Free Remember Remember by Alan Wade Page A

his customer for too much ale, smoking or other foul habits before setting off as instructed to Bramhall.
    Alan sat in the back of the cab and pondered to himself, thinking of the fond memories of a different time, “A relationship gone, Jesus, she might have come to live here with me if they hadn’t killed her. Hate can be a powerful force and it’s time to get your own back even if hundreds of thousands might die. But thousands are dying all the time so there’s no change there and you have to play your part. You have to deliver or die, or both,” he thought.
    “Ten pounds please,” the voice from the front of the cab brought Alan back to reality.
    “Sorry driver, can you take me round to the Oriental Flavour? A Chinese takeaway seems good.”
    He dined alone on prawns in batter, Peking duck and vermicelli, all washed down with Foster’s lager, before retiring to bed at midnight.
    At 07.30 he awoke, shaved, showered and dressed; then ate a poached egg on toast with no butter, knowing it was good for the cholesterol and weight but thought, “why bother.” He shook his head then argued with himself to concentrate on the day ahead, “I must place the ad in the Manchester Evening News, perhaps I’m paranoid about these things but it must be cash at their offices. I’ll use the small one in Oxford Street, no cameras there,” he thought.
    “The message will take some time to code, bloody codes, but your idea, yes I know”, he argued to himself, “God you’re lonely, you spend all this time talking to yourself, why not talk to others. Because, because,” he thought .
    He placed the advert in the Manchester Evening News for the next day. In brief it informed a person to go to London to place another advert in the London Evening Standard. That advert would be in the Love and Relationships column and would read:
    “Gentleman under 30 seeks female companion for holiday at Sun City, Olu Deniz, Turkey, departing on 21 st July, due to current 22 month relationship terminating. Nice, affable young man just wants companionship from 25 to 30 year old woman. Call 0121 326 4928.”
    July 03, Noon, The Brown Cow, Middle Hillgate, Stockport.
    The bar and kitchen staff were ready, menus had been chalked on the slate and placed on each table, everything was clean and with few customers, it was an opportunity for the staff to chat together to tell the tale.
    Alan drove his truck up a very narrow drive to the rear of the pub, which was the car park now, but was once designed for horses. He pushed the pubs rear door which creaked open, entered and walked around the bar to the snug, where two high chairs were placed facing the bar, deposited some money onto the bar and sat down on one of the chairs.
    “A pint of bitter please; Jacky and one for yourself,” he requested.
    “Did you mean what you said last night because I didn’t know if you were joking or not,” whispered Jacky as she pulled his pint.
    “I meant it, the tickets are on their way and I’ve even been to the bank to get you some money to buy your gear,” he said as he passed her an envelope, “there’s £500 in there and I don’t need any change. Make sure you’ve got a current passport,” he smiled then continued, “you haven’t done anything stupid in your past in Turkey have you?”
    She grabbed the envelope and thrust it in her handbag.
    “No, I’ve never done anything stupid anywhere and I’ve never been to Turkey because I never had the time or the money.”
    “You have some now at least for a short time eh,” then changing the subject he asked; “what’s the special today?”
    “Lamb chops.”
    “Good, I’ll have that with another beer please, tell Donald I’ll leave my car at the back today and taxi home. I feel like a few pints. Oh, make the lamb chops pink, don’t overcook them, and I’ll have them with new potatoes and veg.”
    “I’ll need to ask Donald for the time off, he might not like me taking fourteen days in one