Bob of Small End

by David Hockey

  Part of the road had been excavated at the corner of the station’s parking lot. He walked to the barrier that surrounded it and looked into the hole. At the bottom was the pipe that took the waste from the station’s toilet and from his house. ‘I hope they won’t have to dig all the way down to the crossroads,’ he mused. ‘If they do I’ll have to park the van in Joe’s yard. I’ll ask them to deliver the stone first thing Monday morning and make them drop it in the right place. So that means I’ll have to remove some hedge today or tomorrow. So much for a restful weekend!’

  He was in Big End before nine. There were several parking spots near Jenny’s shop. He left the bag in the van and walked to the shop.

  “Hello Jenny, Hi Susan. Enjoying our nice weather?”

  “I am,” said Susan. “It means I can ride my bike to work most days without worrying about getting wet.”

  “And I can weed and plant in the garden tomorrow,” added Jenny.

  “That’s what I’ve got to do soon,” said Bob. “Jenny I have some news for you. Can we go to your office?”

  “Sure.” They walked in and sat down.

  “Jenny I’ve talked to Leo,” started Bob, and he told her what Leo had said and what they had decided. “So we want to give you a forty percent commission. We’ll give that to everyone from now on.”

  “Thanks Bob. That’s very nice. I’m glad Leo discussed it with you. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding enough retailers to sell for you if you give them that.”

  “And another thing. Rose told me about the Gift and Toy conference. Are you going to it?”

  “Not this year Bob. We’re getting busy and there’s only Susan to look after the shop if I go. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, I’ll have a booth there and Rose suggested I ask you and Leo to write a note about our toys. She and Leo have written one already.”

  “I’ll write one too. Just a minute.” Like Leo she wrote on one of her letter headed pages then gave it to Bob who quickly read it.

  “That’s very nice Jenny. Thanks. I’ve got something to show you, come with me,” and Bob led her outside and pointed to the van. “We’ve rented that. So I can bring toys to you any time now. Do you want any at the moment?”

  “Let me check with Susan,”

  She walked back and asked Susan if they needed any.

  “It’s probably a good idea to have a few more.”

  “Well I’ve got five of each in the van.”

  “Okay, bring them in and I’ll give you a receipt.”

  He drove to the paint shop next.

  “Yes,” the assistant said. “We do sell thinner acrylic paint, but you can make your own if you want. Just add water. However it loses it’s covering ability if you make your own. You get more body if you buy the thinner paint from the suppliers. What do you want to do?”

  “I’ll try both ways. Can I have six of the thinner ones.”

  That done Bob crossed ‘acrylics’ from his shopping list and drove to the lumber yard.

  “Hello Bob. Want some more wood?”

  “Hello Leon. Yes and a few other things. Here’s my list,” and he passed it over.

  “No problem about the wood for your toys. We keep it in stock and I’ll have it delivered next Thursday to your new address. You must be near Joe Smith’s farm.

  “Yes. It’s in his yard. We are using his old milking parlour. My shop isn’t big enough these days.”

  “Okay. I’ll note it on the order and the driver will know where to go. Ah, we don’t sell needles. Sorry. What do you want them for?”

  “To hold wood when it is dipped into paint.”

  “Never heard of that being done. Let me know if it works. These long trays; they’re to hold the paint then?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well we don’t have anything like that. You might find them in the paint shop but I don’t expect so. Their trays are for rollers. The best thing to do is make your own. Buy a sheet of metal and bend it into the shape you want. Don’t cut the corners or you’ll have to solder them. Just bend them. Do you understand?”

  “Yes. My Dad made boats like that for me to float in my bath when I was a kid. I’ll tell Ken to try that.”

  “Okay. The gravel or stone. What’s that for?”

  “A driveway. I don’t have one and we’ve rented a van. I’ll have to park it on my lawn.”

  “Then you should use crushed stone. A layer between one and two inches thick might do if the ground’s hard. How big an area do you want to cover?”

  “Enough to park a small van. It’s a Ford,” he added. “Their smallest.”

  “Well try five tons. If that’s not enough, or if it sinks after a rain, add more.”

  “Can you put the stone on a separate bill. I’ll pay for that now. Can we pay our business orders at the end of each month?”

  “Sure. We give thirty days before charging interest.”

  “The stone, can it be delivered first thing Monday?”

  “It’ll be there at eight Bob.”

  “That’s perfect. Thanks.” He paid for the stone then crossed all the lumber yard items off his list. Now he would have to go to the bank, the stone had taken nearly all his cash.

  After the bank he drove to the shopping centre and bought his usual food and two salmon steaks. Then he saw some kippers and bought two packs of them. He hadn’t had those since his mother made breakfast for his Dad. They’d be a nice treat. He’d have them tomorrow. The last thing he bought was the needles and could only get a hundred. At the counter he asked the assistant if she could order more. “I need another nine hundred, no, better make that a thousand. We’re sure to break some.”

  “I’ll order them but they won’t be here until Saturday. What are you going to use that many for?” she asked. “To hold wood,” he replied and wondered if she believed him.

  The nursery sold plastic boxes of four plants so he bought one of courgettes and one of cucumbers, two of broccoli and cauliflower and three of cabbage. That would be plenty. He bought an envelope each of carrot, onion, beetroot and radish seeds and a quarter-pound bag of peas. That was all he had on his list. He resisted the temptation to buy others, he wouldn’t have time to look after them and the garden was smaller.

  Having the van made shopping so much quicker and he was home by eleven.. He unpacked, putting the needles and the paint in the workshop and the boxes of vegetables just outside his back door. He’d give the garden another rake this afternoon then plant them. ‘I’m a bit like Jenny. It’ll be nice to garden now the weather’s fine.’

  The afternoon passed quickly. He wrote the name of the plants on wooden end stakes. As he was planting the courgettes and cucumbers he remembered that some people grew them on stakes. He’d try that. He’d wait until the runners were about two feet long before putting put the stakes there. That way he could train the shoots up the stakes at the same time. ‘I wonder how it’ll work.’

  He stopped at five and had a bath. He usually bathed three times a week, always on Saturdays before eating at the Crown unless he was running late. He daydreamed a little in the bath, looking forward to chatting with Joe, finding out how his planting was going and learning what Jane and the others had been doing. He felt himself falling asleep and jerked his head. This wouldn’t do. He’d be late if he didn’t hurry.

  Nancy was behind the bar when he walked in and he asked her how she liked her holiday. Holidays were becoming much more important to him these days.

  “I went to Blackpool with Daphne, my friend. We spent too much money but had a great time!”

  “Blackpool? Oh, what did you do there?”

  “We went to the arcades and played the slots. I won £22 one afternoon but lost it all the next day.” As he carried his pint over to Joe he thought he wouldn’t go to Blackpool if that’s what most people did to pass the time.

  “Hello Joe. I thought I’d see more of you around the farm this week. Have you been away again?”

  “No. I’ve been plan
ting cabbages in the back field. Jane drove the tractor while Arne and I planted. Arne’s the only helper I have this year. My greenhouses are only half full. It might not be a good year for me. Jane says I should retire but I wouldn’t know what to do if I did. I don’t want to move away from the farm and I’d hate to see it neglected.”

  “You could grass it all Joe.”

  “I suppose so.”

  “Come to think of it, Jim’s son, Benny, is looking for a job. You could ask him.”

  “Oh? I’ll give him a call. Ah, here’s Rose and Jack. Hi!”

  “Hello Joe, Bob. Is Jane coming tonight Joe?” asked Rose.

  “Yes. It’s the usual thing, she’s still at the Centre talking with the committee. Or working on the show, it opens soon.”

  “I was too busy to drop by this afternoon Jack,” said Bob. “Did you finish the workshop walls?”

  “Aye.”

  “What do you think of your old parlour now Joe?” Bob asked.

  “It looks like a modern workshop. Jane says it makes our farm worth ten thousand pounds more than before.”

  “Parking in the lane isn’t causing a problem?”

  “Not at all, although I’m going to widen it a little, when I’ve finished planting. There’ll be more room for turning then. Oh, Jane said we shouldn’t wait to eat. She doesn’t know when she will be free.”

  “What kept you so long?” asked Rose when Jane arrived.

  “The committee. There was much to decide about the new Centre. The architect was there and he insisted that we should tender the job and hire professionals to build the whole thing instead of relying on volunteers. It’ll cost more but we eventually agreed to do that.”

  “You must be ready for a drink. What would you like?” asked Joe.

  “Oh, a gin and tonic please. Thanks. Nothing to eat.”

  “Can I get drinks for anyone else?” he asked.

  “I’ll have a pint,” replied Bob.

  “Not for us Joe,” said Rose. “We will be leaving soon, there’s a show on TV we want to watch.”

  While Joe was collecting the drinks Bob told Rose that Jenny wrote a recommendation for him but she would be too busy to go to the conference. “Who looks after the shop when you go?”

  “Jack does. Don’t you Jack?”

  “Aye, I do.”

  Jane told everyone about the revised plans for the new Centre. “As you must know, Bob, they’ve started laying the new sewer system. That and the water pipes will be done by the end of next week. Ads for tenders will be in the Southampton and Bournemouth papers on Monday. I’m sorry Jack, but we can’t hire you.”

  “S’okay Jane.”

  “Well I’m sorry. We’ll need volunteers later, to organise the place, set-up rooms, move our things from the old Centre and so on.”

  “Will you have a special opening ceremony?” asked Bob.

  “Yes. I don’t know what or when. Probably in the fall.”

  “You’ll be glad when it’s all over.”

  “I beginning to think so!”

  “Do you need me as an usher for the Spring Show?”

  “No Bob, thanks.”

  As Jack and Rose stood to leave Bob got up and left with them, having decided to have an early night because there was much to do on Sunday.

  “Jack, can you make some business cards, stationary and envelopes for us using the new address and telephone number?”

  “Aye. ‘Ow many?”

  “A hundred letters and envelopes should be enough. Fifty cards for Ken and, err, two hundred for me. Do you have the telephone number?”

  “Aye. An’ t’address is 110 Big End Road, Small End, right?”

  “Yes. Do you have a digital camera?”

  “Yes,” said Rose. “I gave him one for Christmas.”

  “Can you take coloured pictures and print them on your computer Jack?”

  “Aye.”

  “Then will you take a picture of both shops, mine and the new one and print a copy of each? I want to put them on my table at the conference.”

  “Okay.”

  “That’s an interesting idea,” said Rose. “I think retailers will like to see where the toys are made.”

  “I’ll take yer home-shop photos termorrow.”

  “Thanks Jack.” Bob said goodbye and turned back to walk home. As he neared his house he realised he hadn’t turned on the railway lantern. ‘I’ll have to remember to do that.’

  A few years ago his doctor told him not to add salt to his dishes. Knowing that kippers were very salty he rinsed them before warming them in a little fresh water in his frying pan Sunday morning. He ate them with buttered toast, enjoying their flavour. They’d be one of his new treats.

  It took over a half-hour to remove the first bush from the hedge in the front of his garden. Its roots were large, intertwined with other bushes and the soil was very hard. So he sawed off the other bushes then uncovered the stumps and chopped off another six inches with an axe so they wouldn’t dig into the van’s tires. He wheel-barrelled the dead bushes to the back of the station’s parking lot and tipped them down the slope. He made the gap large enough to take a bigger van, should they ever need to have one.

  He washed, made coffee and drank it in the back garden wondering if he had planted his vegetables too close together. Afterwards he hung his laundry on the line. Still feeling tired from removing the hedge he sat in the kitchen and wrote to Maria. Dusting would wait until next weekend.

  He began by telling her that he wanted to go on the August tour and asked her to book a place for him, send him a brochure if there was one and asked how much it would cost. He then told her about his partnership with Ken and the new workshop. Then he remembered to tell her that he now had his driving licence and that they had hired a van to deliver the toys. At the end he was tempted to say that he looked forward to seeing her again but didn’t quite know how to write it without seeming too forward so he just signed off, writing ‘’Bye now, Bob.’

  He was getting some lettuce out of the fridge for lunch when Ken tapped on the kitchen window. He opened the door and Ken said, “Can you help me get the table out of my car. Mary helped me put it in. It has to be twisted and I can’t do that myself.”

  They carried the table top to the lounge then Ken fetched and screwed on the legs. Bob pushed against it, wondering how firm it was.

  “Oh, it’s strong enough,” said Ken.

  “How big is it?”

  “Five by three. Will they provide chairs?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll take one in case they don’t. I’ve sent them the cheque but I haven’t heard back. I want to know when I can set up. I don’t know if I do that the day before or on the first day. I’ll phone the man and ask when I’m sure the cheque had arrived.”

  “Have you made the poster yet?”

  “No. I’ll probably do that tonight. I’m just about to have lunch. Like to join me?”

  “No. We’re going to a friend’s house for lunch. But I’m going to see what Jack’s done before going home. Want to come?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  They drove to the shop and parked next to the side door. “There plenty of room to turn now,” said Ken as they entered.

  “The walls make a big difference don’t they Ken,” said Bob.

  They walked through the door to the waiting room then went into the office.

  “It’s fine, but the windows need cleaning,” said Ken. “I’ll do that. Let’s go and look at the booths.”

  “Oh, I bought a hundred needles, that’s all they had. The rest will be there on Saturday. I ordered an extra hundred because I’m sure we’ll break some,” said Bob. “They’re one inch long; that’s the shortest they had. I also bought some thinner acrylic paint. They told me we can make our own by adding water to the normal paint. Why not try both ways.”

  “Okay.”

  Bob walked back to his house as Ken drove home. He made himself two lettuce and chees
e sandwiches and ate them in the back garden. He must have dozed off afterwards for he was woken by Jack tapping on his shoulder.

  “’Ow do Bob.”

  “Why, what’s the time Jack?”

  “Three o’clock.”

  “Wow! I must have been very tired.” He stood up and looked at the letterhead samples Jack gave him. “Yes, these are fine. When can I have them?”

  “’Not ‘til Thursday.”

  “Well I’ll be away from Wednesday to Friday so Saturday’s fine. I’m going to see my aunt in Boston. Come, let’s look at the shop. It might need to be tidied.”

  Jack took over a dozen photographs. When done they moved to the bottom of the staircase in the house where it was darker and looked at the camera’s screen. Bob went through them several times and finally said, “Can you make a full-sized colour print of this one Jack?”

  “Aye.”

  “Good. Thanks.”

  After Jack had left Bob decided to go for a walk, hoping that would wake him for he still felt sleepy. He put on a coat and walked along the river path for a mile, stopping for a while at the bent tree to review the latest news with Betty. He took a short-cut to the village graveyard where he stopped at his parent’s grave for a few minutes, remembering the time when his mother died, then he went home to have an early supper. Things didn’t seem right for some reason. He still felt tired and was glad he’d be taking a bit of a holiday that week. The drive to Boston would be a nice change.

  He spent the evening making different sketches of the booth table eventually decided to make a holder for each of the photos and screw them onto the back of the table. The left poster would show the photo of his home workshop and the right one would show the new shop. He would sit or stand in the middle. He’d need a small notice asking interested people to leave their cards and he’d have to find something for them to put them in. He’d put some of a village set on the left, the train set in the middle and some of a farm on the right. He’d could only put out a few pieces of each toy because there wasn’t room enough for more. The pieces he didn’t use he’d keep in their boxes under the table in case anyone wanted to see them. With the sketches finished he headed upstairs to bed.

  Ken was in the shop by seven thirty Monday morning, painting the farm sets with the thinned acrylic. Bob called in to tell him that he’d join him later, “I’m expecting a load of stone. I have to make a parking lot for the van.”

  “Yes, I saw what you’d done. I bet it was hard pulling out the bushes.”

  “Yes it was. How’s the new paint working out?”

  “It’s a bit early to tell. I just hope it covers as well as the thicker stuff.”

  “I hope so too.”

  The lorry arrived promptly at eight and the driver called out the window, “Where do you want it?”

  “In here, if you can. It’s to make a parking lot,” and Bob pointed to the rectangle he had made with strings and pegs.

  “I’ll do my best. Stand back,” and the driver drove up the road past the house then backed towards the gap where the bushes had been removed. He stopped, drew back the tarpaulin cover and unlocked the tail gate. Then he returned to his cabin and slowly raised the front of the box. As the stone fell from the lorry he moved slowly backwards, raising the box as he went. The whole area was covered in less than a minute.

  “That’s great,” cried Bob. “I thought I’d be spending all day shovelling stone!”

  “There’s a bit of levelling to do. Use a strong rake, it’s quicker than a shovel. Can you sign here?” and held out a pad of paper, pointing to a space. Bob signed it and the driver gave him a copy. “Take it easy when raking. It’s harder than you think.”

  Bob fetched a rake, worked for ten minutes and stopped to collect his winter gloves for he didn’t want blisters. He raked for half an hour then stopped and went to see how Ken was doing in the shop.

  “How’s the paint now?”

  “The first lot’s already dry. It looks okay to me. What do you think?”

  Bob picked up a piece and took it to the window. “Yes it’s fine.”

  “Good. Then you can do the second coat if you like.”

  “Not yet. I’m just taking a rest from levelling the drive. It’s hard work.”

  He raked the stone until it looked level then parked the van on top and looked where the wheels had run. The stones had sunk a little so he drove the van out and raked some stones into the depression. He repeated that until he was satisfied then left the van on the stone.

  After coffee Ken finished the first paint coat and Bob began giving the dried ones their second. Ken stopped at twelve, saying he was going home for lunch today and that he’d be back as soon as he could. Bob continued painting and had finished at two when he went in to eat his lunch. Afterwards he walked to Rose’s shop and asked her if she had some stiff card that he could mount the photographs on.

  “What colour do you want?”

  “White, I think.”

  “Is this size big enough?”

  “It should be. I’ll just take one Rose. I think it’s big enough to make both posters.”

  “Don’t make any mistakes then!”

  He paid her and put the bill in his pocket to add to the others. ‘Bills, in the future, should be kept in the new office,’ he thought. ‘We should order a filing cabinet and get a safe to keep cheques in.’

  Ken was in the shop when he returned. “Watch this,” he said. He picked up a wooden holder. Ten needles had been pushed into the underside leaving about three-quarters of an inch sticking out. He held it over five houses that were sitting, up-side-down, in a channel cut in a piece of wood. He pushed the holder down so the needles stuck into the bottom of the houses, raised the holder and the five houses were lifted with it.

  “What do you think of that? I tried lifting ten but it’s too hard to push that many needles into the wood. All we have to do now is dip the houses in the paint.”

  “You have some great ideas Ken.”

  “There’s a much better way than dipping though Bob. We could hang them from a belt and run them past spray guns. We’ll buy one when we get big enough.”

  “Then we’d need a bigger workshop than we already have!”

  “Yes. We would, but all that’s in the distant future. Oh, I like your new driveway.

  Someone knocked on the shop door. They looked at each other with surprise then Bob opened the door. There was a young man standing outside.

  “Hello. Can I help you?”

  “I’m here because I read your notice on the Gift Shop’s board. The lady there told me to go to Mr. Smith’s farm. I went there and a man told me to come here. Do you have a job for me?”

  “We have a job for someone,” Ken said, “but not this week. It’ll start next Monday. It’ll be for one week, a trial period. If you can do what I want, and do it well, then the job’s yours.”

  “What is the job?”

  “Do you like working with wood and being inside most of the day?”

  “I don’t know about working with wood yet but I’ve been inside school for a long time and I can handle that. Let me try and we’ll both find out if I’m any good.”

  “That’s a good answer. All right, come at eight o’clock on Monday. Not here. We’ll be in the new shop then, at Mr. Smiths place, where you first went. We’ll be in the building to the right of the entrance.”

  “All right. Thank you. I’ll be there,” and he took a quick look around Bob’s shop, turned, then left.

  “He sounds like a sensible young man Ken. I hope he’s a good worker.”

  “I’ll know by Monday lunchtime,” and he returned to pushing needles into the holders.

  “I’m going to make a couple of supports to hold the photos,” said Bob. He cut four strips from a short plank, picked up a tin of screws and a screwdriver. “Shouldn’t be long,” and left the shop.

  He screwed the strips to the back of the display table then looked at them from the front and thought th
at the photos would look better if they slanted backwards a little. He returned to the shop and made four angled wedges then screwed them between the strips and the edge of the table. ‘That’s better,’ he thought. ‘That’ll do for now. I’ll have lunch then make the posters.’

  “You ready for lunch?”

  “No Bob. I’m going to Big End. I want to buy the metal for the paint trays. Got to find out how dipping works. I’ll eat mine as I drive.”

  Bob thought about what he should write on the cards during lunch. He only needed a few words, the photo would tell the story. He thought something simple would be best and settled for, “Our first workshop,” and “Our new workshop.” After lunch he cut the poster into two cards and, leaving room for the photos, he wrote each of the short sentences as carefully as he could then propped the cards against a cereal box to look at them. Some of the letters were slightly misplaced but he thought it would do.

  He heard Ken opening the shed door and joined him in the workshop.

  “Any luck?”

  “Yes. I’ve got four sheets of thin, galvanised steel, the stuff used to make heating ducts. I can bend it easily. Here’s the bill.”

  “How many trays will you need?”

  “Probably one for each colour. I’ll make each tray big enough to take the largest pieces. The smaller pieces can all be dipped in a smaller tray. I won’t need all the sheets for making pans, I’ll be using the others to make dust collectors. We’ll need some of those over the benches. What are you doing this afternoon?”

  “I’ve nothing planned. Anything I can do?”

  “Yes. Can you push needles into the rest of these holders? You can copy the ones I’ve done.” Bob took the pliers from him and began pushing them in. It was hard to keep them straight at first but it quickly became easier.

  “What will you do with each one when it has a wet piece hanging on the needles?”

  “Hang it on hooks I’ll put on the wagon shelves. You’ll see. It’ll be easy. The next thing to do is make a tray and try dipping. I’ll thin some of our acrylic and try that. too.”

  Bob wore gloves after their tea break to protect his hands. He’d already broken three needles, for it wasn’t easy to push them into the holder. Ken formed a small tray, then put some of their normal acrylic in an empty paint tin, added water, stirred, then poured the thinned paint into the tray. He pushed five houses onto one of the hangers, dipped them into the paint and hung the hanger from one of the shelves. He watched what happened and how quickly the paint dried.

  “That’s not very good Bob. The paint’s not thick enough. I can still see the wood. I’ll add more acrylic.”

  After two more unsuccessful tries Ken used one of the tins of the thinned acrylic Bob had bought and tried it. “That’s much better. It dries evenly and quickly. We’ll have to buy thinned paint then Bob. I hope we can buy it in big drums. I’ll phone the maker and ask if he sells them that way. Mind if I use your phone?”

  “Help yourself. Here,” and Bob passed it to him. Ten minutes later eight, five-gallon pails of the thinned acrylic paint had been ordered, to be delivered to their new shop next Monday.

  “A hundred and forty two pounds, fifty, Bob, charged to my credit card, as you heard. I’ll write the cost on the packing slip and give it to you for the records when the shipment arrives.”

  They stopped working at five. Bob had made all the hangers for the hedges and the larger houses. Ken poured the unused paint into the paint tin, added just enough water to cover the top then put the lid on. “Hope that stops it from drying.”

  They’d finished making the hangers by coffee time Tuesday morning. After coffee Ken made the rest of the paint trays while Bob weeded then watered his vegetables. The mop sander was delivered just before lunch and they put it on a bench to try after lunch. Ken read the instructions while eating his lunch then returned to the shop. He screwed the machine to the bench and fitted a four inch mop. Bob walked in as he was about to try it.

  “I’m using your eye protector Bob. Do you have another?”

  “No. We should order some, I suppose.”

  “We should. Well, stand back a bit and we’ll see what happens.” He held a short piece of wood tightly and slowly pushed it onto the spinning mop then pulled it back and looked at it.

  “Not bad! It’s almost done that end already but it’s not even. I’ll try wobbling it a bit.” He pushed the other end into the sander and twisted it from side to side. “That’s much better. It’s much quicker than our old way and it looks good enough to me. What do you think?”

  “Let me try Ken.” Ken gave him the glasses and Bob pushed another piece of scrap into the mop.

  “Yes. It’s easy to do and looks better than when we used the sanding belt. We probably don’t have to sand any with paper now. That’s another problem solved. A couple of men could sand all the parts for fifty sets in an hour! What do you think?”

  “Maybe. You know Bob, if that boy’s any good I’ll hire him and find another and let them work together. What do you think about paying them piece-work? So much money for fifty sets?”

  “I don’t think that’s best. They’d probably rush and the quality will drop. We can’t have that because people won’t buy the toys.”

  “Yes, I guess so. What do you think about hiring a second boy?”

  “That’s probably a good idea. Start with this one, train him and see what happens. He might be able to train the next one and leave you free to do other things.”

  “Yes. Well, I’ll finish putting the eye hooks on the hangers, then I want to see how Jack’s doing.”

  “I’ll finish the gardening and join you.”

  Jack and John had finished the first paint coat and were washing the brushes when Ken and Bob arrived. Jack pulled an envelope from his pocket and gave it to Bob as soon as his hands were clean. “It’s fer you.”

  Bob opened the envelope and said, “It’s from the electrician,” and passed it to Ken. “£93.75, including all the stuff he installed. That’s not bad.”

  “No. So we could start working here tomorrow. Is that right Jack?”

  “Aye. Don’t cut wood or sand, ‘cos there’s mor’ paintin’ t’do.”

  “I’ll have to cut wood, I want to make the benches.”

  “Cut it outside. Wan’ me ter help?”

  “No, I’ll be fine.”

  “A’rite.”

  They all left together, locking the doors behind them. “I’m off to see my aunt tomorrow Ken” said Bob, “and won’t be back until Monday. I wonder what the place will look like when I return.”

  “Like a small factory, I hope. Drive carefully, Bob. Have a good holiday.”

  “Thanks. I hope to.”