The Lost Traveller
Page 4
largely unmoved. Apart from Ruth who shot a glance at the door every time it opened to let a new customer in.
Then as the sun bounced in through the open door one quiet afternoon a stranger appeared. He seemed lost and confused and uncertain of his words.
“My car’s broke down. I was looking for a garage but the one at the end of the road seems closed.”
“Keys,” barked a voice from a table close to the bar.
The stranger smiled and handed over the keys to the grease stained mechanic. “I think I’ve run out of petrol.”
The mechanic grunted and walked out.
“Drink?” asked Ruth.
“A pint of your best bitter please.”
Ruth pulled a pint from the pump but her eyes never left those of the newcomer. He returned her gaze and no further words were spoken.
“You saw it then?” he finally said.
“Oh yes, I watched it over and over. I think I understand now.”
“I should hope so,” replied J. “What would I have done if you just threw it away.”
“You’d never be welcomed back here, that’s for sure,” said Ruth.
J left the pint untouched. He held her hand and guided her out of the bar as if she had never done such a thing before. A few minutes later they were standing alone on the stone bridge that carried people over the river that ran along the side of the High Street.
“Why didn’t you tell me all this before?”
“Because I couldn’t be sure. That DVD I gave you as I left was the original pilot episode we made to pitch for the series. Oh yes, this place was all we could ever want for a reality TV show. A sexy landlady, two mad brothers who work as gamekeepers, a reclusive pop star and his harem, a City financier turned Lord of the Manor, an eccentric collector of red telephone boxes and well, I could go on.”
“Could I do that to you; turn you all into figures of fun for TV audiences to laugh at over the stale pizza?”
“Would you?”
“When I first came here by accident I thanked the gods for the car breaking down where it did. I thought this is it. This is the place that will make the series, full of interesting, local characters who would jump at their fifteen minutes of fame. But then I got to know you all. In such a small space of time.”
“I fell in love with the place; this bridge, the cricket field, the woods and the quaint high street. This is where I started out, filming places like this. This is where my heart was. Then somewhere along the way I got lost“
“That’s when my wife, my ex-wife started to take over. She knew how to sell an idea and her idea was to make money out of people’s vanity and greed. Everyone wants to be on TV so she gave them their opportunity and made fun of them. That’s what was on that DVD. That’s why I had to show you. It wasn’t me.”
“This is me, this place. I had to get out before I was sucked in too deep. It was a case of me staying firm and eventually she gave in. But that was the end and there was a price to pay. We split amicably; basically she bought me out for a fair price. Now I have no company, no career and my town house is on the market.”
“There’s a welcome pub in a small village quite close by.”
“We’ll have a drink and discuss it then. A man could live here quite comfortably with a woman who owns a pub.”
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