I’m just retrieving my work bag from the back seat when Dad says, out of nowhere, “Shall we start looking for a car for you then? How about next weekend?”
I gallop through the doors, through reception and skid into Charles’s office. Debs only ever arrives at 8.30am sharp but Megan and Charles have been in since God knows when, as always. They’ve got their heads together over the final account from that job out at Karoi and the smell of freshly ground coffee drifting along the corridor is divine.
“Dad’s going to buy me a car! He came out with it just now when he dropped me off. Rosie got a holiday in England and I get the car. Can you believe it?”
“And good morning to you too, Missy. Megs, my love, we’ll carry on with this a bit later as we have to find a vehicle for Miss Tessa here. What’s your budget, Tess?”
“Dad’s budget. We’ve only had the briefest of discussions but he reckons perhaps two to two and a half thousand dollars. I can put some in if I need to.”
“Knew you’d be good at financial management. Now I do know a few folk who might be able to help…” He starts scratching around in one of his desk drawers.
Megan collects up the mugs and the cafetiere, glances at me and jerks her head in the direction of the door.
“I need a refill and I’m sure you want one, my dear?”
We head to the kitchen together. On the way, she says, “Leave him to search his database of car dealers. I won’t get any more sense out of him until he’s satisfied that urge. I guarantee that by the end of today you’ll have a list of suitable cars to view on an itinerary that will take you on an extensive tour of Greater Salisbury and possibly even further afield. You have been warned.”
“I can never quite understand how he knows so many people from every conceivable walk of life,” I say as I dump the old grounds in the bin.
Megan is tiny and slim, with an athletic body you don’t often see on anyone officially past retirement age. She still has shoulder length, shiny hair, although it’s completely grey, that she catches up into a pony tail in coloured scrunchies to match whatever outfit she’s wearing. She’s always so tastefully co-ordinated; skirt and blouse or a dress – never trousers – with a matching jacket. Always a jacket. On the hottest of days it might be a light linen one, but I’ve never seen her without. She has an eye for detail that I can learn a lot from. Charles requests an invoice or statement, even from a job completed two years ago, and Megan goes straight to where it is. When he acts amazed, she asks him, how else does he think his accounts will be kept? Certainly not under his messy filing system. If he dares to take the initiative and file, or search out, any document himself, she tells him which way is up. She’s a legend.
She laughs. “I think it’s more that everyone knows him, or wants to know him. He’s one of those rare people you meet on the way through life who just is. He doesn’t try to pretend to be something he’s not because he doesn’t see any point in that. He doesn’t even try to be himself, if that makes any sense. No, it probably doesn’t, but it’s how I think of him. He is a leader of men without trying to be a leader. And he’ll find you a car, don’t worry.”
The two of us end up drinking our coffee in the kitchen because Charles is already on the phone. I know Sylvester is off on leave until next week, visiting his family, and I can hear evidence that Debbie’s arrived and is setting up her typewriter. Other than that the offices are empty.
“Is Nathan still out at the reservoir site at Shabani? Charles did say he would probably spend a couple of days out there. I didn’t see him at all over last weekend.”
Once upon a time I would’ve thought nothing of that.
“Oh I think so,” she says, with a degree of doubt. “He did go on Monday for sure and I guess he’s staying with Sean Masterson and his wife because they’re right in the town. You’ll have to ask Charles when he’s back.”
Her slight frown smooths out to a small, knowing smile. “Of course he was at the Borrowdale races last Saturday with Sherrie. He told me how much he was looking forward to that, and I suspect he spent Sunday at hers.”
Of course? Like I knew? Well, I’m not his keeper, as the saying goes.
I pick up a spoon and give my coffee a stir, then put the spoon back in the sink. Pointless actions. I don’t take sugar.
“Oh, Sherrie. Yes, I know Sherrie.”
“I suppose you would, being involved in the horses etc and Gill having been friends with her sister for years. Charles and Moira have known the Fletchers for ever with all that horse breeding Moira does.”
She is wistful, smiling, cradling her mug in both hands. “I do feel like Charles’s family is part of mine you know, us not having any children and all. I’ve known them all since the mid-fifties – Charles, Richard and Annabelle – although I don’t know Richard’s kids because he’d moved to the UK by the time they were born and they’ve only ever visited here a couple of times. I was as delighted as any mother that Gill’s finally got engaged, and now Nathan has someone too. He seems to have come to terms with himself at last and deserves a nice relationship after all he’s been through. Is Sherrie pretty? Sounds like she’s quite sassy. Nathan says she’s one of her father’s regular work riders, out on the track at dawn every day. She must be quite a girl. Well, my dear, I really need to get some stuff done as I’m going out to lunch.”
She leaves me in the kitchen and I stare at Danny’s signature on my plaster cast and the “Hope you get rid of this soon my darling” that he scrawled in red pen yesterday.
Yes, I know Sherrie. He’s been staying at her place?
Nothing to do with me.
I put a phone call through to Dad and let him know Charles will probably have a list of dealers for me by the time he comes to collect me at five. At ten-thirty, Charles calls me into his office.
“Right,” he says. “Carlisle Motors in Mount Pleasant has three cars you might be interested in and it’s the closest to home for you. There’s quite a few around though. Here you go – I’ve written it all down for you. Call the dealers that have the ones you’re interested in and remember to mention my name.”