Bob of Small End (31 page)

“
Aye.”

“
What
does Joe think about it?”

“
Ain’t
seen ‘im, nor Jane all day. Maybe on ‘oliday.”

“
I
wouldn’t think so, not at this time of the year, and they’d have
told us if they were.”

Ken began
walking to the paint booth and said to Jack. “If we dip-paint,
Jack, we might have to make the room larger. Just a minute.”

Jack and Bob
left Ken to his thoughts and went to the sanding booth. “If he’s
goin’ t’change size of t’room as well I mus’ know now,” said
Jack.

“
It
looks fine to me. Here he is; ask him.”

“
Jack,
the painting booths are okay,” said Ken. “We’ll just use a narrow
bench.”

“
Wot
abat t’sanding booth? Is it okay?”

“
Yes.
I’m not sure where the exit hole for the exhaust fan should be,
we’ll have to wait until we get the extractor. We’d need a bench in
there too. Are you free next week Jack?”

“
Aye,
both of us.”

“
Okay,
work when you can. Do you have everything you need?”

“
Aye.”

“
Okay.
We’ll leave it to you. I’ll be in Bob’s workshop if you need me
during the day. I’ll drive you home if you like Bob.”

“
No,
thanks. I’ll walk. Need some fresh air. I expect to be back around
eleven. You’ll start the villages tomorrow?”

“
Yes.
Good luck Bob.”

“
Thanks
Ken.”

As Bob walked
home he wondered where Joe and Jane were and hoped that nothing was
wrong. They hadn’t said anything about taking a holiday, even a
short one. As he entered the door he decided to cook salmon for
supper, fish was supposed to be good for the brain. It might be
just what he needed to help his memory when the examiner questioned
him.

Bob was
standing by the front window watching the road at 7:20 Wednesday
morning, hoping that Peter wouldn’t be late. He knew there were
tail-backs along the roads between Southampton and Bournemouth each
morning and hoped he wouldn’t be trapped in one.

Peter arrived
at 7:25 and climbed out of the driver’s seat.

“
Hello
Bob. Yes, I know. Don’t worry about being late. We’ve plenty of
time.”

“
How did
you know I’d be worried?”

“
Everyone is. Now, there are five places where incoming
traffic will slow us down and we might have to stop. But none of
the stops last for more than three or four minutes so don’t worry
when that happens. I’ve made this trip many times and I’ve never
been late for a test.”

“
What if
there’s an accident?”

“
Then
the office will know about it and they’ll give you the first
cancellation. Okay. Let’s go.”

On the drive
to Bournemouth there were a few slow-downs and they did stop for
several minutes three times but they arrived at the centre’s
parking lot thirty minutes ahead of time.

“
Now
we’ll go in and register. There’ll be a short written test then the
driving test. You’ll find me in the waiting room when you come
back. Good luck Bob.”

There was one
scary moment when Bob was driving. It came shortly after he had
started. He was following the examiner’s instructions, driving
along a street that ran past a school and had slowed to the lower
speed limit and was passing several cars when a young boy dashed
out immediately in front of him. Bob’s reaction was
instantaneous—he slammed on the brakes and the examiner’s head shot
forward. The boy continued, without looking in either direction and
ran across the street to the school and entered the door.

“
I’m
sorry about that. Are you all right?” exclaimed Bob.

“
Yes.
You did exactly what I would have done. You don’t need to
apologise. Did you see the boy before he ran out?”

“
Yes I
did. When he was on the pavement. I thought he would wait until we
passed but I was worried that he might run out and I was watching
for him.”

“
You did
very well. Are you alright to continue?”

“
Yes.”

“
Then
drive to the next intersection then turn right.”

The rest of
the exam was a bit of an anti-climax. Bob drove as though he had
been driving all his life, making his three-point turn easily and
reversing perfectly.

After
forty-five minutes he was asked to drive back to the parking lot
and park. The examiner added a few remarks to the record sheet then
turned to Bob and said, “You handled yourself excellently. If all
my beginners drove like you my days would be much easier. You’ve
passed the test.”

“
Oh,
thank you. Thank you very much!”

“
Come
with me to the counter and we’ll complete the details with the
clerk.”

They did that
then Bob shook hands with the examiner and said goodbye. He went to
the waiting room. Peter was reading a magazine and looked up as Bob
entered. Then he looked at the clock on the wall.

“
Oh. Did
something go wrong? You’re back early.”

“
No.
Everything went perfectly. I’ve passed!” and Bob waved the form in
the air. “Let’s find a coffee shop and I’ll tell you all about
it.”

Driving back
to Small End Bob felt wonderful. He had his driver’s licence. He
could drive anywhere he wanted. He could have a driving holiday.
What opportunities opened up for him now. He told Peter how he
felt.

“
Yes. It
must be different for you. Most of my learners are in their teens.
They expect to be able to drive because most of their older friends
already drive. So it is not an unexpected privilege for them.
Whereas for you it opens many new opportunities. You appreciate it
more. So enjoy it.”

“
I will
Peter.” Then Bob remembered about buying a van and celebrating with
Peter. “I’ll talk to your Dad later this afternoon about buying a
van. And you remember you promised to let me buy you a
drink?’

“
I do.
But I can’t do that now. I have two more lessons to give this
afternoon. How about at seven tonight?”

“
That’ll
be fine. Will you have dinner in the Crown?”

“
No. I
often miss meals with the children and I prefer to eat at home
whenever I can. That’s why I suggested seven o’clock.”

“
All
right. I’ll see you in the Crown at seven. Bring my bill and I’ll
pay you then.”

He waved
goodbye then hurried up the hill, into his garden and burst into
the workshop. “I’ve passed the test Ken. Now there’s nothing to
stop me visiting shops and delivering sets all over the place.
We’re on our way!”

“
That’s
great news Bob. Congratulations. Was the exam hard?”

“
Only
one part and it wasn’t really part of the exam. I’ll tell you about
it.”

Ken was
running the blocks through the roof-shaping jig for the villages
and Bob handed him the wood as they talked. They worked together
until all the long-blocks for the houses and shops had been shaped
then stopped for lunch.

“
I must
have a helper Bob. We did a lot the first two days this week and I
want to maintain that rate. I can only do that if we hire
someone.”

“
What
would we have to pay him?”

“
A
teenager would work for £125 a week.”

“
About
£500 a month. I guess we should be able to afford that once money
from sales comes in. I’ll make a notice for Rose to put in her
window. It would be best if we had someone from around here. If
there’s no one we’ll have to advertise in the Big End
paper.”

“
All
right. Let me decide who we hire Bob. I’ll spend more time with him
than you and we’ll have to get on together.”

“
Of
course. Talking about money; how much will we have to pay Jack and
John?”

“
Don’t
know yet. I guess it’ll be between six and seven hundred pounds.
Jack told me the material, the wood, gyprock, doors and things cost
just over £565.”

“
Then
we’re going to be short this month Ken. We’ve about £3,750 in the
bank and we won’t have any income until the end of April. Actually
not until about a week or two after the end of the month. It takes
that long for them to do the paperwork, calculate what they owe us
and for the cheque to arrive. Also we have to buy a van. That’ll be
one or two thousand pounds. And pay the hired man and reimburse
you. We won’t have enough money.”

“
We
don’t have to buy a van Bob. We can rent one for a few months until
we see how we are doing. But we’ll have to buy a mop sander and I
know where I can get one. I’ve been told that it sands much quicker
and gives a much better result than using a belt sander and
finishing by hand.”

“
How
much will it cost?”

“
I’ll
want two, eventually, so that two people can do the sanding but
we’ll start with one. One motor and sanding head and some sanding
mops will cost about £50 I guess.”

“
And
there’s the exhaust fan and sawdust extractors to pay for as
well.”

“
Yes.
It’ll be tight for this month and maybe the next but, after that,
we should be in clover.”

“
Oh, I
hope so,” sighed Bob.

After lunch
they shaped the long blocks to make the churches, Community Centres
and Post Offices and then cut all of them into the individual
units. They stopped for tea at four when Bob suggested they quit
for the day.

“
Let’s
go and see Tim about a van and check what Jack and John have
done.”

“
Okay.
I’d like to start at eight tomorrow Bob. I want to finish the
villages this week.”

“
If you
want to do that you’ll have to work Thursday and
Friday.”

“
Yes I
know. Mary’s happy about that. But she wants me to take time off to
see Larry soon. She misses him.”

“
Larry,
your grandson?”

“
Yes. I
told you Jim and Julie live in Nottingham so we don’t see them
often enough for Mary.”

They finished
their tea and put the mugs in the sink, washed their hands and
locked the buildings. Ken drove to the garage but Bob decided to
walk, even a short walk was better than none. Ken and Tim were in
the back yard when he arrived.

“
Hello
Tim,” Bob called.

“
Hello
Bob. Ken’s been telling me that you now want to rent a van, not buy
one. I have this one but it’s not good enough for you. A builder
had it and it’s rusty and banged up. It’ll need a paint job before
any respectable business uses it.”

“
You
don’t have anything better?”

“
No
sorry. If you need one now you should try one of the garages in Big
End. Come to the office and I’ll call the biggest and see if
they’ve got one.”

“
Hello
Charles. It’s Tim Sawyer in Small End. How are you?”

“
I’m
fine Tim. Hope you are too. Is there anything I can do for
you?”

“
There
might be. A couple of friends want to rent a van for their
business.”

“
What
kind of business Tim? I have three at the moment but I’m not
renting the good ones to just anyone, especially not to a painter.
The last time I did that the floor was covered with paint and it
was very hard to get off. What do they want to carry?”

“
Boxes
of wooden toys. Small boxes, they won’t mark the floor. And they’re
careful people. You’ll like them. So you do have some
then.”

“
Yes.
When do they want to see them?”

“
I’ll
ask. When would you like to see the vans?

“
Now?”
said Ken, looking at Bob who nodded his head.

“
They’ll
be over in half-an-hour.”

“
Thanks
Tim,” said Bob. “That was quick. What’s the garage name and where
is it?”

“
It’s
called
The End Garage
and
it’s two streets north of Main Street. It’s easy to get
to.”

“
I know
it,” said Ken. “Let’s go.” They stood up and Bob shook Tim’s hands
before leaving. “Thanks for looking after us.”

Charles
welcomed them as they walked into the office. “Hello. Welcome
to
The End Garage
. Tim says
you want to rent a van. I’ll show you what we have.”

He took them
to the yard at the back of the garage and pointed to the rear.

“
At the
moment we only have these, one small and two big. What size are you
interested in?”

“
The
small one looks big enough. What do you think Ken?”

“
I think
that’ll be fine. At least for a couple of months. After that we
might need one of the bigger ones. How many sets do you think it
would hold Bob?”

“
Seven
to eight hundred probably. How much does it cost
Charles?”

“
How
long do you want it for? It’s cheaper the longer you keep
it.”

“
How
much for one month and for two months?”

“
After
one month the rent is always the same unless you rent for a year.
It costs £212.50 a month. That includes the insurance. The petrol
tank will be full when you get it and you have to return it full
otherwise you’ll have to pay for the petrol we add.”