A Life Afloat (Maybe)

Chapter 19

Rising in the morning with a touch of disquiet, Peter began his day, well, after breakfast and cleaning his 'van that is, critically, the first thing he checked was to make sure that the batteries in his front and rear cycle lights were in good condition and with this being the case, fitted them to his trusty machine, there was going to be no repeat of the other evening or night, he would not be caught out again on a cycle with no lights. Having made sure that all was well within his 'van and after checking the time mounted that trusty rusty machine once more and headed out for the boatyard. He made sure that he was in good time for his meeting with Alec, arriving a little early at the boatyard where he parked up his bike in the usual place, wandered over to the office for a chat with Nobby, after declining a cup of coffee he mentioned to him that Alec was back and he had a meeting with him a little later in the morning, 'that's great news' Nobby said with the delight apparent in his voice, 'be sure to let him know that we are all glad that he is back, if you get chance, just let him know that Sam has left his outboard motor with me for safe keeping, it's locked up in our tool room, so it's safe and sound for when he needs it', said Nobby in his office accent, not his peculiar local dialect. 'I'll do that' Peter acknowledged as he made his way out, 'see you later, all being well' closing the office door before Nobby could make any further comment. Slowly making his way along the narrow road and turning towards Alec's cottage, he saw straight away that Alec's car was safely parked in his drive way, which of course meant that he had arrived safely home from his travels, A sense of relief came over Peter, he was so glad and happy that he almost jumped up in the air in celebration but resisted the feeling, he entered into the front garden, closed the gate behind him but before he had any chance to move further forward Alec came out of the front door, walking towards him with his hand held out, which Peter grabbed hold of very firmly saying how good it was to see him back home safe and sound and looking well in himself, with nothing more than a smile in reply Alec thanked him and escorted him into the cottage and took Peter straight into the kitchen where a pot of tea stood steaming away, Alec poured them both a cup and the usual biscuits, they're probably a bit on the soft side Alec told him, I bought them a couple of weeks ago, just before he had to go away. Being honest with you Pete, it's been far tougher than I expected, he continued, I knew it was going to be rough, but not that bad. I'm not sure how much I should tell you, as little or as much as you like Pete suggested, I can listen for as long as you wish, get it off your chest if you want to, rant and rave as much as you like, I won't take offence he promised Alec.

Pausing for some time, there's a lot, an awful lot to tell and some of it's not pleasant, Alec quietly carried on, I've been staying with my son, Donald, sadly, even if I say it myself, I know he's my son, with another fairly long pause, but he's not a very nice person at all, can't stand him but I had nowhere else to stay, no hotels, no motels in his area, not even a cheap bed and breakfast, so I had to go there every night and put up with his whining and winging, full of moaning and complaints, nowhere good enough, not for his Mother, Mother, he can't even call her Mum. First thing is though, I'm afraid that my Rose won't be coming home again, not ever, he said with a choke in his voice, too far gone now, needs twenty-four hours a day care, doesn't remember anyone or anything, just sits there like a vegetable, all Don could do was to shout at her, saying who he was and it wasn't fair that she didn't remember him, he was her only son, she must remember him, he screamed at her at times, it got so bad that both the nurses and Doctor's asked him to leave, he's been driving me mad. Spent days trying to find a Nursing and Care Home for her but there was nothing in the area that could fill her needs, in the end I ended up some fifty miles away, from Donald's house that is, finally I got lucky, there's a new home opening in another three weeks or so they hope, brand spanking new it is, no one in there at the moment, just a Matron and Head Nurse, so with their bosses permission I took them down to the hospital to meet Mary, they were so gentle and so kind with her, I signed her up there and then, it's definitely a relief, it's just so far away, goodness knows how often I will be able to get up there to be with her, to tell you the truth, I'm thinking about buying a little flat up there but of course, Donald, big man that he is, is demanding that I move in with him, sell this cottage and pay him rent for a room, of course, you will eat with us at no cost at all to you, he said, damned cheek of the man. Seeming as if he, Alec, had run out of steam for a few moments, Peter said that it could be a good idea, buying or even renting a little flat near to where Mary would be being cared for, at least in the short term, if Mary settled in her new home and sadly showed no sign of improvement and if in time Alec became comfortable with the situation he could live in this his lovely cottage and commute up to see Mary as and when he felt it right to do so, just a thought and suggestion he said to Alec. Trust you, an almost stranger to my family, to see a path that neither I nor my son came up with Alec commented, a good Idea Pete, thank you, thank you for caring for a fairly new friend, you don't know what it means to have someone understand so clearly what I am having to cope with, now then he went on, it's lunch time, were off to the bistro for a bite to eat, I phoned Sandy earlier on and told her to expect us, with a short bark of a laugh, I hear that you are their new pot-man and kitchen porter, I'd like to see you at work in that little kitchen of theirs, chuckling away to himself as he led Pete out of his home and down towards the bistro.

It was almost like the return of a long lost family member, all the way down to the bistro, when the locals who were out and about saw Alec greeted with a lot of warmth, handshakes from the men and hugs from the women, all of whom made sure that they asked about Rose, how she was and where she was staying, with a lot of sighs of dismay and head shaking, a sure sign that both Alec and Rose were well respected and loved by all in the village, it was no more apparent than when he entered the bistro, where Alec was swamped by three, apparently very excited and happy young women, who gathered around him like bees around a honey pot, all Pete could do was stand quietly to one side and wait for their exuberance to die down. Eventually Alec managed to extricate himself from the mini rugby scrum that had enveloped him and quietly demanded food from them, before he collapsed. With some pretence of shock horror, the girls guided him to his normal table and while still making a fuss of him asked what he would like for lunch, steak and kidney pie for me with those lovely chips he asked. It would seem that they had all forgotten about Pete who had ended up just leaning against the wall, while watching their antics through a jaundiced eye but with of course a smile on his face, he asked if he was excused washing duties today, as he, like Alec, was ravenous and needed sustenance sooner rather than later. With a playful and light thump on his chest, Sandy told him that the kitchen staff received no special treatment and if he collapsed it his fault not theirs, he should have had a bigger breakfast, with a chuckle of his own, Pete countered with, in that case, today, I'm a customer so I'll have some of that steak and kidney pie with creamed potato's if you don't mind. Walking over to where Alec was sat at his usual table, who, with a smile on his face told Pete that it was because they couldn't get the right staff and that he always had problems with these young women.

With Sandy, Sarah and Amy returning to their normal positions behind the counter, Sarah taking control of the bistro, with both Sandy and Amy disappearing behind the kitchen doors Alec started up a general conversation with Pete by asking about the goings on, in and around the boatyard, so it was with a little relief that Pete explained that he had kept an eye on the yacht having been aboard several times but with some embarrassment, he did not fail to tell Alec about his almost running over Nobby at the end of the jetty, which Pete saw, with pleasure of his own, brought a smile to Alec's face. In what seemed no time at all plates of hot steaming pie were placed before them with Sarah making sure that they had all they needed and demanding they call her when they were ready for their coffee. As had become normal, both of them thoroughly enjoyed their meal, as instructed, they called Sarah over, asking her to pass on their thanks and compliments to Amy once more on her cooking and asking for the coffee and bill at the same time, they then continued the quiet conversation about what Peter had been up to during Alec's absence, having nearly forgotten it, Pete told him about Sam leaving his outboard motor with Nobby, simply because he kept falling over it in his workshop, he told him that Sam had been so busy lately he needed the space, it would seem that as spring grew closer, more and more boat people were bringing not only outboard engines but also their motor boats and small cruisers as well, to have the engines checked before they could go out on the water, it would seem he had also taken on an apprentice, to not only learn a trade but to help him, like all of us, he is beginning to show his years Pete told him. As if suddenly making up his mind about something urgent Alec made a move, encouraging Peter to do the same, briskly walking over to Sarah where he paid for both their meals and saying a quick good bye to the girls he made his way out of the bistro, leaving Peter to follow, who did so with just a shrug of his shoulders to Sarah indicating to her that he had no idea what was happening and meekly followed the quickly moving Alec back through the village and into the boatyard, where he took a dozing Nobby completely by surprise, very quickly, almost demanding, he asked Nobby for his outboard motor, upon receiving it from a somewhat bemused and confused Nobby, made an even brisker exit from the office and headed straight for his rowing boat.