Читать книгу Sex, Lies & Crazy People - John Hickman - Страница 6

Such was the intensity of our excitement neither Dad nor I could sleep either side of

midnight.

“Trouble is,” Gran said at breakfast the next day, “your dad has never been handy with tools. He might be a DIY enthusiast, but let’s face it, he isn’t any good at it.”

“None of that matters, Gran. We’ve got a secret weapon—Gramps. He’s our man with tools, the knower of so much stuff.”

“You’d better make sure you tell him then, because after that debacle in the Ealing house before your sister was born, you know the one I mean?”

“How can I forget,” I groaned. “Dad used six inch nails in the fuse box and hung the fleur-de-lis wallpaper upside down in the lounge.”

Gran smirked. “That’s the one.”

“I’ll handle it, Gran. Day after day I dream of counting our cash, breaking out the champagne and letting the good times roll. And what could be better than being guided to my first million pounds by Dad?”

Gran nodded. “You should keep thinking that way. The hard work will not only be fun for you and your gramps, but it’ll help take all of our minds off losing Alice.”

Next day an enormous surprise. Gran and Gramps wanted in.

“Why the change of heart?” I asked.

They exchanged knowing looks before nodding their approval. “It’s better than

sitting in our little Barlby Road flat gumming on a Gingernut biscuit,” Gran sighed, “and I suppose everybody needs something to do while they’re waiting for death at the pointy end of the queue.”

Gramps lit another cigarette. “We can’t help thinking this crazy enterprise of your dad’s might just work out. And we want to be part of it, don’t we, Girl.”

Gran nodded.

The following day when Dad asked for their life savings and pension in they went

without hesitation. Dad offered Gramps a written agreement up-front.

He and Gran exchanged another knowing look after which Gramps shook his head. “No. If I can’t trust my own son to do the right thing, who can I trust?”

Pandy continued to be whiney about everything.

Gran sighed her deepest sigh. “We’ll have to make allowances. She is after all only a typical nine year old. And she’s lost her mum.”

Dad tried to compensate as any parent should. He took time out to buy Pandy’s clothes. Gran helped him with sizes and after school they were laid out on her bed as a big surprise.

“I get up each morning hoping things will turn out better than yesterday,” Gran said with a sigh. “I’ll continue to look after Pandy and you three men as best I can.”

We were as optimistic as salmon swimming upstream.