter there?”

“
No.
He’s giving a lesson. He’ll be back just after nine. I’ll ask him
to call you then, if that’s okay.”

“
Yes,
please do.”

He looked at
the clock. It was 8:15. He had time to check the shed floor, water
it if it wasn’t damp enough, and bag the sets for Leo. Then he’d
wait for Peter’s call in the kitchen. ‘I hope Jenny hasn’t been
trying to reach me as well. I’ll have to make more sets next, the
shed will have to wait.’

On his way to
his workshop he checked the concrete. It was fine and the
foundation would be strong enough to hold the walls any time now.
In the shop he counted his sets. They agreed with his book tally;
five village, seventeen farm and no trains. He put the sets for Leo
in bags and took them to the kitchen. There he changed the number
of toys he had in the shop and changed Leo’s list. ‘I’ll have to
make trains first, then villages, and I can’t look for more
retailers, I can’t keep up with the ones I’ve already got!’ The
phone rang and he picked it up.

“
Hello
Bob. It’s Peter. Dad said you wanted me to call.”

“
Hi
Peter. I wonder if you could help me. I have to deliver some of my
toys to Twinner as soon as I can. It takes most of a day if I go by
bus. Can I have my Sunday’s driving lesson today? Do you have time
to fit me in?”

“
Just a
minute Bob, I’ll check. Yes, I can, I have two hours free this
afternoon but I’ll first have to see if my Dad needs me. We are a
bit short-handed at the moment. Let me call you back.”

Two minutes
later Peter called.

“
Yes.
I’m free. Is one o’clock okay for you?”

“
Yes it
is.”

“
Then
I’ll be at your house at that time. You can drive all the way, but,
remember, it’s not a rush, it’s a driving lesson!”

“
I’ll
not forget. Thanks Peter.”

Now there was
time to work in the shop. He’d give the shed windows and the door
their second coat of paint later. He took them to the end of the
shop and leaned them against the walls and began making trains. By
ten he had the long bases and the blocks for the carriages cut and
stopped to make a pot of tea but carried his mug back to the shop
and cut the dowels to make the engines, the chimneys and the
wheels. It was surprising how quickly he could make them now and
hoped the quality wasn’t deteriorating. Perhaps he could make the
twenty train sets in just three or four days now he was using the
acrylics.

He stopped at
twelve thirty, tidied the shop and locked the door. He made a quick
sandwich and ate it as he changed his trousers and shirt. He put on
a grey sweater; it looked nice, both for a driving lesson and for
delivering supplies to Leo. He drank a can of lemonade while
watching for Peter who arrived just before one.

“
Hello
Peter. Thanks for making time for me. Was you Dad
upset?”

“
No. I
can help him this evening and we’ll be caught up by tomorrow. We
often have extra work to do in the Spring; people want their cars
tuned or their summer tires put on. Okay, you drive and we’ll go
through Easing to Twinner, then along the coast a bit before
turning back. You’re not ready to drive through Big End yet,
especially not on a Friday afternoon. It’ll be very busy. Do you
want to have your usual lesson on Sunday? If you do then we can
drive through Big End because there won’t be much traffic
then.”

Bob thought
about what Peter said. He wanted to work on the train sets and
there was the shed to complete too but if he was going to have his
test in five weeks time he’d better have the lesson.

“
Yes,
please, I’d like to try. Are you sure I can do that?”

“
I think
so. We’ll find out, won’t we.”

On the journey
to Twinner Bob told Peter what he had in the bags and described how
busy he was these days. Peter said it reminded him of when he
started giving driving lessons. He was very busy then. He had to
memorise all the traffic regulations and learn how to how to handle
high school students when there were two critics decrying the
driver’s actions sitting in the back seat.

The drive was
pleasant and there were few cars on the road until they came close
to Twinner. Bob kept to the speed limit even though many cars
wanted him to go faster. Peter told him to ignore the other drivers
because he would fail the test if he went faster than allowed.
Apart from a few irritated drivers, who seemed not to see the
learner’s plate or the driving school sign on the roof and who
tooted or shot past whenever they could, the journey was
uneventful. Bob parked near Leo’s shop and carried in the bags.

“
Hello
Leo. I’m sorry I missed your earlier calls but I’ll look for a
cordless phone when I’m in Big End. Here are the sets I have at the
moment. Twelve farms and five villages. I don’t have any trains but
I’ve started making them and I’ll deliver them next week. I hope
that’ll be all right.”