Over the last 3 days I've written about 5,000 words but I'll save 4,000 for further blogs. And here are 1,000 of them in the story of Arthur and Mary, continuing from the previous blog ...
"Right, enough talk!" said Dottie, interrupting authoritively. "The sooner we get this shoulder looked at the easier it will be to get it back into place. The swelling will not wait for our fascinating discussions."
"Yes Matron!" said Joan, saluting and laughing. "Arthur, untie your brilliant knots and let's get this silly boy to the doctor to be rearmed!"
"So, Martin, that was a clever trick, getting Toby to trip over you," said Arthur as they all settled back in the lounge with a cup of tea and with pastries that Toby had insisted on buying.
"Mmm, just a silly thing we used to do at school - amazing how inspiration hits when desperation bowls, as they say in cricket," said Martin, chuckling. "And I just happened to be back here in Croydon with that conciliation work that's going on and on … and, Dad, I've never seen you so ferocious! I'm glad you were on my side, you quite frightened me!"
"Yes, rather surprised myself, I must say," said Arthur, laughing.
"Yes, the fearsome four! Quite a team," said Joan, smiling at Arthur. "Now, Toby, this Mr Gravelly Voice, he seems to be a crucial figure. We need to find out more about him - who he is and who he's working with."
"I wish I could help," said Toby, juggling a cup of tea and food with the one hand not in a sling. "The communication came via my phone. Texts, mainly. And the money is to be delivered by courier."
The Chase
Tuesday, 13th March 2012
"My gosh, is that really you, Halee?" asked Mary, shocked, as they met, as agreed, outside Starbucks, in Orange Street at 8.30. "You're usually dressed so, well, demurely at work."
"Well, we're out on the town and I thought if I drew attention to myself, you'd be noticed less," said Halee, adjusting her top which revealed a large acreage of ample and hitherto undisclosed cleavage. She was obviously not used to wearing such revealing attire.
"And your yellow coat, where did you get that?" asked Mary, admiringly. "I've never seen one like it before."
"That's because it's actually what the workmen in New Zealand wear," said Halee lowering her voice and moving closer to Mary, conspiratorially. "I just added some pockets and stitching and the groovy belt. The height of fashion in London now!"
"OK girlfriend, you've done us proud and I feel so weird in this get-up, this men's stuff. I suppose this is what it feels like to go on stage." said Mary. Both women giggled. "Oh hell, men don't giggle. I must try to be more seemly and, to be brutally honest, I'm bloody nervous. Would you like a drink … a wine or something, beforehand?"
"That would be nice George … I suppose you have a man's name?" suggested Halee.
"Oh hell, I hadn't thought of that," said Mary. "Now, how about a drink, Mavis my dear?"
"Mavis? Thanks a bunch!" said Halee laughing. "I'd rather keep my head clear so how about a coffee and then a wine afterwards?"
As they sat in the café, looking out at the busy night life of the city, Mary imagined an Indian man nodded to her as he passed. She felt slightly uncomfortable.
"Good, Ahmed's on the case," said Halee, noticing Mary's puzzlement.
"Oh, that was Ahmed? I didn't recognise him out of his pinstripe suit," said Mary as the confusion evaporated and she tried to focus on what she had to do - talk like a man, walk like a man, act in love with Halee, hand over the case at 9 o'clock … and then what?
"I wonder what's in the case," said Halee. "It must be valuable to someone."
"I didn't dare look inside it, though Sam gave me the combination number to unlock it," said Mary, about to reach into her bag for lipstick and then realising she didn't have her handbag with her. What to do with her hands now, she wondered. "I just didn't want to know."
"Gosh, I'd have been into it like a rat up a drainpipe!" said Halee. "Maybe I'm just too nosey."
"Yes, part of me wants to know and part of me doesn't want to know what could go wrong," said Mary, stirring in her sugar.
"Do you normally have four spoons of sugar in your coffee?" asked Halee.
"No, of course I don't! It would be vile," said Mary, confused by the question.
"Well, your coffee now has four teaspoons of sugar in it. It's official!" said Halee with a smile. "You must be nervous alright!"
"Ugh!" said Mary, testing her coffee. "My God, you're right! I think I'm losing it. I'm usually so much in control. I don't know what's happening to me."
"Mary let me tell you a secret, just between you and me," said Halee, leaning over to whisper in Mary's ear. "You're in love!"
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"No I'm not!" said Mary defiantly. "Yes, I do respect Sam but I'm not in love with him. That's silly."
"How did you know I meant Sam?" asked Halee mischievously.
"Oh!" said Mary, momentarily nonplussed.
"You. Are. In. Love. With. Sam. Lord," said Halee, slowly and deliberately. "And, believe me, when that happens, all logic and control fly out the window."
"Oh," said Mary, unable to summon up any more words.
"Look, just admit it, accept it, and then you have an excuse to be as weird as you like," said Halee, laughing. She sipped her coffee and held Mary's eyes with her own. Mary was stumped. She'd sort-of admitted it to herself in moments of weakness but now it was out in the open, as plain as day and she could not put the baby back, so to speak, once it had been born and was there for the world to see.
"Being in love, Mary, can be unnerving, scary, illogical, badly-timed and everything else that's skew whiff but if it's there, it's bloody there. Just accept it, will ya," said Halee, patting Mary's hand. "You see, love knows no age, race, gender or anything else logical - it just moves in where it does and denial only makes it painful. Acceptance allows it and us to flourish. Let it grow. Let yourself grow and watch the magic happen."
"Yes Matron!" said Joan, saluting and laughing. "Arthur, untie your brilliant knots and let's get this silly boy to the doctor to be rearmed!"
"So, Martin, that was a clever trick, getting Toby to trip over you," said Arthur as they all settled back in the lounge with a cup of tea and with pastries that Toby had insisted on buying.
"Mmm, just a silly thing we used to do at school - amazing how inspiration hits when desperation bowls, as they say in cricket," said Martin, chuckling. "And I just happened to be back here in Croydon with that conciliation work that's going on and on … and, Dad, I've never seen you so ferocious! I'm glad you were on my side, you quite frightened me!"
"Yes, rather surprised myself, I must say," said Arthur, laughing.
"Yes, the fearsome four! Quite a team," said Joan, smiling at Arthur. "Now, Toby, this Mr Gravelly Voice, he seems to be a crucial figure. We need to find out more about him - who he is and who he's working with."
"I wish I could help," said Toby, juggling a cup of tea and food with the one hand not in a sling. "The communication came via my phone. Texts, mainly. And the money is to be delivered by courier."
The Chase
Tuesday, 13th March 2012
"My gosh, is that really you, Halee?" asked Mary, shocked, as they met, as agreed, outside Starbucks, in Orange Street at 8.30. "You're usually dressed so, well, demurely at work."
"Well, we're out on the town and I thought if I drew attention to myself, you'd be noticed less," said Halee, adjusting her top which revealed a large acreage of ample and hitherto undisclosed cleavage. She was obviously not used to wearing such revealing attire.
"And your yellow coat, where did you get that?" asked Mary, admiringly. "I've never seen one like it before."
"That's because it's actually what the workmen in New Zealand wear," said Halee lowering her voice and moving closer to Mary, conspiratorially. "I just added some pockets and stitching and the groovy belt. The height of fashion in London now!"
"OK girlfriend, you've done us proud and I feel so weird in this get-up, this men's stuff. I suppose this is what it feels like to go on stage." said Mary. Both women giggled. "Oh hell, men don't giggle. I must try to be more seemly and, to be brutally honest, I'm bloody nervous. Would you like a drink … a wine or something, beforehand?"
"That would be nice George … I suppose you have a man's name?" suggested Halee.
"Oh hell, I hadn't thought of that," said Mary. "Now, how about a drink, Mavis my dear?"
"Mavis? Thanks a bunch!" said Halee laughing. "I'd rather keep my head clear so how about a coffee and then a wine afterwards?"
As they sat in the café, looking out at the busy night life of the city, Mary imagined an Indian man nodded to her as he passed. She felt slightly uncomfortable.
"Good, Ahmed's on the case," said Halee, noticing Mary's puzzlement.
"Oh, that was Ahmed? I didn't recognise him out of his pinstripe suit," said Mary as the confusion evaporated and she tried to focus on what she had to do - talk like a man, walk like a man, act in love with Halee, hand over the case at 9 o'clock … and then what?
"I wonder what's in the case," said Halee. "It must be valuable to someone."
"I didn't dare look inside it, though Sam gave me the combination number to unlock it," said Mary, about to reach into her bag for lipstick and then realising she didn't have her handbag with her. What to do with her hands now, she wondered. "I just didn't want to know."
"Gosh, I'd have been into it like a rat up a drainpipe!" said Halee. "Maybe I'm just too nosey."
"Yes, part of me wants to know and part of me doesn't want to know what could go wrong," said Mary, stirring in her sugar.
"Do you normally have four spoons of sugar in your coffee?" asked Halee.
"No, of course I don't! It would be vile," said Mary, confused by the question.
"Well, your coffee now has four teaspoons of sugar in it. It's official!" said Halee with a smile. "You must be nervous alright!"
"Ugh!" said Mary, testing her coffee. "My God, you're right! I think I'm losing it. I'm usually so much in control. I don't know what's happening to me."
"Mary let me tell you a secret, just between you and me," said Halee, leaning over to whisper in Mary's ear. "You're in love!"
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"No I'm not!" said Mary defiantly. "Yes, I do respect Sam but I'm not in love with him. That's silly."
"How did you know I meant Sam?" asked Halee mischievously.
"Oh!" said Mary, momentarily nonplussed.
"You. Are. In. Love. With. Sam. Lord," said Halee, slowly and deliberately. "And, believe me, when that happens, all logic and control fly out the window."
"Oh," said Mary, unable to summon up any more words.
"Look, just admit it, accept it, and then you have an excuse to be as weird as you like," said Halee, laughing. She sipped her coffee and held Mary's eyes with her own. Mary was stumped. She'd sort-of admitted it to herself in moments of weakness but now it was out in the open, as plain as day and she could not put the baby back, so to speak, once it had been born and was there for the world to see.
"Being in love, Mary, can be unnerving, scary, illogical, badly-timed and everything else that's skew whiff but if it's there, it's bloody there. Just accept it, will ya," said Halee, patting Mary's hand. "You see, love knows no age, race, gender or anything else logical - it just moves in where it does and denial only makes it painful. Acceptance allows it and us to flourish. Let it grow. Let yourself grow and watch the magic happen."
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