Chapter 2 Two Weeks Ago
Barbara was busying herself in the kitchen, getting the dinner ready for Eric and herself and their guests, Winona & Bill, Pat & Peter. Their last party had to be cancelled for obvious reasons. Eric was looking out of a side window. ‘Terrible evening, my goodness I’ve never seen so much rain fall, do you think our guests will come in this weather?’
‘The chance of a free meal, I should say so!’
‘That’s a bit off, after all we had to cancel last weeks dinner party!’
‘Well! Let’s be frank you were in a foul mood that evening, you never wanted them to come at all. What happened to you?’ ‘Someone telephoned my office and said that you were having an affair with Bill Monkton and they said they could prove it and sent me a video of Bill leaving our house. That’s why I was a bit distraught.’
‘Oh Eric! I wouldn’t have the inclination or the energy to get involved with someone else. It’s always been you that I love, even though you’re ratty sometimes!’
‘Why have you left it for a whole week before telling me?’
‘I don’t know, it’s just that I had resigned myself to the fact that you didn’t love me any more and there would be no use in me fighting against it.’
‘What a silly-billy you are, I would never ever dream of doing anything like that to you, I’m so deeply in love with you.’
‘Well, you know how thoughts can gallop away in your mind when they are planted in there and he seemed to make it rather convincing.’
‘It was a man, then.’
‘Yes! I didn’t recognise the voice, wherever he was speaking from sounded like an echo chamber.’
Barbara’s eyes widened briefly as she thought about their bathroom that also sounded a bit like that, but surely not.
’Why the silence! What are you thinking?’
‘Nothing!’
‘Come on, tell me. Don’t keep it to yourself, you’ll only worry.’
‘I was just thinking!’
‘Yes?’
‘I was just thinking that our bathroom sounds like that.’
‘Do you think he was speaking from our bathroom?’
‘I don’t know what to think, it’s almost unbearable to even contemplate that he was speaking from there. Don’t go to work tomorrow!’
’Alright I’ll telephone your Dad, I’ll make some excuse. We can’t have you clucking with frenzy at home all day by yourself.’
‘Don’t tell him why. He will only worry.’
‘Okay. I’ll think of something.’
Eric phoned his Father-in-law and told him that he has had a bit of an accident – fell down four steps from the new loft conversion and badly bruised both his ankles and would not be in for the rest of the week. He told Dad that he would phone his lads to come and help him with office work. It would be work experience for both of them and suggested that he paid them the going rate of £4.50 an hour for six hours work. Eric replaced the handset.
‘He seemed okay about that and told me to take it easy.’
Barbara walked towards Eric and placed her arms around him and nestled her head against his chest.
‘Thank you darling, I feel more at ease.’
‘I think we will have to do some seriously thinking about getting somebody else to help your Dad. He is 79 years and finds it a bit of a struggle. I try to help where and when I can, but being on the road representing the firm, getting new customers is tiring work, especially the long drawn out meetings I have to attend to finalize details.’
‘I thought we agreed to ring up the boys and ask them if they could help in some tangible way on a permanent basis.’
‘Yes – I thought about doing that – but you know our boys – will they do it? They don’t even bother to come and see me – I’ll have to give it some thought.’
‘Well maybe you won’t have to give it much thought if the firm is going to pay them and as we are doing so well, perhaps we can afford to pay them £70 a week. That may be the incentive they will be looking for and if they make good over say, a probationary period of three months – we could take them on, on as you say on a permanent basis. I would rather have them than somebody we don’t know – what do you think Eric?’
‘Yes! You could be right. We’ll give them a try.’
Eric picked up the phone and dialed, ‘There’s a funny noise on this phone. It sounds quite different, must be the weather.’
Eric heard a click and James’s voice crackles into existence: ‘Ah so! Chinese Laundry at your service.’ More crackling noises and John’s voice hits the air ways – Sorry about that – James likes to joke.’
Eric explained what he and Barbara had discussed and asked them if they were ready to assist in the family business. ‘Hold on.’ Then the phone went dead and Eric turned to Barbara and told her they were having a discussion on the merits of getting off their lazy backsides and actually doing some work. After about ten minutes passed, James came to the phone and said, ‘Hi dad – will you give us luncheon vouchers?’
Eric said ‘Hold on!’ Will you speak to our sons – they want to know if we can supply them with luncheon vouchers. I do need to pay a visit to the bathroom rather urgently.’ Eric hands Barbara the phone and she says,’ Hi Honey, your dad had to go somewhere in a rush.’ ‘Work I suppose.’ ‘No. Not work. He’s sprained his ankle coming down the new loft conversion and he’s taking a few days off, it will be nice for me to have him around. I shall be ever so grateful if you and John would consider working with your Grandad, what about it?’ ‘We will Mum but can we have more than £70 – you know the rising cost of living – can we have £90?’ ‘Okay – you have decided, but would like £90 plus luncheon vouchers – okay you’re on – I’ll tell your dad – can you go in tomorrow, it being Wednesday.’
‘Sorry Mum we promised to take our girlfriends to London for a short holiday break.’
‘How can you afford to do that when you’re not earning!’
‘Dole money Mum, we’ve been saving some of it for this weeks holiday!’
‘Oh well if you can’t, Monday will have to do – love to both of you – bye!’
At that juncture Eric appears looking a bit strained because of his complaint of Irritable Bowel Syndrome which sometimes held him to ransom when he had to rush off in a hurry. The boys never understood that part of his life, even though he tried to explain. They always thought he didn’t want to be with them – this being the reason of his somewhat distant relationship he had with the boys, though they never knew how much he loved them both.
‘Well did they agree?’
‘Yes unfortunately for £90 plus luncheon vouchers and they can’t start until next Monday!’
‘Hmm, I’ll phone dad and let him know – thank you darling!’
Eric picked up the telephone which was still crackling and dialed his Father-in-Law.
‘Hello Dad, just to let you know that Barbara and I have arranged for the boys to be with you from next Monday. We are paying them £90 plus luncheon vouchers a week for three months probationary and if they make good we will consider placing them on a more permanent footing with a proper working pay rate!’ His father-in-law said, ‘£90 is not enough – I’ll give them a little bit more than that – leave it with me – we can afford to do that and I’m certain they will make us proud!’
‘If you’re sure about this!’ said Eric, ‘I’ll leave you to do what is necessary – bye dad.’
‘Your dad thinks that £90 is not enough.’
‘I heard’
‘Of course you did, silly me, the hands free system was on – I think the whole neighbourhood would have heard, I must tone it down a bit!’
Eric twiddled with the telephone buttons which all had symbols instead of words to state what each button did and Eric had to hold the machine up to the light so he could see what the symbol stood for.
‘Ah! Got it! That should do the trick! I can’t really see the boys turning up next Monday – pity if they don’t because they really will miss out on a job opportunity and will be given a raise as soon as they step over the office threshold, but you never know, they might surprise even me!’
