Bob of Small End

by David Hockey

  Chapter 19 Jose and Luke

  Delivering to eleven shops, seven of which were in villages surrounding Southampton, took until two o’clock and Bob felt a little exhausted driving back to the shop. He knew he should take longer over his lunch and take a break when he felt tired but hadn’t learned how to do that yet.

  Everyone was busy when he arrived. Lori was fastening wheels to the engines and carriages, Ken was shaping house blocks and Craig was cutting them into houses. Bob waved hello then went to the office to pin the large map he had brought that morning that showed Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset on the wall. He noticed Lori’s computer and other pieces piled on his desk. He knew enough to recognise the screen, keyboard and mouse. He hoped Ken wouldn’t ask Lori to fix it up or switch it on this week; they should spend all their time on making more sets.

  He pushed coloured drawing pins into the map, green for the shops he had already visited, red for the shops still to see that were on the ‘early delivery’ list and blue for all the others. When he had finished it became apparent that there were still lots of places to visit and many more sets to make, plus Rose’s, Jenny’s and Leo’s shops, which he hadn’t included. And there were all the other retailers who were on the Gift and Toy’s membership list but hadn’t put their cards in his box or hadn’t been at the conference. There was so much work to do.

  Ken looked at the map when he saw Bob in the office and guessed what the colours meant. “I’ll show Craig and Lori and they’ll understand why we are working so hard. Oh, here they are. Come and look at this,” and he pointed to the map.

  “That’s not all of them,” said Bob. “There are another fifty or sixty I’ve not added.”

  They returned to the waiting room and Ken put the kettle on and opened a package of biscuits.

  “A friend told me about two boys who might be interested in coming here,” said Lori. “They are on holiday right now but will be back on Saturday. I’ll phone and ask them if they’re looking for work. They have been working as volunteers in a South African project. I’ll tell them about this place and let you know what they say.”

  “Thanks. Have you seen the other boy, the one you met at a concert?”

  “No.”

  “I may be able to find someone, a cousin who’s looking for work,” said Craig. “Trouble is, he lives in Scotland. He’d like to move here, anywhere in the south of England where it’s warmer, but has no family except us and my mom doesn’t want to put him up.”

  “£125 a week wouldn’t leave him much after he’d paid for board and lodging,” said Bob.

  “No.”

  “Well please keep looking. We do need at least two more people.”

  “We could work overtime if you like,” said Lori. “At least, I could.”

  “Me too, depending on what days you’d want us to work.”

  “Not at time-and-a-half, we wouldn’t want to pay that.”

  “That’s all right,” said Lori. “It’s just a suggestion if you really become stuck.”

  “The problem is now, as you can see from the map,” said Bob. “We want to get the toys to the shops whose owners said they wanted them as soon as possible. Once they have a few, and I’m giving them five of each set when I visit, then the demand will greatly slacken. We’ll only have to deliver when they have sold the ones they’ve got.”

  “I see. Then would it be a permanent job for any new people?”

  “I think so. We think that people want wooden toys and are willing to buy them so we expect to be busy for several years.”

  “It’s partly due to the Green Movement,” said Craig, “People are getting worried about all the plastics and the chemicals we use today. And the pollution that causes.”

  “You might be right. Leo, one of the retailers I deliver to, thought the same thing,” said Bob.

  “So that’s why people are buying wooden toys?” asked Ken.

  “That and probably grandparents remembering the toys they played with when they were young,” answered Craig.

  This was one of the reasons Bob enjoyed their chats together. He learned different things and saw the world from a different point of view. So young people also thought about the Green Movement and reasoned that was why his toys were selling.

  Bob worked in the shop doing whatever Ken wanted done for the rest of the week. He helped Lori add the stripes, windows and doors to the train set using Ken’s stamps Thursday morning. The trains were dry after the tea break and he and Lori fasten the wheels and inserted the hooks and eyes then boxed the sets, not stopping until they had finished. Craig pushed blocks for the farm houses, barns and pig pens through the router jig and Ken cut them. From now on they would make a hundred each time so they didn’t have to alter the jigs so often. A hundred was just enough to do without becoming overtired.

  A boy knocked and entered as they were finishing lunch. “Hello. Mum tells me you are looking for helpers. What sort of work is it?”

  “We make wooden toys,” answered Ken.

  “Oh. I don’t think I want to do that. I want to make computers. Will you make those some day?”

  “I don’t think so,” replied Ken. “Would you like to try toy making?”

  “Mum said I have to get a job so I suppose so. What do I do?”

  “Cut wood and paint it.”

  “That sounds easy. Can I try?”

  “Yes. What’s your name?”

  “Sean.”

  “Well Sean. Come with me,” and Ken led him to the band saw. He picked up a piece of scrap wood, put on his safety glasses and cut an inch off one end. “Now you do that,” and he handed the boy his glasses.

  “Not too bad,” said Ken, “but push the far end against the stop when you cut the wood. That will keep the end you are cutting straight.”

  After several tries Sean managed to do that.

  “Okay.” Ken clamped the block further along the bench. “Push against this block and cut these. They are hedges for our farms and villages.”

  It took several tries before Sean could cut the hedge end properly.

  “I don’t like doing this,” he said. “I keep thinking I’m going to cut my hands. Is there anything else I can do?”

  “Well you can’t use the routers then. No. We must have people who can use all the machinery here. Sorry Sean. Tell your Mum that we can’t hire you.”

  “All right. I’m glad. Perhaps she’ll stop bugging me for a while now.”

  Everyone else had returned to work by then and had heard most of the conversation. When he had left Ken asked Craig if he knew Sean. “I’ve seen him and his Mum in the village but I didn’t know his name. His Mum might come after you; she’s a bit of a loud mouth.”

  “All right. Thanks for the warning. But we must have people who can do everything. Would you like to paint next?”

  “I’d be glad to. Lori, would you mind if I did some painting?” Craig shouted to her.

  “Not if I can do your job,” she replied. “It looks easy enough.”

  “Good,” said Ken. “Provided you can do the job properly you can swap jobs any time you like, just tell me before you do so.”

  Bob told Ken he was going to phone all the retailers who asked for sets early to say that he hadn’t forgotten them, that they were making more and that he’d be able to deliver next week. “I don’t want them to think I’m neglecting them.” It took him just over an hour and afterwards he told Ken that they seemed pleased he had called. “It was well worth the cost of the calls.”

  The telephone rang then. “Hello. Is that Bob? Hello Bob. It’s Bill Watford. Your boxes are ready. Do you want to collect them?”

  “Yes I do. What time do you open?”

  “Eight o’clock, Mondays to Fridays.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for calling,” and he hung up. “The boxes are ready Ken. I’ll go there first thing tomorrow and we can start using them. It’s too bad I don’t have sets to deliver on my way.”

  “Right,
well, if I can get two more helpers as good as Craig and Lori you won’t be short again.”

  It was eight thirty when Bob arrived at Salisbury Boxes. Bill was ready for him and helped him carry the pasteboards to the van. There was plenty of space and they pushed them to the far end, leaving room near the doors. Bob made a dozen boxes while Bill watched. “I’m going to transfer the toys that are still in the shops from the old boxes into these. They look so good. Keep the cutters and the design ready, we’ll be wanting more soon.”

  He climbed into the van and looked at his list, deciding the best way to visit the shops he’d already delivered sets to and began driving. Most of the shops had sold sets, the biggest number were sold in the centre of Salisbury where seven had been sold. Bob said he couldn’t provide more toys for a week or two. The owners loved the new box and thought their very appearance would promote sales but three of them worried a little about the room they took up. On the drive home Bob roughly calculated how many larger boxes he could put in the van. The new ones were twenty inches long and had a diameter of seven inches. The old ones had a one foot square base and were four inches high. Nearly nine hundred of these could fit in the van but, if his mental calculation was right, only about three hundred and sixty of the new boxes would fit. That meant about one hundred and twenty boxes of each set. Giving five to each retailer he could go to twenty four shops in a day. ‘Well, I don’t want to visit more than that in a day, so it’ll be all right.’

  He stopped at a village deli and bought a roast beef baguette and bottle of lemonade then ate his lunch at a pull-in beside the Avon. Later he stopped at a Ringwood supermarket and bought some groceries. He’d buy the rest in the Small End grocery or they’d think he’d left the village.

  Ken and the others also liked the new box. Ken said they’d need more tissue paper to pack the toys and said they wouldn’t have enough room to store them once they had more than four or five hundred in stock.

  “I can keep them in my spare bedroom Ken. It should hold over a thousand. That should keep us for a while. Oh, and in my shed, the new one against the shop. If I clear out the wood and shelves it should hold another five hundred or more.”

  “With that and a full van we can keep about two thousand. If we ever have that many in stock we’ll celebrate.”

  “That’s a good idea,” said Craig, “but we’ll never reach that many since Bob keeps taking them to the shops.”

  “What if I keep track of the number we’ve made on the computer,” interjected Lori, “and we can celebrate every thousand we make!”

  “No way,” said Ken, “but, yes, we’ll celebrate, though not until we’ve made, err, two and a half thousand. We’ll pay for a meal together or something like that. Okay Bob?”

  “Sure.”

  “Then I’ll set up the computer and start keeping track.”

  “Not right now Lori,” said Ken. “I want to finish the farms this week. I tell you what; you stop at three-thirty and set it up before you go home. Would half an hour be enough time?”

  “Oh yes.”

  “Then we start counting from this week. You can start by putting down three hundred, even though we made some of the villages last week.”

  Even with Bob’s help they couldn’t finish the hundred farm sets by the time they stopped at four because the first paint coat hadn’t fully dried. “You can still make it three hundred for this week Lori,” said Ken. I’ll come in tomorrow and put on the other coats.”

  After Lori and Craig had left Bob and Ken sat in the office and reviewed the week.

  “About the farms Ken. I’ll come in and pack them on Sunday. Then I’ll have enough to deliver Monday.”

  “Fine.”

  “I’m going to the Spring Show tonight,” Bob said. “Are you going?”

  “Mary and I saw it last week. We enjoyed the comedy best. The mystery made me think I could write a better one. One day I might try writing. Do you ever think about writing Bob?”

  “No. The only thing I could write would be an autobiography and it would be a short one at that. I’d call it Life of a Station Master.”

  “And Toy Maker, Bob.”

  “Well toy making has only been for a few years and only a few months as a full-time activity.”

  “You know, our toy-making would make a book in itself. We should write the story together.”

  “That’s an idea. We’ll talk about that when we stop doing this, there’s too much to do right now.”

  “Yes. Okay. If we remember this agreement and all the things we did, we’ll do that,” and they laughed a little at the idea.

  Like Ken, both Bob and Joe enjoyed the comedy best but the whole show was lively and relaxing. They had a pint at the Crown afterwards but had to stand at the bar for the place was full and it was too noisy to have much of a conversation. “We’ll talk at dinner tomorrow,” Joe shouted to Bob as they headed to the door. Bob nodded his head and smiled.

  The garden was too wet to hoe Saturday morning so he washed his clothes and hung them to dry on the kitchen clothesline. He dusted and tidied the lounge then put on his mac and walked to the village grocery to buy his groceries. He napped in the afternoon, had a bath then put on his jacket and mackintosh and headed to the Crown.

  Joe and he arrived together. They talked to Len for a while then moved to their table when several newcomers walked up to the bar.

  “How’s business?” asked Bob as they sat down.

  “The greenhouse lettuce is selling well and we have spring onions and peas. It’s a bit too early for yours I expect.”

  “They shouldn’t be long. They need weeding again but I couldn’t do it this morning because of the rain. I’d like to have a greenhouse, as you know, but I don’t have room for one. I’d have to put it where the workshop is and I can’t do that.”

  “Ever though about selling you house and buying one with a bigger garden Bob?”

  “I couldn’t afford to do that. My old house wouldn’t fetch much and I’d be sorry to leave it, it holds so many memories.”

  “Yes. I understand that. My farm has for me. I don’t know what I’ll do when I’m too tired to farm.”

  Luckily Rose and Jack joined them at that moment and their slight sadness disappeared. Rose gave Bob a cheque for £205.50. “I sold five villages, seven farms and four trains last month. I don’t think I’ve ever sold so many in April before.”

  “That’s probably because we have so many visitors,” Joe added. “Jane told me that four bus loads booked seats for tonight’s show. She said that we were not to wait supper for her, she’ll be late.” So they ordered and ate as soon as it arrived.

  “Did you buy the cottage you were looking at Jack?” asked Bob.

  “Nay. A couple bought it. They mus’ have money, fer t’ kitchen an’ bathroom need fixin’. Oh Bob, wont any more cards?”

  “Yes I do. People at the conference took nearly all of them. Can you make me another two hundred?”

  “Aye. An’ labels?”

  “No. We won’t need them in future. The new boxes have places to check what’s in them. I’ll bring you some of the new ones tomorrow Rose. You’ll like them. I’ll move the toys from the old boxes into them; they look good on the shelves. I got them yesterday from Salisbury Boxes.”

  “Can I have some more sets Bob?”

  “Could it wait until you are completely out Rose? I’m still delivering to the people who wanted them early and we don’t have enough to do everybody.”

  “All right.”

  “Anything new happening in the Community Centre Joe?” asked Bob.

  “Nothing I know of. All I know is that we’re still waiting for the contractor to turn up. You’ll probably see him on the site before we know he’s here.”

  Jane had no news for them when she arrived after the show had finished which was just as well for it quickly became hard to hear what anyone was saying. She refused a drink, saying she just wanted to tell Joe she was tired and was going home. Everyone
decided they might as well do the same and left with her.

  After his breakfast kippers Sunday morning Bob checked the April expenses box. He had two boxes now and the May box contained very little—petrol, maps, pins, biscuits and tea. There were just two new items to add to April, Lori’s wages for two days, £50, and £33.74 for petrol. The total was now £5,351.93. They’d get the telephone bill soon and that should be all. And May’s bill should be less even though they’d have to add about £1,000 for Craig’s and Lori’s wages. The question now was, will they make that much money from the toy sales? He’d be much happier if he knew the answer to that question.

  After an early coffee he drove to the shop, stored the pasteboard under the bench where the toys were assembled, made seventy five log-boxes then filled them with farm sets. Afterwards he made and filled enough boxes to hold seventy five villages and the same number of farms. He now had enough to give five of each to fifteen shops. He’d drive towards the west tomorrow and do the Bournemouth area.

  He put a few empty boxes in his van and drove to Rose’s shop. He picked up the boxes, walked round to the back of her house and knocked on the kitchen door.

  “Hello Rose. How are you? Sorry to bother you on a Sunday but here are the new boxes.”

  “That’s okay Bob. Bring them in and let me look at them.”

  Bob walked in and put them on the kitchen table. “What do you think?”

  “I like the shape. They look like logs. Nice, but how do you open them?”

  “Pull the tab.”

  “Oh I see. That’s clever. But they’re longer than the old boxes. I won’t have room to put more than one on the counter shelf.”

  “Will you have room to store them in your stock room?”

  “Well yes.”

  “Good. Give me your sets and I’ll change them over.”

  Jack came in as they were doing this and gave Bob the cards he’d ordered. “All done an’ dry. Ere’s t’bill.”

  “Thanks Jack. Mind if I don’t pay until the end of the month?”

  “Nay. That’s okay.”

  That afternoon Bob took his usual walk, wearing his Mackintosh and the felt hat Betty gave him for his fortieth birthday for it was just beginning to rain. He followed only the river path, knowing that the low spots in the woods would be very muddy. As he passed the place where he had dropped Betty’s ashes into the water he was sorry she wasn’t there to share these times. Would she have liked all his activity? She’d probably have been worried about all the money he was risking. A few minutes later he remembered Tina. ‘I wonder if she’d like to know what’s happening now?. I’ll phone her and ask if she’d like to have a Thai lunch tomorrow.’ He did that after supper and she said “Yes, I would.”

  Monday morning Bob drove towards Bournemouth on the old road that led through one or two villages stopping at shops along the way. He could shorten the time he spent with each retailer by not talking to them but he didn’t think that was wise, at least, not this time. Later, he would, once they knew him and his toys. He had been to nine shops before he parked a hundred yards from Tina’s jewellery shop.

  There were no customers when he entered and Tina said, “Hello Bob. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, and how are you, Tina?”

  “All the better for seeing you, as my Mum used to say.”

  “Business good?”

  “It’s picking up. I expect it’s the same for you, too. Mostly it’s older tourists. They buy different jewellery than the younger ones. So I change what I put in the window this time of the year. I suppose your retailers also do that.”

  “I hadn’t noticed but I suppose they do. Are you ready for lunch?”

  “Yes. Shall we go to the same place?”

  “Sure, unless you know of other Thai restaurants.”

  “I know of two others but they are too far away to walk to at lunch time. Let’s just go to the same place.” She pulled down the front-door shade and popped a sign saying ‘Closed for lunch’ in the window and they walked to the restaurant. The menu only offered various combination specials for lunch. Tina chose a stir-fry and Bob a green curry with coconut milk and both drank only water. The lunches came quickly.

  “I love this taste Tina,” said Bob. “I’ll make some at home if I can get the ingredients.”

  “Supermarkets sell coconut milk but I’m not sure if they sell green curry. Use any Thai curry sauce if they don’t and let me know what it’s like.”

  “All right. I’ll do that when we eat together again.” He spent the next half-hour telling her about the business and the new boxes. They walked back to Tina’s shop then and she hugged him when saying goodbye.

  “Bye Bob.”

  “Bye Tina. See you soon,” said Bob as he turned away, thinking that the hug felt very nice and hoping they’d do that again.

  He visited six shops before returning to Small End, arriving about four o’clock. There were two new young men in the shop when he walked in.

  “Hello Bob. We have two new helpers now. This is Jose Jimman and this is Luke Wister. This is Mr. Barns. He founded this business and has been selling toys for four years. I joined him a month ago. How did it go today Bob?”

  “Very well. Went to fifteen shops and left sets. Hello Luke. Hello Jose. Welcome to Small End Wooden Toys. I heard that you’ve just returned from a holiday. What were you doing before then?”

  “We were volunteers in a building project in South Africa. We’ve been there since last August so now we want to make some money. I want to go to college and earn a diploma in construction techniques for underdeveloped countries. Luke would like to volunteer in South America next.”

  “Did you meet each other in South Africa?”

  “No. We both went to the high school in Big End,” said Luke. “I remember Lori being there but she doesn’t remember me.”

  “So you only want to work for a few months?”

  “Yes. Mr. Smith, err, Ken, said it would be all right if we did that, though we might change our minds later on.”

  “I’m glad you can join us even if it’s only for a few months. We need helpers.”

  “You don’t make toys any more Mr. Barns?” asked Jose.

  “Not usually, mostly I’m selling them. And please call me Bob, we like to keep things informal. Selling’s keeping me busy right now and we’re short so don’t let me stop you from working. We’ll talk later,” and he left the shop and went into the office; Ken followed.

  “They’ve been working on the benches. I’m training Jose and Craig’s training Luke. We’re making village sets and they can handle all we’ve asked them to do so far with no trouble.”

  “What’s Lori doing?”

  “At first she was in the office making lists about our production and tallying up the wood and paint we have in the shop. She ordered more wood because we will soon be running out again. Then she made files for me to keep, one for each person we employ, their address, telephone number, the name of a parent or friend, so we know who to contact in emergency. Then she moved to the paint booth. She’s there right now. So you went to fifteen shops?”

  “Yes. They’re all towards, around, or in Bournemouth. There are just three more urgent ones.”

  “Well, like I said last week, two people can make a hundred farm or a hundred village sets in two days. They can make a hundred train sets in a day and a half. That’s if everyone’s up-to-steam and if I’m also working full-time. So once Jose and Luke are properly trained we should be able to make two hundred farm, two hundred village and three hundred train sets a week. More if you’re able to help too. It’s surprising how efficient production-line processing is, if you have good people.”

  “I still find it hard to believe but you must be right. We’ll have to hire someone to help me soon if our retailers sell as many as you’ll be making. I’d still want to make the initial contact but we’d need another person to help me deliver.”

  “We’d have to rent another van.”

/>   “Yes.”

  “Will you be in tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you buy some more safety glasses and overalls first Bob? Then work on farms or trains.”

  “I’ll take the trains, they’re quicker. Once the village sets are finished I’ll be off. It looks as if that’ll be on Wednesday. Ah, another thing. Three retailers asked me if we have other toys and I had to say ‘No’. Is it too early to do that?”

  “Yes. I want to wait until all our store rooms are full. You can tell me what kind of toy we should make next, if you like. I’d have to think about it and see if we’d need different tools or jigs.”

  “All right.”

  There were two envelopes waiting for him when Bob arrived home. One held a statement from Leo and a cheque for £435. He had sold eleven village, fourteen farm and nine train sets. The other one was a £301.50 cheque from Jenny. She’d sold nine village, seven farm and eight trains. Adding the money he had received from Rose their April income was £842. He’d deposit the cheques tomorrow. It was a pity he didn’t know what their May sales would be; that would be the first true indicator of how well the business was going.

  Since the lumber yard opened before the bank he went there first and used his business credit card to pay for the overalls and safety glasses. Leon was surprised when he did that. “I thought you wanted me to send you an invoice at the end of the month Bob.”

  “Yes I do. You must have added the wood Lori ordered to our account but I want to practice using my credit card. It’s the first time I’ve had one and I want to be sure that it will always work. It works at petrol stations. If I never have any difficulties I might get one for myself. Everyone’s using them these days. They’re very convenient.”

  “Well I find them so. Especially on holidays. You don’t have to carry tons of money with you or a load of traveller’s cheques.”

  “Ah yes. That’d be nice. Well, I’m off to the bank, some cheques to deposit.”

  “That’s good. I like depositing cheques too! Cheers Bob.”

  “‘Bye Leon.”

  The National Westminster teller accepted Bob’s cheques and gave him a receipt just as Mr. Longman walked by. “Hello Mr. Barns. How’s business?”

  “It’s too early to tell Mr. Longman. We won’t know how well we are doing until the May cheques come in.”

  “Yes. Of course. However it’s not usual for a business to show a profit it’s first year. It might be a couple of years before you know if you’re doing all right.”

  “I hope it doesn’t take us that long Mr. Longman. I’ve sold toys for several years and I think people will buy them as soon as they are in the shops.”

  “Let’s hope so. But if you need money in the meantime do come and see me or one of our employees.”

  “I will, thanks,” said Bob, hoping it would never happen.

  “Good. Oh, you should be getting your first statement from the bank any time now.”

  “I look forward to it. ‘Bye Mr. Longman.”

  “‘Bye Mr. Barns.”

  He handed out the safety glasses when he returned to the workshop and told everybody to write their name on their overall. “I’ll wash them once a fortnight,” he promised. That being done he began cutting the dowels and bases for the train sets.

  Jose and Luke did most of the talking during the lunch break.

  “Volunteers like us aren’t paid,” said Luke. “The organisation paid for our flights and gave us a little pocket money. The villagers fed us and found us a place to live.”

  “Were you two together all the time?”

  “Yes,” replied Jose. “We told them we wanted that when we signed on. It meant we didn't move to as many places as others did but we did work in three villages.”

  “What do you do?” asked Lori.

  “Built schools and hospitals.”

  “What do you make them of?”

  “Concrete blocks, if they had them. Twice we had to use wood. We used corrugated iron for the roofs. Windows were usually left open in the schools. Hospital ward windows were also open but others were usually glassed.”

  “Did you like the food?” asked Ken.

  “Usually, though I didn’t like a couple of meats they used,” said Luke.

  “Nor me. I didn’t have the courage to ask what animal it came from,” added Jose. “And the spices were sometimes too hot but we were hungry enough to eat just almost anything.”

  “Did you work every day?” asked Craig.

  “Just the week days. Saturdays we might go to the nearest town,” said Jose.

  “But you didn’t have much money to spend.”

  “No. We had about a pound a week, enough to buy beer or candy.”

  “We didn’t work from nine to five like here,” said Luke. “We started as soon as there was enough light and stopped when it became too hot, about ten in the morning. Then we begin again about four when it had cooled down and continued until supper.”

  “That was when it was getting dark, usually. About seven,” added Jose.

  “What did you do on Sundays?”

  “Sleep, play cards, explore some of the nearby places, chat with any of the locals who could speak English.”

  “Most of them do but they have an accent that takes time to get used to.”

  “Were there any girls there?” asked Lori.

  “Oh yes. Jose had a girl friend, didn’t you? Rosemary.”

  “Yes. We tried to keep it secret. If they found out they would move one of us to a different village.”

  “Will you see her again?” asked Luke.

  “I don’t know. She’s staying in South Africa but I want to go to college here. I had a letter yesterday saying I was accepted. Rosemary and I write to each other at the moment but I don’t know what will happen in the future.”

  “I don’t think I would like to work there,” commented Craig.

  “Nor me,” echoed Lori. “I wouldn’t like the heat.”

  “Nor the bugs.”

  “And not being paid.”

  “Well I liked it,” said Jose. “It’s something I want to do again.”

  “And me,” said Luke, “although I want to go to South America next time and see a different part of the world.”

  Bob and Ken were rather quiet whilst this conversation was going on. They were interested but didn’t understand why anyone would volunteer to go to hot, humid and dusty villages when there were so many nicer places in the world they could work.

  Joe walked into the shop just after they had resumed work. He looked around, pleased to see so much activity, then asked Bob and Ken if he could have a chat and they moved into the office where he put several papers on Ken’s desk.

  “Look, I’m sorry to bother you but my electricity bill has just arrived. My bill for this time of the year is usually about fifty pounds but this year’s bill for April is sixty seven pounds, plus a few pence. I’m pretty sure it’s the electricity you’re using in the shop that makes the difference.”

  “Yes,” said Ken. “I bet it is.”

  “And I think it’ll be more this month because you have more saws and tools running,” added Joe.

  “Yes, it’s certain to be higher. I think we should have a separate meter installed. How about we pay, say £20 to cover your extra costs for this month and also pay for a meter to be put in?”

  “£20 would be fine. Having a meter installed would be the best way to handle it,” said Joe.

  “Okay, I’ll tell Lori to order one. What about water usage?”

  “Oh that bill’s not changed. You can’t be using much.”

  “No a few flushes each day and some kettles of water. That’s all, I suppose. I’ll write a cheque for the electricity Joe. Thanks’ for telling us about it.”

  The National Westminster statement was on the floor when Bob returned home. All the cheques they had issued had been paid. There was an extra bank deduction of £8.66 for the cheques and ‘banking charges.’ That remind
ed Bob he’d soon have to write the cheques to cover the items they had bought. He made a note and used one of Betty’s magnets to stick it on the fridge.

  After supper he added the bank charges to his earlier calculation of April expenses. They now owed £5,180.59. The £7,287 they had in the account would take care of that. Then he remembered the £20 cheque Ken had given Joe and added that to the April amount.

  The villages they had finished on Tuesday gave him enough to load the van with a hundred of each set on Wednesday morning. He checked the map in the office and planned his route. He would go to the three shops that remained on the urgent list then start visiting the shops whose managers or owners had dropped cards in the bowl. He fetched the map from the van and sketched the route, thinking that he’d better buy a felt tip pen because the pencil was hard to see. He said goodbye to Ken and the others and set off.

  With a morning coffee, a half-hour lunch, eaten in a café because it was raining, and an afternoon tea break Bob managed to visit all of shops on his list and was home by five. He didn’t go to the workshop; he’d done enough for the day.

  He worked in the shop Thursday and was there when two envelopes arrived in the mail. One was from the telephone installation company with an invoice for £54.13. The other had the April’s phone bill of £5.53. Bob added them to the month’s expenses and beckoned Ken to come to the office.

  “We spent £5,260.25 in April Ken.”

  “What do we have in the bank Bob?”

  “£7,287.”

  “Excellent.”

  “We should be all right from now on.”

  “Yes we should though I’ll have to upgrade our saws and routers soon. They can’t handle all the work we’re giving them much longer. One of the routers jams now and again. And we must order more sanding mops, Craig told me this morning that it is taking longer to sand now. I’d better tell Lori to do that. I also think we should add more fluorescent lights over the benches, it’s not really bright enough. Lori can get Pat to do that. I’ll drive to Big End tomorrow and buy three new routers and new bits. The saws don’t need replacing, they’re good ones and will last a long time I think. Will you be here tomorrow?”

  “Yes. I’ll open the shop if you like and I’ll work on the trains. What will the other’s be doing?”

  “They’ll get most of the village and farm sets finished and painted today. Then they’ll make another hundred of each. I’ve told them to rotate places and continue making sets whenever they’ve finished a batch. Jose and Luke are okay doing anything now.”

  The phone rang half an hour later. Lori ran to the office and answered it returning to tell Bob to say, “It’s a shop in Southampton. They want toys and asked when you could deliver them.”

  “Tell them Monday. Ask them what toys they want and how many of each. Make a note of any calls like that on a piece of paper with their name and address.” She returned to the phone, took down the details and gave the paper to Bob.

  “You know,” Lori said, “I should keep a record of each of these orders on the computer and print out a copy for you. That way we’d both have a record.”

  “I see. How much would a printer cost Lori?”

  “It depends on what kind you buy. I don’t think you would need an expensive one. You could buy one for all we need for about £150.”

  “All right. Ken and I’ll discuss it. If we buy one you’d know what kind and where to get it?”

  “Oh yes. We’d would need paper for it too. That’s not expensive.”

  Then the phone rang again. Lori picked the shop extension and took notes.

  “That was Southampton again. Here’s what they want.”

  “I heard you say ‘on Monday.’ Good.”

  “What do I say if there’s a call from Bournemouth?”

  “Tell them Wednesday. I don’t want to drive east and west the same day. I hope Bournemouth doesn’t phone for a few days.” Then he thought, ‘Fancy that, I’m hoping people don’t request toys! I’d never have thought that I’d be doing that!’

  After the employees had left Bob told Ken that Lori suggested they buy a printer.

  “And she’s right,” he continued. “I think we should buy one and that she should use it. I’m finding it a lot of work to keep track of everything myself.”

  “All right. I agree. We’ll need a printer to handle our letters and invoices as well. But if Lori kept all our records she’d know all our financial details. I’m not so happy about that. How would you feel?”

  “I don’t know. She’ll have a good idea of how we’re doing because she and everyone else knows how many sets we’re selling.”

  “But they wouldn’t know our income,” said Ken.

  “Lori would if she opens the mail at the end of each month. She’ll see the cheques. She also knows how much we pay for the wood, paint and other items. So she could easily calculate how we’re doing.”

  “Well in that case what we’re really asking is do we want Lori to be our secretary and our financial officer. If we didn’t want that we’d have to have all the mail sent to your home or to mine and we’d have to do all the work ourselves. I don’t want that and you’ve already said that keeping the lists up-to-date is a big chore.”

  “It’s too bad we can’t ask Simon to track our expenses and income,” said Bob.

  “No. He’s an accountant. It’s not the sort of job he’d take and it would be expensive to ask an outsider to do it. Then let’s think about it and decide later.”

  “All right. And Ken, we should order more boxes; there’s about two weeks waiting time at Salisbury Boxes. We should order five thousand this time, I think we’ll need that many, and we get a 20% discount if order that many.”

  “Okay. Is it too late to phone them now?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll try.” Bob picked up the phone and called them. Bill answered the phone but told him that the boxes wouldn’t be ready until May 25th. “We’re very busy right now. I hope that won’t be too late for you.”

  “I don’t know Bill. I hope not. Do you need a cheque before starting?”

  “Not this time Bob. I’ll call you when they are ready.”

  “Thanks,” said Bob and hung up.

  “We’ll also need more paint Bob. Would you ask Lori to order them first thing tomorrow? We might as well buy three pails of each colour this time. No only one of the yellow. We aren’t using much of that. When I’m in Big End I’ll see Leon and order enough wood to make a thousand of each set too. Is there anything you want?”

  “We’d better get some more of the plastic boxes, the ones you use to keep the pieces in. We can use them to hold sets in since we won’t be getting the boxes from Salisbury quick enough.”

  “Yes, ask Lori to order a thousand of them. They’d have to be bigger than the ones we use for the parts. Tell her to measure the size we want before she orders.”

  “If you make seven hundred sets a week you’ll need more than a thousand Ken.”

  “You’re right. Okay, tell her to order two thousand. We can stack the empty ones and keep them with the wood but when they’re full you’ll have to keep them at your place. We won’t have any room.”

  “Okay. Storage’s going to be a big problem Ken. We’ll have to find another place to keep them soon.”

  “Yes, you’re right Bob.”

  Ken walked into the workshop just after they had finished the tea break Friday morning. He was carrying a new router in one hand and a bag in the other. He beckoned Bob into the office and showed him what he’d bought.

  “Leon sold me the new router and these three bits for a very good price Bob. £181.35. He had to order the others. I ordered the wood and we’ll have it Wednesday. It’ll be £457.80. Leon asked me if I wanted to pay by credit card and was relieved when I told him we still wanted to pay at the end of the month. He said you paid for the overalls and glasses by credit card.’”

  “Yes. I wanted to get used to using one. I think I’ll get one myself they seem safe
enough.”

  “I think they are. Leon was happy when I said we’d pay by cheque, he pays a fee every time someone uses a card. Did you know that?”

  “No. I suppose it can’t be much.”

  “It adds up.”

  “Lori ordered the paint this morning and she asked me if I wanted to pay by card or cheque. I told her by cheque, at the end of the month, and they accepted that. They probably prefer a cheque for the same reason.”

  “When will it come?”

  “No later than the end of next week, at least, that’s what they said.”

  “Okay. Supplies are another thing we need Lori to track Bob.”

  “I haven’t told her we’ll buy a printer. Do you want to do that?”

  “Yes. I’ll ask her if we can buy it tonight and I’ll drive her to the shop to get it. I’ll take Josh and Luke to Big End as well,” said Ken.

  “She’s ordered the plastic boxes. I don’t know when they’ll come but they cost £300. The paint cost £65. I’ll add up what we’ve spent and let you know on Monday. And there’s everybody’s wages. I’ve written cheques for them. You should be the one to give them out. Here they are,” and he handed Ken the four cheques. “We’ll only have about £1,050 once these are cashed.”

  “We’ll have to put some more in the bank then. How about another five thousand. It looks as if our May expenses will be about the same as April now that Luke and Jose have joined us.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “Then I’ll write a cheque now and you can deposit it when you’re next in Big End.”

  “Right. £2,450 for you and £2,550 for me. If we need more I’ll have to borrow from the bank because I’ll need the rest of my savings for my holiday. I hope I can soon put some money back.”

  “We will. Don’t worry!”

  The third coat of paint on the farm, village and train sets was dry after lunch. Jose and Lori glued then boxed the sets and everyone else started making another hundred sets, trying to get as much done before four o’clock.

  As Ken was handing out the cheques he told Lori that he wanted to buy a printer and asked if she could do that today. “If you can I’ll drive you and the boys to Big End.”

  “Oh yes. Do that Lori,” exclaimed Luke. “I’m going to a concert and want to shower and change first. It’d be a very short shower if we had to bus to Big End.”

  “What concert is this?” asked Lori.

  “The Bad ‘Ems. They’re in Bournemouth. Jose and I have tickets. We haven’t been to a concert for nearly a year and are looking forward to it.”

  “Will they have tickets for me?”

  “I don’t think so,” said Jose.

  “Can I phone them Ken?”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  Lori found the theatre’s phone number and called only to be told that the show was sold out a week ago.

  “Oh never mind. I’m not fond of the ‘Ems anyway. It’d just be fun to go out tonight. So yes Ken, lets go buy a printer.”