When It Snows Ch. 03

I popped into the bank then and deposited the draft and took out a little spending money, I had never been so flush in years.

After a quick lunch we met a different estate agent and were shown around a seafront cottage, built in Edwardian times but in the arts and crafts movement style of a bygone age, which was full of antique features like inglenook fireplaces and looked utterly charming, although it was only three bedrooms. It was cosy but much less grand than the first two properties. Then the agent escorted us down a pea-gravel driveway next to the cottage, around a corner of high yew hedges, to reveal a colonnaded mansion set in several acres of lawn. It was immaculate and a snip at one and a half mill for the pair!

After seeing the mansion, Katherine and Alex went back to the hotel for an afternoon sleep, while Shirley and I went clothes shopping for me, which was actually fun. That was a definite first for me, my life was changing exponentially.

While we were in the changing rooms, trying on a couple of pairs of smart but comfortable strides, my mobile phone went off. I noticed when I powered it up that I had several missed calls once again.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is that Barry?"

"Yeah."

"It's Karen from the bureau, I've been trying to ring you all day."

"Sorry, Karen," I apologised, "I've been busy house hunting. You got anything for me?"

"I have," she chuckled, "Had a call from The Grand Hotel, they need a temp short order chef for two weeks, starting on Monday, 11.00 to 22.00 four days a week, with a two-hour break in the late afternoon."

"Tell them I'll start on Monday," I said.

"I already said you would," Karen laughed, "And, when I mentioned your experience running Barry's Cafe in Green Street, the manager actually said he knew of you and if you wanted a permanent position as breakfast chef it was yours immediately after this temp appointment."

"What hours?"

"Four hours a day, five days a week from 05.30 to 09.30, £16 per hour. I accepted on your behalf, hope that was alright?"

"Perfectly, thanks, Karen."

"You're welcome, sir!" she said, "Pop in and see us when you can."

"Looks like I've got a job starting on Monday," I said to Shirley, who was folding up the trousers for me.

"Congratulations, hon, I'm proud of you. What are you doing?"

I told her, we had a good laugh about how far I'd have to walk to work.

We paid for the clothes with my debit card, at least I now had some money in the account. Then, after we had gone back to the suite, I decided to check on the rest of my missed calls. I deleted the ones I knew about from Karen and was left with three from Donovan. I bit the bullet and called him.

"Hi Donovan, it's Barry," I said when he answered as 'To a T', "Sorry I missed you earlier, but I've been busy."

"No problem Barry, man," he drawled, "I need to make an apology to ya, I opened one of ya letters by mistake yesterday morning. It came mixed in with all the other junk stuff and it weren't until I read it that I realised it was for you not me."

"That's no problem, leave it on the side an' I'll collect it later." I then remembered he was moving out and into his new shop that day. "Even better, can you pop it in my letter box with the keys when you get a chance?"

"Sure, but ya really want to pick this letter up, now."

"Why? what is it about?"

"It's three pages of legal gobbledygook, from lawyers representing your landlords ..." then he paused.

"And?"

"What it boils down to is a developer has offered to buy the whole block of properties to build luxury holiday flats and they are offering ya £98 grand to give up the balance of ya lease."

Bugger me! Yesterday I was on my uppers and ever since I got back with Shirley, everything in my world has turned the corner.

I told Shirley about the windfall and she was delighted. I told her we had to go out shopping again. She asked where, as it was getting late in the afternoon and we were all hoping to go to the swimming pool with Alex before tea.

I told her we might need to go to the jewellers, second, after picking up and properly reading this letter at Donovan's shop first.

Then I got down on one knee and asked Shirley to marry me again.

That brought more screams from Shirley, then Katherine and Alex came in to hear what was going on and once they heard the news we had another one of our now firmly-established group cuddles. Even Piddles got in on the act, threatening to trip us all.

We managed to get up to the jewellers before they closed, Shirley chose something that was surprisingly tasteful without breaking my increasingly healthy bank account and we still got back in time for Alex to have some enjoyable pool time before tea. Shirley and Katherine both looked stunning in their swimwear, I determined that I needed to hit the hotel gym over the next few weeks and tone up the muscles under my loose skin before we moved into whichever new house we ended up with.

We had a great family evening, during which Shirley got a call from the estate agents, her offer for the cottage and mansion that we all liked had been accepted. Later it turned into a great night, in my eyes my fiancé had never been lovelier.

Next morning, Alex and I were up earlier than everyone else and we crunched our way down to the beach, skimming stones, investigating rock pools, climbing up and over seaweed and barnacle-encrusted groins, having an enormously enjoyable time, we newly-acquainted granddad and grandson. Best friends.

We climbed up the beach on firm wet sand, and then up those exhausting pebbles. It was too much emotional excitement and physical effort so early in the morning for a little three-year-old, so I picked him up and carried him for a while. Alex put his arms around me and said,

"I love you Granddad."

"I love you too, Alex," I said, kissing him on the forehead and ruffling his blond locks.

A pair of old ladies walked by us on the pavement, smiling at us and nodding to me. I nodded back, feeling a warm glow inside, holding on to my newly-acquired grandson and thinking of my blossoming relationships, with my daughter and ex-wife-cum-fiancé.

Then I looked up to see that I was standing outside the Public Library and had a sudden thought which had the effect of a total dampener on my euphoria.

"Oh fucking shit!" I exclaimed without thinking.

Sharp as a tack, Alex came back like a shot.

"Ofickinshit!" he copied, with a big grin on his face.

He is so bright, he loves learning new words.

Bugger! I thought to myself.

I sat us down on a wooden bench seat next to a fragrant raised flowerbed full of winter pansies and bright primroses, in front of the library.

"Now Alex, listen to me carefully, when you get a situation that you need to express frustration or let off steam, sometimes you need a word or a number of special words to say, something which fits that moment perfectly, OK?"

"OK?" he replied a little doubtfully, perhaps reluctant to un-remember a word which had seemed so admirably expressive.

"The word to remember is ..." I slowly and deliberately looked up the street in both directions and then I put my head close to his and whispered quietly in his shell-like ear,

"Doodlebugs." I whispered.

Then I looked at him, nodding my head, tapping my index finger on the side of my nose.

"Doodlebugs?" he said, with wide open eyes.

"Doodlebugs." I confirmed our secret swearword to him, nodding sagely, he matched my nod conspiratorially, as only truly bonded males could.

Holding hands, we stood up and walked back to the hotel, looking forward to my breakfast and even more important to me, the rest of my wonderfully happy life.

Now everything was perfect. I could hold my head up as an independent individual, not forced to hang onto my lover's coat-tails if the need ever arose. I was deeply in love and believed I was loved totally without reservation in return.

I had a simple wedding ceremony to look forward to, perhaps giving me an opportunity to renew my relationship with my two middle-aged sons.

I was wearing fresh clean new underwear and smart casual clothing for the first time in a long while. My new shoes fit like gloves (oh, you know what I mean!)

I was staying in a penthouse suite in the swankiest hotel in town and could look forward very soon to living in a nice house in wonderful company.

I was once more gainfully employed doing a job I loved doing more than anything and was suddenly financially extremely secure. I was no longer encumbered with the responsibility of a weighty lease around my neck, or any debts.

Nor did I have to endure the inconvenience of an unreliable rust heap of a car. I could take my time and choose my pick of the new or quality used vehicles available.

Even my, now our, cat was happy, purring away even when I was in the same room as him.

In short my life that was absolutely awful two days ago was now blissfully perfect.

The only patch of thick rain cloud darkening my horizon, one that had completely slipped my mind, were those half a dozen soaking wet, doodle-fucking-bug library books!

THE END