Bob of Small End by David Hockey

many pieces when
he took it to school and tried to fly it over the roof. Bob asked
him if he wanted another but he said he’d prefer to have a game for
his new computer. Jane and Bess told him that they still used their
kitchen set but only when friends came around to play. “We help Mum
make real cakes now.” Jane told him that she thought she might like
to be a cake-maker when she grew up. Sam and Regina were much as
usual and told him what had been happening since they spoke
last.
    Sam was a town
planner in Dorchester; his news was that he had been promoted and
was now head of the planning group. Regina’s husband, Bernard, was
a solicitor and they lived in Yeovil. Her news was that she was
thinking of taking a part-time job in the library. “Bernard doesn’t
want me to work but I insisted. It’s only three afternoons a week.”
Bob told her that if that’s what she wanted to do then he supported
her choice. He privately thought that Bernard was too restrictive
and that both Regina and Roy should have more freedom but he wasn’t
going to tell Regina that.
    First thing
Monday morning Bob pinned a sheet to the notice board above his
bench. It would be his inventory and he would note how many sets he
had on hand. The first three columns were headed ‘Train,’ ‘Farm’
and ‘Village.’ He’d written “3” in the train column because that
was how many he had on his shelves. He then took enough of the
squared-wood lengths to make houses for twenty village sets from
the racks. Time for him to get to work. He marked “8 am” on the
February 26th square on the calendar. He’d keep track of how much
time it took to make twenty sets of each toy.
    He worked
about nine hours each day until Thursday. That day he worked only
in the morning, going to the Community Centre in the afternoon.
There he worked with Jack, Jim and Ken making flats in the shape of
trees, bushes and flower beds to be used by the dancers in the
Spring show. They finished about five o’clock when Jim suggested
they have a pint in the Crown before going home.
    “ Aye,”
said Jack.
    “ We
should do that every time,” said Jim.
    “ Aye,”
said Jack, again.
    At the pub Bob
asked Jack if he knew when they would begin building the new hall
and was told that they had to wait until Joe had time to clear the
site with his tractor. “He’s about t’plow fields right now.”
     

Chapter 5 Maria
     
    After another
nine hours work on Friday Bob estimated he was half-way through the
job. ‘I’ll probably finish next Friday,’ he guessed. ‘Nine and a
half days to make twenty village sets. That’ll be £350 for me if
Rose sold them, more if Jenny sold them. That’s almost as much as I
made when I was station master! Ah, well, I always knew that job
didn’t pay well. The best part of it was working just a few steps
from home.’
    After
supper he made a to-do list for the next day. He’d go to Big End
and call at Home and
Holidays . If Jenny hadn’t already sent his monthly
statement and cheque he’d ask for it. He’d tell her she could have
the village sets next Saturday. He wondered how many farm or train
sets she’d sold and decided that if she had sold, say, a hundred
pounds worth he’d ask her to have lunch with him in the Fox. ‘I
wonder if she is married? She doesn’t wear a wedding
ring.’
    Bob was at her
shop about eleven on Saturday morning. “Hello Jenny. How are
you?”
    “ Busy,
which I like, but I’m also glad it’s Sunday tomorrow. I’m ready for
a rest! Our visitors are early this year, mostly older people. I
suppose some of them are taking a late winter holiday. Do you have
any sets for me? I’d like some villages, if you have them, and some
more farm sets. I sold the village set you gave me and two farms. I
sent you a cheque; you should get it early next week.”
    “ Thanks.
I’ll bring you the villages next Saturday. Can we celebrate Jenny?
Can you have lunch with me?”
    “ Oh,
thanks Bob, but no, not today.