by John Evans
‘Oh yes, I haven’t had chance to tell you some hot news, Darl.’ Mike was preparing for feeding the calves and was at the kitchen sink drawing a bucket of warm water. He had to wash Primroses milky bits before milking, because he didn’t want feed the calves with dirty milk.
‘What sort of hot news, is that then,’ Jan thought another of his silly moments was due, and she smiled wryly waiting for the joke.
‘Well, Chris, Keith’s Chris, is messing about with someone.’
Jan froze; her stomach turned, what does he know, what’s coming next?
‘Oh yes,’ she tried to sound as uninterested as she could.
‘Yeah, well when I went over this afternoon, as I drove in the yard,’ he paused in his revelations to lift the bucket from the sink. Jan waited holding her breath.
‘She was kissing some bloke on the doorstep.’
Jan relaxed and breathed again.
‘When he saw me, he was in his car and out of there like a bat out of hell.’
‘He could have been a relative.’
‘Oh yeah? Not the way they were kissing. Anyway I thought they didn’t have any family around here? Still, nothing to do with us, eh, love,’ he gave her a peck on the cheek, ‘we’re as innocent as babes.’ He gave a little laugh, ‘it all happens out here, eh? Ho, here they come.’
The children tramping into the kitchen and dumping bags and coats on the floor,interrupted their chat.
‘Hi kids,’ Mike, said, happy to see them.
‘Mum can I have something to eat I’m starving’
‘You’re always starving, David,’ Jan replied, glad of the break in the conversation ‘I expect I can find you a crust of bread,’ Jan joked.
‘I’m off to the barn,’ Mike broke into his silly singing mode, ‘a milking I will go, a milking I will go” and headed out.
‘You are funny, Dad,’ Mandy giggled.
With Mike gone Jan relived her reaction to his ‘hot’ news. What if Mike did find out about her and Chris, God what would he think of me. What if the kids found out, not that they were really old enough to understand, but how horrible would that be? Her face flushed with shame and guilt, what I am I thinking of? It’s all so crazy.
‘Are we going to give them names, Dad,’ Mandy, refreshed with a slice of Jan’s cake had dashed out to the barn and was watching her dad feeding the calves from a bottle. Primrose stood by watching her babes and giving an occasional encouraging moo.
‘Not just yet, we might we might be selling them later on.’
‘Will she have two more calves next time?’
‘I don’t think so sweetheart, it’s quite rare to have twins we’re very lucky. There, that’s you two fed. Come on, let’s go in and have our food now shall we?’
‘I’m hungry too Dad”
‘Well, we’ll soon have milk for your breakfast.’
‘Will it be in a bottle?’
‘No, a bucket,’ Mike chortled.
That evening with Jan out at the Am Dram, and the children messing about in the sitting room, Mike decided to try out the telephone and ring the builder. He promised most faithfully he would call to see them the very next day. Now where had he heard that before?
SIXTEEN
The small lorry loaded with timber and roofing slates, reversed slowly to the front of the barn.
‘Here we are then, Mr Jones, not in the way here are we?’
‘No that’s fine, we can pass by with the car easy enough, I’m really pleased to see you.’
‘I brought slates with us but it looks as though we won’t need too many extra. You managed to save a lot I see.’
‘Yeah, some are stacked outside and there are more inside the barn.’
‘Well there we are then, me and Joe will get on with it now.’
One month and four days later than promised, Mr Williams the builder and part time farmer, and his son, Joe, had at last arrived. Soon the yard was filled with the noise of saws and hammering and of course an absolute essential - a radio, spattered with cement and paint, pumping out pop music. But that was a small price to pay for having the barn roof repaired and checked ready for any further winter gales.
In the kitchen Jan was equally pleased although wondering how much it was going to cost.
‘He said he couldn’t give us a price because he doesn’t know how much new timber he’s got to put in. But it shouldn’t be too expensive because we saved lots of good slates. We’ll just have to trust him that’s all.’
‘Lets hope he doesn’t rip us off like that Idris did with the ploughing,’Jan said.
Mike gave a shrug of his shoulders, ‘well, it has to be done, love.’
‘When is he going to look at the work on the house?’
‘Lunchtime, when he has his break.’
‘Oh, right, we’ll have our lunch early then, so we’ll be ready for him. Oh, yes, I’m driving over to Chris’s tonight, a few of us are having a line rehearsal.’
‘That’s okay, when is this extravaganza to take place?’ Mike teased
‘January the third, I think, about ten weeks away. And some of them will need all of that just to get a couple of lines right.’
‘That’s the spirit, show them what you professionals can do.’ Mike teased again.
He liked her doing this acting business, He thought it did her good to get out of the house and do something so different from housework, and helping him outside.
‘Oh yes, I think we can start taking some milk from Primrose tomorrow She’s got enough for the calves and us. So we can have a go at making clotted cream soon.’
‘I wondered when your stomach would come into it. You and your cream.’ Jan was really a little bit jealous of Mike. Because of her constant concern with her weight, she wouldn’t be eating much of it. Whereas he could eat whatever he liked and not put on an ounce.
‘What time are you going over to Chris’s?’
‘About half seven, she said, I don’t know what time I’ll be back.’
‘That’s okay, love, I can see to the kids.’
Nothing had happened between her and Chris on Monday night and she was beginning to think that nothing would ever happen again. Jan certainly didn’t have the confidence to initiate anything herself. So had begun to put the whole business behind her. The day once again went by with a rush and the evening was upon them. For Mike it was an evening with his job list, and going through the figures the builder had given him. For Jan it was a trip to Chris’s. Mikes news that she had been with another man didn’t bother her at all. In a way it consolidated her view that she and Chris were ‘normal,’ and she set off with an innocent heart knowing that there would be at least five other members there. So her secret desire for a repeat intimate moment with Chris wasn’t on the cards. Despite all her other chores and worries, her extraordinary involvement with Chris was always in her mind. Why she was so obsessed by it eluded her completely. She knew the expression that a man, ‘could sweep a woman off her feet’ and had always thought what a silly saying it was. But was it happening here, in reverse, as it were? But surly this was a curiosity thing, not at all like a man woman scenario? In a way Jan felt as though she herself was a sex mad stranger, someone she didn’t know at all. Whatever hunger was propelling Jan towards Chris, it had to be satisfied.
Now that the children were in bed Mike could concentrate on his calculations and costing. The barn roof was well under way, and the new timbers were already in position but the slow job of replacing the slates was to come. However Mr Williams had promised not to leave the job until it was finished which was excellent news. All in all things seemed to be on the up. Yes, it would all need money, but as the bank manger had said it was money being spent on increasing their assets, namely the house. And, if there were no more expensive disasters, they would soon have some income from the pigs to spend. If the house building went well they would have B and B guests in the spring. Mike was feeling much happier; Jan had even allowed him some home comforts the other n
ight, and so with his contentment quotient rising, he treated himself to some of the Vodka left from Arthur’s visit. He still thought about sex a lot. An unexpected flash of naked breast or knickers on the television could still trigger his interest. What was different now was that actually making the effort to make the first move, seemed to be less urgent. Perhaps the loss of his previously avid urge could be put down to the steady pace of the countryside, although in reality his daily life was frantic enough. Then again perhaps this sublimation of his sex drive could be the result of his workload – or old age. Mike took a sip of his drink, switched on the television, threw a couple more logs on the fire, settled back in his chair, and rolled a cigarette.
‘Okay, this is where Cinderella comes in, and sings the love song to the Prince. Jasmine you’re Buttons, so you and the chorus are on stage at the same time, right.’
‘I think so, will we be singing as well?’
‘What does your script say?’
‘Chorus singing in the background. So we will be singing then?’
‘Of course you will be singing,’ Colin the producer director said through gritted teeth.
‘I just wasn’t sure if we are singing, do you see,’ Jasmine drawled.
‘Yes, I do see, and yes, you are singing,’ God almighty, give me strength, Colin said under his breath.
‘Shall we have a break?’ Chris stood up and walked to the kitchen, ‘Coffee, tea or vodka?’ Since discovering that Janice liked Vodka, she had bought a couple of bottles – alcohol can be a useful seducer.
‘Ah, a vodka for me - a large one please Chris,’ Colin sighed exhausted by his directing efforts.
‘What about you, Janice.’
‘Do you know, I think I’ll have a vodka as well.’ She was enjoying the evening, different faces, different surroundings, and some very amusing ‘actors.’
Colin made an elaborate issue of placing a ciggy in his cigarette holder and puffed urgently as though trying to block out the vision of his errant cast. He thought he was a great actor and director and lived the role to the full. A tall slim fellow, only just into his fifties had retired from the banking world early and now lorded over his fellow Thespians. Funnily enough, he did look a bit like Noel Coward.
‘Jasmine what are you having.’
‘Well, if I do have a drink it might make me a bit odd.’
Jan stifled a laugh.
‘Nothing new there then,’ Colin whispered to Jan.
‘Yes I will have one, just a little one, please,’ Jasmine ceded.
‘What about you Agnes?’
‘Just coffee please, Chris.’ Poor Agnes, a quiet lady, in her sixties, had never had a part and was usually assigned to sorting props. The nearest she had ever got to a part was reading in for other people. But she still had hopes of getting a role so attended faithfully all the meetings – just in case.
‘Here we are,’ Chris said cheerfully and placed glasses, mixers and nibbles on the coffee table, ‘help yourselves, I’m not going to wait on you.’
The second part of the evening didn’t go any better then the first. Not helped by the amount of Vodka consumed.
‘Okay folks I think we’ll call it a night,’ Colin had had enough for one night and was anxious to get home to sanity. Plans for the next meeting were made, and goodbyes were said. Jan was the last to go for her coat.
‘I’ll help you clean up, shall I?’
‘No it doesn’t matter, I’ll just stack the glasses in the kitchen. I’ll see to them in the morning.’
Jan staggered ever so slightly towards the kitchen, carrying a couple of plates. ‘I think I’m a little bit tiddley,’ she giggled, perhaps I should sober up a bit before I drive home.’
‘Good idea, I’ll make some coffee, and I’ve got a new dress to show you I’m not sure it suits me, you can tell me what you think, your good with things like that.’
‘Where did you buy it, Chris, Abersoch?’ Jan asked, rather woozily.
‘No, mail order. Can’t get anything fashionable around here, and it’s easier, and quicker. It’s upstairs, come on up see what you think.’
Once again into the lilac boudoir. Chris slipped out of her skirt and jumper and stood, bra less, clad only in tiny knickers.
Jans heart picked up a beat as her eyes gazed excitedly at the image.
Chris slipped the dress over her head, ‘There what do you think?’
‘It looks fine to me, it’s a lovely colour.’
‘What about at the back?’
Jan crossed the room and ran her hand down the back of the dress following the lines of Chris’s body. She could feel the firm willowy form beneath the material
‘No, fine, it fits you really well.’ Jan was really very envious of Chris’s slenderness, and wished off the peg clothes would fit her so elegantly.
Chris’s pretence began to fall away and she made her move. Turning around she grasped Jan by the shoulders and kissed her. Jan responded eagerly, and boldly placed a hand on a pliant breast.
‘Let me take this dress off, shall I? Then I think a quick bath.’ Chris murmured, Jan helped her out of the dress and it lay discarded and rumpled on the bedroom floor. Soon, other garments lay strewn about the room…
Outside in the deep darkness a figure crossed the yard and approached the house.
It had gone eleven when Jan reached home.
‘You were late last night love I thought you had lost your way in the dark like we did the other night,’ Mike chortled; he was still in a confident mood.
Jan’s reply was helpfully delayed by Mandy interrupting the chat.
‘When are we going to have our own milk, Dad?’
‘Today, soon as I’ve had breakfast I’m going milking.’
‘Will it be like the milk in the shops?’
‘Oh, much better than that. There’s lots of cream in Jersey milk.’
‘I like cream,’ David said, he followed his dad in this respect.
‘Come on you two, it’s time to go for the bus,’ Jan cajoled
‘Aw, mum will you take us, it’s pouring with rain.’
‘Oh well, I suppose I could. I need a few things from the village shop anyway.’ A worried frown crossed her face as checked the contents of her purse. It was rather empty, but they had to eat. Stoically, she continued as cheerfully as she could, ‘come on then you two, get in the car. It is Friday after all, then two days off for you lucky little devils.’
‘Cor thanks mum.’
Jan quite liked shopping in the village, where she would often try out her simple Welsh on the bemused shopkeepers. It wasn’t shopping as she knew it because there were only two shops, a post office, and of course the school, not at all like back in Barey. The largest shop was a corrugated iron clad ‘emporium,’ painted battleship grey, and which looked very much like the little tin chapels scattered about the county. The other, a tiny place, was attached to the village pub. The village itself was neither picturesque nor ugly and was a mix of very old cottages and between them, a sprinkling of nineteen thirties style properties – and of course the whitewashed old pub. The centre of the place was dominated by a large grass covered roundabout, customised by the locals with the points of the compass set in white painted stones. Which served as a junction for the three narrow roads leading in and out of the village. Set on the verge to one side of the roundabout was a War Memorial to the local causalities. The locals called the whole area, The Square, which Mike and Jan found rather odd. But perhaps before the roundabout was built it would have been just that. With the children deposited out side the school gate Jan began her simple shopping, with a very light purse.
The heavy rain continued, and Mike wasn’t expecting the builders to turn up, it was far to wet to work on the barn roof. Inside, Mike started the milking and was pleased that his hands remembered the skill, learnt so long ago in his childhood. And soon he had about half a gallon of rich yellow milk from Primroses swollen udder. And there was still plenty for her babes. He fed th
e calves from the bottle for the last time. They were now able to stand and feed for themselves so that was one less chore. He took the milk to the house and left it on the kitchen table for Jan to sort out when she got back from running the kids to the bus. Mike was soon back in the barn starting the boring routine of mucking out. Between placing forkfuls of steaming manure into the wheelbarrow, he would pause and watch the young pigs romping about in the fresh straw. They were now big enough to move out and away from their mother so that she could go back to the boar. So he would have to finish building their new pen as soon as possible.
‘Good litter you got.’
Mike half turned half fell and slammed his back against the wall.
‘Bloody hell, I didn’t hear you. You scared the life out of me.’
Josh stood, hands in pockets, looking at the pigs and totally unconcerned by Mikes remarks.
‘Yeah good pigs. Couple of months and the group will have them.’
‘Well I’m not sure I’m selling to the group. I might go in with Keith Bowen over at Penlan.’
Josh raised his eyebrows, accentuating his watery red-rimmed eyes, otherwise his face showed no emotion
‘Him? No, you be better with us, you come to the group.’ His poor expression in English probably inhibited him from making a stronger argument, and he turned and began walking out of the barn. Mike found it difficult to know how disappointed or angry Josh was. If his voice was anything to go by, it was higher pitched than usual, he wasn’t pleased at all.
‘You come to us, I will call when they are bigger.’ Josh called out over his shoulder. Mike was almost beginning to feel sorry for him, but then remembered what an odd bloke he was, and how he turned up invited. He just wanted him off his yard. Mike didn’t want to prolong Josh’s visit by arguing, so ignored his remarks and returned to the task in hand.
‘Would you believe it? He’s a creepy bloke, just appeared in the barn, I didn’t hear a thing, frightened the manure out of me,’ Mike laughed at his own witty remark, ‘anyway, how did he know that we had pigs?’ Mike had popped back into the house to tell Jan about Josh appearing out of the blue.
