Free Lettuces and Cream by John Evans Page A

particular talents, and if something came up that neither of them knew little about then they would work it out together. Of course between them they already had done up one house so they had had plenty of practise.
    ‘It’s looking good already, just wait ‘til we get the varnish on.’
    ‘Dusty job though, time we had a cuppa I think,’ Jan suggested.
    ‘Yeah, good idea love, off you go then woman,’ Mike grinned playfully at Jan, who responded in equally playful way.
    ‘Don’t you, woman me, man. Why me anyway, what about you doing it for a change?’ Jan retorted with mock anger.
    A knocking on the old and battered front door interrupted their banter. They looked at each other.
    ‘Who the hell can that be, in this weather-didn’t hear a car did you?’
    ‘No, nothing, better go and see who it is I suppose.’ They were both disappointed at having their peaceful and productive afternoon disrupted, but Jan crossed the hallway to open the door and was surprised by seeing Keith and Chris standing there.
    ‘Hello, hello, what a surprise, come in out of the rain. Didn’t expect callers on a day like this.’
    ‘It’s awful isn’t it? Hasn’t stopped all day, but we had to come out to take our two to a birthday party. We’ve just dropped them off so Keith thought we’d call and see you. That’s the trouble around here; you spend so much time shunting kids around. Can’t just put them on a bus, and it’s to far for them to cycle,’ Chris shrugged her shoulders and sighed, ‘kids, what a pain, eh?’
    Jan was a little surprised at Chris’s seemingly indifferent attitude her children.
    ‘Hello folks,’ Mike said as cheerfully as he could as he joined them in the hallway.
    ‘Hi Mike, I’ve got that address you wanted-for the van you’re looking for. He’s got one that would be just right for you. I’ve told the bloke you’d call and have a look.’
    ‘Oh right, yeah, the van, thanks Keith.’ Mike wanted a van but had been putting it off because of the expense, and he hated being pushed into things. But, faint heart never won fair van-or something like that. But it looked as though a visit to the Bank for a loan was imminent.
    ‘We were just going to have a cuppa, fancy one?’
    ‘Tea? How about a real drink?’ Keith said with a grin, and pulled out a bottle of wine from the capacious poachers pocket in his waterproof jacket. Jan and Mike didn’t really want to sit around all afternoon drinking, but had to be polite.
    ‘Lets go in the sitting room its warmer in there, I’ve got the fire going, for the kids.’
    The visitors removed wet coats, and of course their Wellingtons, and they all trooped into the room, chairs were pulled around the fire and the drinks poured. Mandy and David carried on messing about with bits and bobs on their old play table and ignored the intrusion. Jan was still feeling a little uncomfortable about Chris’s behaviour the day before, but they sat together and began their own conversation about the impending Am Dram night and housewifely matters and all was, ‘As normal as strawberry jam,’ as Mikes grandmother would have said.
    Mike and Keith were sitting together having their conversation at the other side of the room.
    ‘We’ve had a hell of a day, Mike,’ confessed Keith, taking a large swig of the wine. ‘I got home about ten last night, knackered from all the driving so went straight to bed. This morning, I found all the sodding pigs were out of their pens rampaging through where we keep their food. Bloody awful mess, bags torn open, shit everywhere. About forty quid’s worth of pig food ruined, and the pigs lying around with stomach ache and diarrhoea.’
    Chris, hearing what her husband was saying, chipped in. ‘Our dog was barking her head off in the night, but she’s been doing that a lot lately so I didn’t think anything of it. I just don’t know what’s going on. Last week the cattle got out and into the winter kale, and that’s another