Chapter 27

Home sweet home.

Danny felt a great relief on the drive home as just past the town of Wellington the sight of the Devon sign on the M5 came into sight. Although he was worried after the last exchange with Sid in the toilets he was glad to be heading back to where he felt secure. Once back in ‘Torbay’ Tom stayed for one more night before leaving for Exeter to catch his flight back to Spain.

At the airport he hugged his cousin asking him to come out to Spain to stay with him soon, so they could as he put it, sort out what if anything they were to do about their mutual friend.

Later that evening Danny sat at home alone with just his thoughts, as Irina was at her ballroom dancing group with her friend, Kim.

He sat in his den as he called it, drinking a glass of his favourite red wine while watching some football game on T.V., as it was not his beloved Aston Villa, he was not that interested. The telephone now rang. Picking it up he was both surprised and pleased to find it was his eldest son, Lee, telling him that he was home on two weeks’ leave and that he intended to come down to stay with them for at least one of those weeks. Danny could not wait to tell Irina. He was their eldest child, but as he had spent so much of his life away in one army camp or another, they had come to treasure any time that he managed to spend with them.

Later that week Lee duly arrived alone, saying that his wife and two kids had been offered ten days in ‘Florida’ with one of her sisters, so as he put it, “You have me all to yourselves for ten days.”

Irena loved to hear this news giving her the chance to spoil him, with breakfast whenever he wanted it, drinks poured and placed in front of him, so much so that when the others came to see their big brother, they commented on what had they done wrong to not warrant the same attention.

Irina laughing then gave them their answer. “You have been spoiled all your lives, but my baby here has been away in all sorts of horrible places. So, when he is home, I shall spoil him, okay!”

After a couple of days his sisters and brothers had to get on with their own busy lives, leaving Lee to spend more time alone with his Mum and Dad. Lee had noticed that Danny was sometimes silent as if he was far away in his own world. This worried him as this was not like his dad at all.

So, on his third day home, while father and son were walking in the crisp October sunshine along Torquay seafront, he plucked up the courage to ask his dad what was worrying him.

At first Danny denied there was anything worrying him, but Lee would not accept this. “Piss off, Pop’s. I am not stupid, so come on spit it out.”

As Danny now looked at his son but could not, try as he may bluff it out. “Look there is something, it may be nothing, I do not know. It involves your Uncle Tom and myself, but I cannot say what it is without Tom’s okay.”

Lee was by now intrigued so after thinking for a few minutes he surprised Danny by suggesting, “So, let’s go to visit Tom in Spain, he would make us welcome, wouldn’t he?”

Danny smiled, then quickly agreed. The thought of spending a few days in the sunshine of Spain with his eldest son sounded great. When they returned home to tell Irina what they intended to do, they were both a little apprehensive at what her reaction would be. But she surprised them by saying it would be nice for just the two of them to spend some time together visiting Tom.

It was a cold Autumn Day, with the sky the colour of pewter from which a light drizzle of rain fell as they boarded the Easy Jet, Boeing 737 at Exeter airport. Two hours thirty-five minutes later they landed in the Spanish sunshine at Malaga’s, Juan Picasso airport. After picking up their cases they passed out into the marble covered arrivals area where Tom was waiting with a big grin plastered across his face. On seeing his nephew, he commented, “How did you manage to persuade the old bugger to come out to see me?”

Tom now threw the cases into the rear hatch of a bright red Range Rover Vogue, and before they knew it, they were driving out past the San Miguel brewery and on to the freeway that ran the full length of the Costa Del Sol.

The sun shone with a warmth, unknown of, back home in October. After only driving for a few minutes, Tom pulled off the freeway to stop at a small Bodega, where they had a welcome cold drink of Amstel beer.

Tom now looked at his two guests before he asked, “So, what’s the plan, lads? You have not come out here just for your health, of this I am quite sure.”

Danny looked at his son, who in turn looked towards Lee, who then tipped back his beer before he spoke. “Dad has indicated that you both have a problem back home, that is worrying you. But he would not confide in me what this is, without you first agreeing.”

Tom smiled, but the smile did not quite reach his eyes. Then lighting up a cigarette he seemed to draw on this heavily before answering, “Well first I would say this is not something that we can discuss here over a quick drink, agreed?”

The other two nodded, before Tom suggested, “So let me first show off my place to you, then tonight I am taking you both to the best bloody steak house that you have ever been in, ‘Alberts’ on the port.”

Lee raised his glass. “Sounds good to me.”

Danny then slapped his son on the back before giving him a wink as they finished their drinks. They continued their journey on the freeway passing Benalmadena, then a few miles farther Fuengirola, before taking the road towards Cala Honda where to their left all that could be seen was blue sea. They swung off the freeway once more as the sign above them read Cabapino. They now drove down into a beautiful little marina surrounded by palm trees, small white painted bars and apartments, one of these they then discovered was Tom’s.

Once in the apartment Tom showed them both to a guest room that overlooked the small harbour, stepping on to the small balcony through some French windows. Danny could see why his cousin was so taken up with this place. It was lovely.

True to his word that evening Tom took them the short walk from his apartment along the quay to the famous ‘Alberts’ bar which they found was every bit as good as Tom had indicated, run by a London couple. The steaks were out of this world. The interior was old world, with sepia photographs of 1930s film stars and gangsters on the walls. Above them penny farthing bikes were hanging from the ceiling, but all done so tastefully.

After the meal they sat out on the small terrace where a patio heater kept away the chill of the autumn evening. Until finally after a couple of Spanish measure Irish whiskies, Lee eventually turned to them saying, “Come on then you two old buggers, spill.”

So, they told him everything right from the beginning, after which he looked at them both then shaking his head said, “Blimey, I think I need another drink after hearing all that, you pair of little devils.”

He followed with a laugh causing Danny to comment. “It is no laughing matter son; we could both end up in nick. And what would your Mum say, as she or the kids know nothing of any of this.”

Lee now leaned across and grasped his dad’s hand, and looking at them both he simply said,

“Leave this all to me okay. I have sorted out far worse problems for my Queen and country in the past twenty plus years that I have served in the army.”

Tom and Danny looked at each other both wondering if they had done the right thing in telling Lee. But what was done was done.

For three more days in which Tom treated them to a cruise on his boat after which he then insisted on taking them on a tour of Marbella. Later that day Lee after receiving a phone call, now announced that he was sorry but that he was urgently needed back at camp. Danny wanted to travel back with him, but Lee insisted that he should stay on for another few days with his cousin.