Hello friend,

I would like to share a short excerpt from my new MS, title as yet undecided. If you would like to leave a comment, I would appreciate any feedback.

Until next time

Gen

1951

Not a word had passed between them since leaving town. As he turned north onto the highway five miles into their homeward journey, Dave Armstrong broke the silence. “What d’you think, Love. Is it a goer?” he tried to keep his enthusiasm in check. He could be impulsive and sometimes things went very wrong. Mo was usually tolerant of his failings, but this time he needed her full consent and cooperation.

Dave had a list of all the right reasons to uproot his young family to the edge of civilisation, as his father-in-law had so indelicately put it. He ticked them off in his mind: Fresh air; the ocean at their doorstep; a business that paid its way and then some; tourists flocking to the coast for summer holidays and weekends while the local pub, and a number of b and bs provided accommodation. And the railway, a spur line from Dusty Flats, brought the day trippers. What more could they want? The flat over the shop was in need of attention but the building was sound and just a lick of paint was needed to bring it up to scratch.

No response from the passenger seat so far. “The price is right, property and goodwill included. And cheap for a double-fronted shop. It’s the best we’ve seen so far. Hmm?” Thrumming on the steering wheel while he hummed out of tune to a popular song that he didn’t remember the words to, annoyed Mo less than the tuneless whistling through his teeth that at other times helped him focus. “Of course, we won’t be able to settle until after the New Year…” his voice trailed off. He was over-compensating again. Anxiety made him verbose.

They had been a fine pair-once. Practical down to her toenails, Mo had provided a steadying influence to Dave’s attitude of having fun today and thinking about the consequences tomorrow. Or not. Which was the case most of the time. But the war had changed his sunny disposition; he was more serious these days to Mo’s relief it had to be said. “We have the deposit and with the Vet’s loan we can pay it off within a few years.” Silence from the passenger seat.

A few large drops of rain splashed onto the grimy windscreen and the slap, slap, slap of the wipers intruded into their thoughts. Dave thrummed. The small town presented an escape for him; for the past six years since the war ended, he’d struggled to find work in the City. There was too much competition with the thousands of returned servicemen vying for the limited jobs.

Finally, Mo’s measured tones declared. “We’ll bring the boys down here for a few days. Mind you, just to get a feel for the place. I’m sure that Mum and Dad will appreciate having their house back, if only for a weekend.” Dave relaxed behind the wheel; he didn’t want to break the spell. He was already sold on the place and didn’t need to get a ‘feel’. Instinctively, he knew that Kel and Colin would be happy here. What he heard wasn’t exactly what Mo had said; only that she hadn’t said ‘No.’

Relief didn’t adequately describe Dave’s feelings when the war had ended at last, but the hostilities on the Korean peninsula provided another opportunity for action, if one had the stomach for it. Dave definitely didn’t. The job situation being what it was, he was feeling pressured by Mo’s father to re-join the Army if there was no other option. For Dave, that wasn’t a solution.

Grinning from ear to ear he said, “Brilliant, Love. I’ll call the pub in the morning to book a room, yeah?”


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