Martha, Ron’s sister, was getting stressed by the constant complaints she was getting from the tenants of the farm and visited her brother for them to consider selling it. Just a couple of weeks before, the power supply to the nursery was off, and the generator also packed up. The occupiers wanted the owners to bear the cost, which had caused misunderstanding. Martha had refused to contribute to the cost of getting a new generator and a watering pump, which came to a total of five thousand pounds. She argued that they only got ten percent of the total proceeds and had called for a review of the contract, but Ron had always said it was a better deal for them. The decision for Martha to stay at her brother’s to take. She particularly did not want to stay in that house because of Maria, but she had no choice considering the seriousness of the problem they had with their inheritance
At the meeting that evening when Martha arrived, Ron and his sister had a long conversation about which way they should proceed as regards to the farm. They had to analyse whether to let the farm go or just review the terms. After Ron’s last visit, he had shown little interest in the affairs of the farm, and that again had put more pressure on Martha. She answered all phone calls and had to make some decisions without Ron.
‘I have had enough of this,’ she said. ‘I think we must let the farm go!’
‘Martha, that’s what Mum and Dad left us, and you know how dear the farm was to them. I don’t think they would be happy to know we have sold it,’ Ron said with feeling.
‘That’s rubbish! They are gone, and I don’t think they would be happy to know that we are struggling with it,’ Martha said angrily.
‘Well, why do you want us to sell?’ Ron asked.
‘I have answered this over and over. We are not getting much from it, and besides, we both have our jobs and have no time to look after it.’
‘If I decide not to sell my share, will you sell yours to me?’ Ron asked suddenly.
‘If you can manage it, then why should I sell to you?’ she asked suspiciously.
‘I will be retiring soon, and the farm could keep me busy. That’s why I don’t want to sell,’ he explained.
‘In that case we will have to come to an arrangement. You will take full control and then give me 30 per cent of the annual net profit,’ Martha said, trying to strike a deal. Maria had always distanced herself from Ron’s discussions with his sister. She had felt from the start of their relationship that Martha was conscious of her background, considering that they come from a wealthy background while she was brought up by a single parent.
On the other hand, Martha had a lot of respect for Maria, a woman who had risen up the legal ladder from her male peers. She in fact felt intimidated by her presence and often avoided her. Ron had seen the tense behaviour between the two but had brushed it off. He had thought it was something about women and expected it to go away soon, but it didn’t. They had been like that for more than twenty years. They had never argued, but they had not been great friends either.
It was the way Martha carried herself when Maria was around. She would pretend not to have heard Maria’s remarks or else reply as if what she said was insignificant. Maria felt very insecure in Martha’s company, so she tried if she could to avoid her company. They only come together for family gatherings, but even then Maria made sure to keep away from her. She could not stand Martha’s rude outbursts at her brother, but she held her peace.
Now Ron asked Maria to back him up in the discussion, and he would like to get a final positive result about the future of the farm. Maria had always been neutral in their conversations, but this time she made a very important comment. She thought that buying such a big farm for his retirement was not realistic. She thought Martha’s idea of selling was the best option for both of them. It was clear that they could not presently manage it due to their careers. If Ron wanted a farm, then a small one would do, not a farm as big as the one they had.
‘Are you sure you would be able to manage the farm, Ron?’ she asked seriously. ‘You have to think hard before committing to this. It is a big farm and will require a lot of your time and resources; it’s capital intensive. Will you be able to do that?’
‘I will if you help me,’ Ron replied jokingly.
‘I’m serious, Ron. I agree with Martha: the way forward is to sell.’
‘Are you sure about that? We won’t have any inheritance any more.’
‘Yes, you will have; you will get some money for it. The money can get you something you can manage and also get some to save or invest in other things. I think you should agree with Martha and sell. The farm is a big stumbling block. It is your decision, but I strongly think the best way is to let it go. Clinging to it will continue to give grief to both of you.’
Martha was glad that Maria had shown interest in the family estate for the first time. She’s always had an excuse not to be in the meetings, she thought. Ron was pleased and relieved that Maria had made such a useful suggestion. He would listen to the two women and agree to sell.
Maria had an idea for her husband that she thought would be the best retirement plan for both of them. She would also be retiring soon and had been thinking about what she would do then. She had worked all her life, and being idle during her retirement would bore her to death. She could not stand the thought of it. She thought a small dairy farm in the countryside might be a manageable project for her and Ron. She had been watching a programme every week on the television called The Countryside. It featured a range of topics such as pig farms and poultry farms. She had seen how farmed animals were cared for, how cows were milked, and how their calves were born, and she had fallen in love with the countryside and the exciting things she and Ron could do together that would keep them busy.
She smiled to herself. I will enjoy the quietness while I tend to these innocent and loyal animals. They will be my friends; they can’t tell lies or gossip about people. She didn’t even want the Makintosh farm any more because it had nearly destroyed her marriage. She recalled when the investigator handed her pictures he had taken of her husband having an affair and cheating. It was heartbreaking, and she even wondered how she had managed to handle. If Ron had not confessed his affair with Shirley before she received the pictures, she would have divorced him. She never had yet told him about the pictures. She kept them where they would never be found. Maria would need to support her husband to make the right decision for them both.
The farm always had problems; it’s better to get rid of it was her thought.
Martha’s idea of selling the farm was good, so she had to convince Ron in private to let the big family farm go so they can use the money to buy a manageable farm in the village of Vigo. She had a colleague who said there were good farms in that area, and it was not very far from Gravesend, the nearest shopping centre. Maria had not informed her husband about this because she would like to have her facts in order so as to get Ron on her side.
Ron and Martha could not conclude their business, so Martha stayed overnight so they could continue the subject over the weekend. Maria told her husband the plan she had for both of them and suggested that selling the farm was a very good idea and that it was the right time to get it started. Ron agreed with the idea; he would like to retire to a farm but was not sure if the family farm was an ideal one for him, so the next meeting was short.
The farm must go. Martha also thought so. There were legal issues involved so Ron started to organize the sale, by inviting professionals to value the hundred acres with five hundred cattle and three hundred sheep. They had to inform the occupants and give them first refusal. He then had to make another journey to the farm to meet their partners to discuss matters further.
Ron’s journey brought old memories back for Maria. She trusted her husband and had forgiven him, but one thing she could not do was forget. She hadn’t told him that she hired an investigator because she was very suspicious of him and their next-door neighbour at the time. Maybe at last she should let him know that.
‘What are those pictures?’ Ron asked when Maria pulled the packet from where she had hidden it for years.
‘They are pictures someone gave me; you are in them,’ she replied.
‘Am I?’ Ron asked.
‘Yes, you and next door.’
‘Oh no, not that again!’ Ron said anxiously. ‘Let me see.’
Maria handed him the pictures.
‘Oh, my God! When did you get that, and who gave them to you?’ Ron asked.
‘I hired an investigator when I had my suspicions about you and next door. I received them a week after your confession, so there was no point in showing them to you at that time.’
‘Don’t you trust me any more?’ Ron asked, feeling insecure.
‘I trust you, and I have forgiven you,’ Maria assured him.
‘Why show them to me now?’ Ron asked uncomfortably.
‘It reminds me of the day when you left for the farm. You went for a meeting about the farm, and that’s how it happened, and you arranged to meet Shirley there.’
‘Who was the investigator?’ Ron asked, looking very worried. How long had she suspected, and how long had that investigation gone on? He began to feel frightened and low, knowing that he’d been watched. What made it scarier was that he did not know who did the watching.
‘You don’t know him. He was my colleague at law school, and he is good at his job. The farm is bad news; it brought only misery to you and all of us,’ she said.
Ron spent two days at the farm with the valuators. They listed all the assets and said they would let him know their findings in the next ten working days.
It was a simple but rewarding business deal between the occupiers and the Makintosh family. Both parties were happy with the deal; the occupiers paid a total amount of two and half million pounds for the land and the animals on it and the five-bedroom farmhouse. Martha and her brother shared the money equally, each getting five hundred thousand pounds. Ron was satisfied with the amount; it was enough to buy a bungalow and about three acres of farm land. They would invest the rest into the financial sector. That meant they would sell their current house, which would also fetch them a fortune. Maria encouraged Ron to retire if he was ready so he could start building their dream retirement home.
They decided to visit the village of Vigo to explore the area and talk to the local people. That would enable them to know the sort of people they would be dealing with. They had also arranged to visit a number of farms. Maria had planned it all.
She had told her colleague they were interested in settling at Vigo, and as he was the one who suggested the idea to Maria, she asked for his support to make it possible for them. Part of the village was situated atop a hill overlooking a stretch of farmlands beneath; the scene was picturesque. Maria’s colleague was already waiting for them at the small pub on the outskirts of the village. He had got a farm in a nearby village, so he knew the area well. Ron had not met this friend of Maria’s but had heard about him and had spoken to him a few times over the phone regarding Vigo.
Ron’s insecurity was mounting; he still did not know who had been Maria’s spy. Was it him? He had kept calm driving down with Maria, eager to meet this person who was so generous to offer help to them.
‘There he is, standing in front of the pub, smoking,’ Maria said, pointing him out.
‘Who?’ Ron asked sarcastically.
‘My colleague, the guy who is going to take us round,’ she explained.
‘That’s very kind of him, taking time off to do this.’ Ron looked away, frowning.
‘Yes, Mark is the only colleague I trust at work. He is always ready to help with work-related issues,’ she said seriously.
‘Was he the one who you hired to spy on me? Is he married?’
‘No, he is not the person I hired,’ Maria said, a bit annoyed. ‘Mark is married with three grown children, but does it matter?’
Ron pulled up by the pub, and they both came out of the car. ‘You must be Mark,’ Ron said, reaching to shake hands.
‘Yes I am,’ Mark replied.
‘My wife has said a lot about you.’
‘I am glad she said good things about me,’ he replied with a laugh.
‘I can see you weren’t wrong about this place,’ Ron said. ‘The area is beautiful, and I hope the people are nice too.’
‘I will bet on that,’ Mark assured him.
The area was peaceful, and Vigo’s people proved friendly as well. Mark led the pair down the street towards the houses beneath the hill. There they met a local man who told them about the village and showed them available farms that were up for sale. They went into two of them and planned to view two more next time.
Ron and Maria were very satisfied with the village and decided Vigo was going to be their final home.