‘It’s no good you keep going on about it’ Jessie says tartly, her knitting needles flashing in the firelight. ‘I seem to remember someone being too drunk to get home after a particular wedding reception!’ She looks at George over the top of her glasses, her mouth pinched in reproof.
‘Ah but that weren’t in middle of the day’ George smirks, gripping his hospital issue walking sticks tightly as he eases himself down onto the high seated chair. ‘And it weren’t no wimmin’s institute thing neither!’ he says with a chuckle, peering at the clock on the mantel and then squinting at the television. ‘That there programme yer wanted t’watch’ll be on in a minute’ He settles himself more comfortably and props his sticks gainst the side of the sofa.
‘It was NOT a Women’s Institute meeting!’ Jessie ignores the mention of the programme and hits the back of his hand with the knob end of her needle. ‘I know where you got that from!’ she says, yanking on her ball of wool and sending it skittering across the carpet. ‘That was Kester, that was. Lynn was telling me what he’d said. Not true!’ Her head nods indignantly. ‘It was a lovely lunch so we could all say hello to the baby’
‘Ah, an’ get tiddly’ George goads with a snort of laughter that causes his denture to drop. He sucks it back into place.
‘I’m not used to alcohol, that’s all’ Holding her knitting in one hand, she licks her middle finger and turns the pages of the television magazine that lays on the seat next to her.
‘You calls that pop, alcohol? Blimey, woman, I could get drunker on cat’s…’
‘That’s enough! Champagne was your undoing too, if I remember correctly’ She waves the television remote control in his direction.
‘It weren’t. T’were a duff pint’
‘Several duff pints if my bathroom was anything to go by. I don’t want to hear any more about it’ Jessie changes channel and with a triumphant glare at George, tucks the remote control down the side of her cushion.
‘Well’ George folds his hands on his stomach and twiddles his thumbs as he stares attentively at the screen. ‘You was lucky I didn’t take yer up on yer offer’ he says, deadpan.
The clicking of her needles stops abruptly. ‘What offer?’
‘Well…’ George continues to look straight ahead. ‘When a woman turns up on a bloke’s doorstep and says what they needs t’go to bed, what’s a bloke t’think? I thought me luck were in!’
Jessie’s eyes narrow and George prudently ensures his hands are out of reach of her needles. ‘I did need a lie down and your house was nearest’ she retorts.
‘So you says’ George deliberates slowly. ‘I reckon yer wanted me body, meself’
She turns away with a disdainful sniff. ‘What would I want with it if medical science has already turned it down?’
George chuckles and sucks a finger to mark ‘one to Jessie’ in the air. His face becomes serious again. ‘Why the ‘eck didn’t yer get a ride ‘ome?’ he asks quietly. ‘T’others did according t’what Charlie were sayin’
‘Nathan was going to come and fetch me. Then he had all that trouble and rang the house to say he couldn’t get there. They’d gone by the time he did that, so I thought I’d walk, save bothering anyone else’
‘Yer could a got a taxi! Blimey, woman I’d a paid fer it rather’n ‘ave yer walking back t’your place when you was pi…a bit under the weather. Yer could a got runned over’
‘Well, I didn’t’ Jessie raises the volume on the television to distract him.
George raises his voice to compete. ‘Yer could a rung me an’ all. I’d a come fetch yer’ he declares.
‘And have you go on at me like you’re doing now?’ She lowers the volume again.
George’s mouth works around his teeth while he thinks how to respond. ‘I wouldn’t a done. Not iffin I were going t’see yer ‘ome safe’ He clears his throat and turns his gaze to the television as the advertisements come to an end.
For a few moments, Jessie sits very still watching the expressions that flit across George’s face. ‘You really mean that don’t you George?’
George wipes a handkerchief under his nose and clears his throat again as he returns it to the pocket of his cardigan. ‘Course I does’
Behind her glasses, Jessie’s eyes soften. ‘There’s a few sweeties in that tin next to you’ she says as she blinks ‘on the table, there. Help yourself’
They share a companionable smile.
George takes two sweets from the tin and hands one to Jessie. ‘What yer knittin’ any road?’ he asks as he unwraps his and pops it into his mouth.
‘Pencil cases’
Rose Cottage Albans Lane
Chapter Twenty-three
The White Horse
‘Quick half while the missus isn’t looking?’ Daniel stands with one foot on the bar rail, leaning his arms on the bar. He turns his head to greet Kester with a grin and a low chuckle.
‘Hello, Dan’ Kester deposits a handful of change on the bar and starts pushing coins to one side as he counts them out.
‘Times that bad?’ Daniel laughs and winks at Vivienne ‘Best get him one on me’
Kester snorts at the joke ‘Just getting rid of some shrapnel, I’ve been walking lopsided all day. Pint, Viv, please ‘ he taps a pump.
‘No, I’ll get these in’
‘You’re okay’ Kester waves away Daniel’s offer. ‘You can get the next round when the missus gets here’ he laughs.
‘Oh, she’s coming?’
‘Try and do ‘the weekend starts here’ bit if we can. Mad since one of us works Saturday most weeks’ Kester chuckles and separates the price of his drink from the collection of coins on the bar.
‘Take the rest off you if you like, sweetheart’ Vivienne says as she sets his pint on the beer mat ‘Gawd knows where me change’s gone. That’ll save me trotting out back to get some. You must have a tenner or more there in bits and pieces’
‘Weighs a ton, that’s all I know’ Kester takes his first swallow of beer ‘Hang on….got some more here’ he pushes his hand into his trouser pocket and brings out the remainder of his small change. ‘No idea how I managed to get lumbered with that lot’
‘Same as everybody else, I expect’ Vivienne surmises with a roll of her eyes as she gathers it all together ‘Pay for everything with a note. You only want one or two shops to give you change in pound coins as well and it soon builds up’
‘You’re probably right’
‘Aren’t I always?’ Vivienne winks and hands back a small amount of change while she takes the rest to the till.
‘So….’ Kester says, looking at Daniel ‘Settled in okay?’
‘Fine. Lovely place. Couldn’t be happier’ Daniel stretches as he gives an enigmatic smile and then mirrors Kester in lifting his glass and taking a drink.
‘You quite sure about that?’ Kester asks.
‘Suits me down to the ground….quiet…you know’
‘But?’
‘But nothing’ Daniel assures him with a wider smile, clapping Kester’s shoulder. ‘You must have enjoyed a little bit of….solitude…shall we say, in your time?’ he winks.
‘Not sure about solitude, it was Helen’s place’
‘Missed my meaning, sunshine’ he chortles, winking again.
‘Ah…right’ Kester says noncommittally and briefly turns to take the note Vivienne holds out to him before she moves further along the bar to serve another customer. ‘Cheers, Viv’
‘You get any problems with vandals?’ Daniel asks with a nonchalant sniff.
‘What…at the cottage?’ Kester looks concerned, looking up quickly from putting the money into his wallet. ‘You’re suppose to get in touch with one or either of us if there’s been any damage to the…’
‘Hang on’ Daniel stops him ‘the cottage is fine, the garden is fine…I meant cars…stuff like that’
‘No…never…not as far as I know. We don’t get much of that around here at all’
‘Hmmm…okay…thanks’
‘Why?’
‘Juvenile prat!’ Daniel mutters into his pint.
‘Who?’
Daniel shakes his head while he is still drinking ‘S’ok got it covered’ he says, wiping moisture from the corners of his mouth with finger and thumb ‘Pretty sure I know who’s responsible. Didn’t want to jump the wrong conclusion, that’s all. Thought I’d better check first’
‘Before what?’ Kester asks warily.
Daniel sucks his teeth and makes a smacking sound with his lips ‘Nothing for you to worry about’ he dismisses Kester’s question with another wink.
The bar door opens and they both turn. Kester’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly as the heavily made up, peroxide blonde woman pauses to look around before tottering towards them with a wide red smile.
‘Dan?’
‘That’s me, darlin’’ Daniel returns her smile and takes the unseasonable sunglasses from where they perch on top of his head and tucks them into his shirt pocket. ‘You like a drink first?’ he drains his pint.
‘No, it’s alright…er…you did say what you’d pay for me cab?’ she glances back to the door.
‘I did and I will! He still out there, is he?’
‘Yeah’
‘Great. Off we go then!’ Daniel ushers her towards the door with a hand to her back, turning to nod goodbye to Kester. ‘Regards to the missus….Ah..’ he says as the door comes open again and Helen walks in. ‘Hello and goodbye’
‘Good evening, Mr. Painter’ Helen smiles and manages to keep the startled curiosity from the expression on her face. ‘Settling in alright?’
‘Brilliant! Just telling your old man. He asked me the same thing’ He wavers momentarily, undecided on whether to go back to the bar or carry on out of the pub. He raises his arm and lifts his chin as he calls to Vivienne ‘Stick theirs on me tab, sweetheart’ his extended forefinger points between Kester and Helen. ‘Be in later’ with a quick ‘thumbs-up’ he and his friend leave.
Kester grins as Helen joins him. ‘If you could see your face!’
‘Well!’ Helen looks behind her as if not quite believing what she has seen. ‘What was that?’
‘At a rough guess…’
Helen holds up her hand ‘I don’t want to know!’ she says, shaking her head.
‘Red or white?’ Kester asks.
‘White, I think….’ She looks over her shoulder again ‘A large one’
