A Time To Pay

by David Woods

  Anna took out a pad. “Let us make a few notes of manufacturers.”

  Brian found one company he had never heard of previously and he guessed did not export to England. It made a wide range of equipment he thought would sell easily and several other companies were interesting, particularly those making hay and silage machines. After visiting several different concerns, they had a short list of manufacturers to approach, but unfortunately had run out of time.

  On returning to the hotel, they wrote a letter to the bank in Zurich requesting a cheque payable to Brian, to be sent to Anna’s home, and as it would be their last night together for a while they agreed they should make the most of it. They had an enjoyable dinner together.

  The next morning they had a shower together, preceding their departure straight after breakfast. Brian rode the short distance to Anna’s home, and when they arrived at the farmyard Anna’s mother ran across and hugged her daughter before standing back to look at her. She smiled at Brian.

  “I can see you have looked after Anna because she looks very happy.”

  Lucy Van Meer shook hands with Brian, smiling at Anna and they all went into the kitchen for coffee, where Anna took off her gloves and proudly showed her parents the engagement ring. Brian had been dreading this moment, wondering if they would approve. They were obviously shocked and said nothing for a moment but then Anna’s mother grabbed Brian’s hand, shaking it violently, closely followed by her father. She hugged Anna again and Brian could see both of them were happy especially her mother, whose eyes were glazed and moist.

  After more coffee and a slice of cake Brian interrupted the proceedings. “I’ll have to get going if I’m to catch the ferry.”

  They shook hands again and Anna followed him out to the bike. They looked at each other, Anna close to tears and she whispered. “We said we would never part.”

  “It won’t be for long. And I’ll be thinking of you all the time.”

  They had a last cuddle and Brian left. The journey back to Calais was uneventful, except for two occasions in France when drivers pulled out of side roads in front of the bike without looking. He had been worried about this particular practice before he left England, but it still surprised him and made him nervous for a while. His feelings were mixed as he journeyed back and he soon missed Anna terribly. It was so nice to be with her and feel her on the pillion, and it always gave him a warm feeling inside. On the other hand he was excited by the prospect of a new venture with her in the future. There was so much to think about and plan.

  He reached the ferry terminal with an hour to spare and parked the bike on the car deck, making sure it was secure. After a cup of tea and a snack in the café, he walked out on to the aft deck and sat on a bench, thinking about the events of the previous fortnight that starkly contrasted with his life on the farm. Life had been so exciting and dangerous.

  As the French coast disappeared he thought of Anna, the wonderful time they had together, and would it be as good when they met up the next time? He wondered when he would see her again, although they had arranged to write and meet again when Brian had made some enquiries at home. France had now disappeared altogether and suddenly Brian felt lonely for the first time in his life. His mind became flooded with depressing thoughts that made him feel sick inside. Anna might change her mind about him now she had time to think about her future without him to influence her. She might not want to marry a foreigner, especially one who was guilty of receiving stolen goods. Then he thought of Laura and how she had behaved. Above all he was worried about the law catching up with him, and as the Kent coast drew nearer he visualised the police waiting for him at Dover.

  Chapter Ten

  The sea was choppy and Brian noticed some of the passengers looking pale, with others leaning over the rails. The wind had freshened in mid channel, and many of the other passengers had gone inside, but Brian sat outside enjoying the fresh air.

  Progress through customs at Dover was slow, with officers wanting to look into boots of all the cars and when it was Brian’s turn, a grim looking middle aged man inspected both the bike and the holdall. Brian nervously looked around for any sign of a police presence. To his great relief there was none, and having satisfied customs, he moved off.

  Darkness had descended when he turned into the farm drive, riding slowly down the drive into the farm buildings and putting his bike in the old chicken shed.

  Betty Wilkins was both pleased and relieved to see her son again, as she had worried about him riding the big dangerous bike almost solidly for a fortnight. She looked at him closely. “Are you well?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “I must say you look well, but I expect you’re hungry.”

  John Wilkins helped him with the holdall. “Well, son, did you really have a good time?”

  “The best and most exiting holiday I’ve ever had.”

  After eating Brian gave a brief edited outline of the trip and then asked. “How are things here?”

  “No better, I’m afraid.” His father frowned. “I’ll show you a letter from the bank.”

  Brian read the letter from the manager out loud. It referred to Mr. Wilkins appeal for extra time to pay off some of the overdraft, said the bank had already been very generous and still demanded an early substantial payment. He put the letter down and grinned. “You can tell him to get stuffed!”

  Betty looked at her son sternly. “That sort of talk won’t help.”

  “It won’t do any harm either.” He took out his wallet and pulled out a cheque, handing it to his father. John was speechless.

  Betty glanced at it, and the usual worried look appeared on her face. “My God. It’s wonderful. But how did you get it?”

  “I won it in a lottery.” To his amazement they seemed to believe him.

  John became more exited. “This is absolutely bloody marvellous. It’ll save the farm and more than clear the overdraft. I see it’s drawn on a Swiss bank?”

  Brian smiled again. “Only the best will do.” He could see the news had lifted a great weight from his parents mind. They looked happier than he had seen them for years, and he left them to chat whilst he had a cup of tea. When he had finished he looked seriously at them sitting around the kitchen table.

  “There are two other things which may surprise you. The first and most important is I’m getting married.”

  John nearly choked on his tea. “Good heavens. I thought you’d fallen out with Laura, and weren’t courting at the moment.”

  “I wasn’t when I left.” He went on to tell them about Anna, and when he had finished explaining how wonderful she is, Betty looked worried again.

  “Are you sure you’re doing the right thing? After all, you haven’t known her very long.”

  “But we won’t be getting married for at least a year.”

  John seemed pleased. This is good news. And when are we to meet the fair lass?”

  “I’m not sure. We’ve got to work that out.”

  “Well, the sooner the better. And what’s the second thing you have to tell us?”

  “I want to start my own business importing and exporting farm machinery. And part of that cheque is to pay for the rent of the old wooden barn and it’s meadow.”

  Betty’s worried look returned yet again. “I hope you know what you’re doing. It’ll be a blow to us.”

  “I’ve thought about that. Now that you won’t have any interest charges or my wages to pay, you can employ a full time farm worker.”

  John pondered over the idea. “Well, if you think you can make a go of it, then the best of luck. As for the old barn and meadow, you’re welcome to them, rent free, for as long as you like. They’re not really any good to the farm as you know.”

  “I realise that, but ideal to start me off. Being close to the road, with a good hard track for access.”

  They discussed Brian’
s plans until late, and John became more and more enthusiastic. He looked at his son’s leaflets and pointed out which machines he liked and thought most likely to sell. Betty stayed fairly quiet, but relaxed.

  Brian milked the cows the following morning and helped with the chores. About mid-morning he started working on his bike that needed cleaning, adjusting and an oil change. Then he fitted a new filter and big end oil supply cork washer. It was lunchtime when he finished and his father walked in.

  “How did the bike perform?”

  Very well. No problems at all.”

  “That’s a neat little hole I see in the fairing. How did you get it?”

  “Oh. It was parked in a barn and someone poked a pitchfork through it.” It was the first explanation that came to Brian’s head, and he hoped his father would not pursue the matter.

  John looked at it again and smiled to himself. “And I suppose it’s no good asking how you really came by that money is it?”

  Brian just grinned and they went into lunch. That was the last time the question of where the money originated was mentioned.

  After lunch Brian read the newspaper and casually remarked to his father. “Did they catch those jewel robbers?”

  “Oh yes. There was quite a report in the paper.” He disappeared to an outhouse and brought back a grubby newspaper. “We haven’t got around to burning it yet.”

  Brian read the report that detailed how the thieves were apprehended in a dramatic police raid. Reginald and Stanley Jones had been charged with the burglary, and were being held for further questioning. Six other men had been charged with various other offences, but there was no picture of the men. The report went on to say that most of the jewellery had been recovered, but no mention was made of the uncut diamonds. Brian wondered if the Jones Brothers had admitted to leaving the diamonds in the woodman’s hut, because if they had his father would have seen police around the lanes and in the wood. So far he had not mentioned anything, so let’s hope for the best, thought Brian. He handed the paper back to his father. “It’s a good thing they didn’t get away with it.”

  “Yes. I’ll say.”

  In the afternoon John and Brian went to look at the old barn. There was a small stack of hay at one end that had been used for yearling calves, to supplement the grass in the meadow. “We’ll soon clear this out.” John said.

  They loaded the trailer and took it back to the covered yard for the cows.

  The next day Brian set off after breakfast with a case full of leaflets to see the local machinery dealers. Most of them knew him well and listened with a sympathetic ear. They appeared to like the forage harvesters and haymaking equipment and thought the prices were reasonable, although they would not be committed to a purchase.

  The following days were spent visiting machinery dealers’ in Sussex, who were surprised to see someone turn up on a motorcycle, although it made a useful talking point. Nearly all liked the equipment, but again none would commit themselves to purchase. He went home miserable, and wondered where he was going wrong.

  John was sympathetic. “Have you thought about offering some machines on sale or return?”

  “No, but it’s not a bad idea.”

  He wrote a long letter to Anna that night, and finished by saying he hoped to be able to report better news next time.

  The next day he went back to his local dealers to offer them the sale or return idea and most of them liked it asking more questions like how about spares, back-up or warranty? The answer to most of these questions was I will have to report back after talking with the manufacturers. The Sussex dealers’ were reasonably keen, but some said they would not have foreign machinery at any price. After three days of hard work, Brian became reasonably confident and wrote to Anna giving her the better news.

  The next two days were spent working out what he needed to set up the business, and John helped when he could.

  To his relief and delight the next morning a reply came from Anna, saying how much she missed him and begging him to return. She reported that the money had arrived and that she had had preliminary discussions with one of the manufacturers, who would be keen to export to England. Brian felt encouraged and asked his father to contact his accountant, with a view to setting up a limited company. A meeting was arranged for the next day, and it was decided the new company would be entitled Wilkins Limited, as Brian thought a simple name would be easy for his customers to remember. He was to be managing director with Anna as company secretary. John declined the offer of a directorship pointing out that he would be too busy with the farm and, in any case, Brian must pursue this venture on his own.

  John and Betty interviewed several prospective farm workers during the next two evenings, and finally settled on a young man called Jim, who had worked on the farm previously. He lived in the local village and could travel to work on his bicycle. Brian approved of the choice, knowing the man to be a hard worker and fairly strong.

  Brian rang Anna that night and arranged to travel to Belgium in two days. She was ecstatic at being able to see him again and delighted at the prospect of helping with the new company. He had already discussed the possibility of Anna coming to stay at the farm and his parents were looking forward to welcoming her. The farmhouse, being quite large, had rooms that were unused.

  “Of course she must come and if she likes it here, we could convert part of the house to a flat, ready for when you get married.” John was pleased to make this suggestion.

  “Anna will need company and it’ll be a good start for you both” added Betty.

  Brian had not really given much thought to where they would live. “Thanks very much for the offer. I’ll talk to Anna about it.”

  Betty smiled. “Of course you must. And give her plenty of time to make up her mind.”

  “But if you want to find your own place, we’ll understand, of course” said John.

  “I think you’ll like her” Brian said thoughtfully.

  “I’m sure we will, and besides it’ll be nice having some glamour about here” his father said with a smile.

  Brian’s journey back to the continent started off wet and windy. The ferry crossing was quite rough, and the boat made strange groaning noises as it hit each large wave. He quite enjoyed the trip, sitting in the deserted café drinking coffee and eating biscuits, and then buying a small present in the duty-free shop for Anna.

  It was late in the afternoon when he rode into the farmyard and straight into the small wooden barn, where he unstrapped the holdall and stretched his legs. Anna’s scooter was there and she ran across the yard into the barn, nearly knocking him over. They cuddled and kissed, staying there for twenty minutes, before walking hand in hand to the house.

  Lucy Van Meer welcomed him and immediately told him that there had been times when Anna had been very miserable since he left. She could see they were very much in love and needed each other. They sat around the kitchen table drinking coffee and Anna made sure Brian had a piece of cake.

  “Did you have a pleasant journey?” Mrs Van Meer enquired.

  “Oh yes, very enjoyable.”

  They spent the evening discussing their plans. Anna agreed they should open an account with a local bank using the cheque from Switzerland. “That should keep us going for a while.”

  I hope so but we’ll need to take a cheque back with us.”

  Anna looked surprised. “Are you asking me to accompany you to England?”

  “Yes. You will come, won’t you?”

  “If you want me to.”

  “Of course I want you to. For two good reasons - one, I miss you so much and want you with me all the time. The other reason is I need your help with starting the new company.”

  This was music to her ears and she kissed him.

  The following day an account was opened with a bank in Antwerp in their joint names, as Anna had agreed after some p
ersuasion to be a signatory. Brian argued she may need money when he is in England and she is at home buying equipment. The afternoon was spent visiting a local manufacturer of silage and haymaking equipment. The proprietor, Mr Vogler, showed them around. He was a man of about sixty with a full head of white hair; a thin energetic person, whose appearance seemed to command respect from his staff.

  Both were impressed with the factory, the quality of its products, and Brian spent a lot of time looking at a forage harvester. The machine consisted of a rotary grass cutter with flail blades secured with short links on to a stout shaft, running about five feet across the machine. The grass was then blown up a long funnel about eight feet tall, which then curved to a spout pointing backwards to a following trailer to catch the cut grass. The machine was supported by two wheels and a drawbar which was attached to a tractor.

  After a guided tour they went to an office to get down to business. Mr Vogler spoke very little English so Anna did the negotiating, briefing Brian from time to time. The price of machinery was lower than Brian had hoped, and he could tell Anna was doing a thorough job because the prices included transport to Kent. He made copious notes. Spares were dealt with at length, and he could see a good margin could be made. The meeting went on until the evening and they agreed to resume discussions in two days. They arrived at home in time for dinner, and spent the evening discussing their next move.

  Brian eventually went up to bed in the same room with its large double bed, as he had when he first arrived. He could not sleep, as he could not stop thinking about what had happened during the day. He rose and drew back the curtains, seeing a full moon which lit up the room with a silvery effect. As he was standing by the window in his pyjamas, staring out across the fields, he heard a creaking sound and the door opened slowly. Anna crept in, closing the door with a click. She had on a dressing gown, which she removed and sat on the bed. Brian was spellbound at the sight of this beautiful naked woman walking towards him in the moonlight. As she cuddled up close to him he held her tight, enjoying the aroma of her perfume. His hands had softened through lack of hard manual work over the last few weeks, and as he stroked her back, her perfect smooth skin felt like warm silk. He was so overcome his knees began to shake. They made love quietly, both delighted to be together again and after an hour fell asleep exhausted.