Page 84 of Atticus Arnott's Great Adventure
‘I ruddy well electrocuted myself.’ Arthur shook his head. ‘I’ve never sobered up so quickly.’ He winced as he thought of the thunderous sound of Shirley’s wellingtons as she pounded down the drive when the house was plunged into darkness and the screen ofGogglebox, her favourite TV show, went blank. With the stark light of Shirley’s torch flashing in his face and her accusing words drumming in his ears, Arthur had spent the night in their spare bedroom with only a candle for company.
‘It’s taken me ages to fix the fuses this morning, but the electricity has been restored,’ Arthur mumbled. ‘Along with my marriage,’ he added with a sigh.
‘We’ve got our work cut out with this lot,’ Jake said,reaching for a box of spare bulbs. ‘Good job you ordered in bulk.’
‘Aye, well, Mistletoe Mike and Tinsel Tina can wait to light up the night,’ Arthur grumbled and turned to reach for the kettle. ‘I’m parched, and this cold weather is playing havoc with my arthritis. Let’s have a cuppa before we crack on and see what your grandad is up to in sunny Spain.’
Jake beamed as he watched Arthur reach for a biscuit tin, revealing a hidden stash of chocolate Hobnobs. Taking his laptop, he searched for Atticus’s Instagram page and, grabbing a biscuit, began to scroll through.
Comfortable in his rocker with a mug of builder’s tea, Arthur dunked a Hobnob and gazed at the screen. ‘By heck, he’s been on a bus to Benidorm,’ Arthur chuckled as he watched a reel of Atticus and three smiling women gripping the rail of a fast-moving coach. They were surrounded by beach-clad holidaymakers staring out at spectacular views of the Mediterranean, where yachts and sailboats dotted the sea.
‘There are more motorised scooters than on the seafront at Morecambe,’ Arthur noted as he studied a busy Benidorm street filled with market stalls and street performers, where bar owners encouraged the crowds to sample the delights of happy hour.
‘Looks like they found a pub.’ Jake bit into his biscuit. ‘Grandad is eating fish and chips.’
‘Very nice too,’ Arthur said as he studied the way Atticus had one arm wrapped protectively around Britta.
‘Crikey, Dad will explode when he sees this.’ Jake’s eyes were wide as he scrolled through anotherreel of a nightclub called the Starlight Show Bar. Atticus was on stage, surrounded by glitzy drag artists and a dancing dog.
‘Ah… the queen of country,’ Arthur breathed and smiled nostalgically as he studied a look-alike Dolly Parton.
Atticus was handed a mic, and together with Dolly, they began a duet before the reel ended.
Two women appeared in another image, and as Jake flipped through, he dipped his chin to peer at Cheryl and Ruby. ‘Are they kissing?’ he asked.
‘Aye, it looks that way.’ Arthur nodded and quietly thought that Atticus was the luckiest pensioner alive.
‘It looks like they were all sleeping in Winnie,’ Jake added as he continued to scroll. He recognised the familiar stripes of the awning but gobsmacked, he almost spat out his Hobnob as a reel began. It showed an inflatable bed slowly deflating, and the same two hysterical women as they untangled sheets and sank to the ground. Jake recognised Grandad’s girlfriend, Britta, who held her hand to her mouth in surprise as Ness, leaping into the lens, scrambled away from the bed.
‘Wow, they certainly know how to party…’ Jake said.
‘Looks like life is one long party on the Costas,’ Arthur commented as he drained his tea and brushed crumbs from the snowman on his Christmas jumper.
‘Shall I get started on the lights?’ Jake asked and closed his laptop.
‘Best get on with it, if we don’t want World War Three to break out at this year’s glimmering gnome-land.’ Arthur sighed and wondered how long it would be before Shirley hammered on the door to remind him that the light wouldfade in an hour or two and her Gnomeville Wonderland must be illuminated in holiday cheer.
Arthur pulled his bob hat over his thinning hair and eased out of his chair. He wondered what Atticus was doing and knew that his friend was no doubt basking in the heat, perhaps on the beach with a bikini-clad Britta sunbathing beside him. He joined Jake at the bench and began to untangle lengths of wire and tease tiny bulbs out of lights that should have been permanently put out to pasture years ago. Arthur’s sigh was heavy as he thought of Atticus and the lifestyle he was enjoying.
If only Arthur had the courage to follow in his friend’s footsteps.
Chapter Thirty-Three
One week before Christmas, on a cold and crisp Saturday morning, Mary was full of vigour as she put her plans in place. Instead of her usual pre-festive lull in vitality as she raced around preparing for the big day, she felt energised. It was the day of the Christmas Fair in Kindale, and, committed to working the tombola stall for a couple of hours, Mary needed to get a move on and head into town.
The children were weary from end-of-school-term activities, with Finn and Declan immersed in pantomime preparations and nativity play rehearsals all week. Caitlin and Maeve’s teenage hormones were drained by project deadlines, assessments, and extracurricular activities. With shorter days and colder weather, Mary felt that her offspring’s energy and mood had dipped, and she was happy for them to be relaxing in front of a movie that Saturday morning. The siblings were snuggled close on the vast, comfy sofa, cosy in matching onesies, with theirfeet up while tucking into a tub of Celebrations chocolates.
‘Now be good all of you, and Caitlin and Maeve look after your brothers,’ Mary said. ‘Roisin is here if you need anything at all, but I want you to behave and not give her any problems.’
‘When’s Daddy coming home?’ Declan called out as he gripped his teddy.
‘He’ll be here when work is finished.’ Mary ruffled Declan’s hair and kissed his soft locks as Caitlin caught her eye.
Caitlin shrugged as Mary gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.
Mary made sure she had her phone as she packed her bag and made a mental note to text Conor to remind him that he was on parenting duties after work. But she knew there was no need. Despite this agonising atmosphere between the two of them, Conor never let his children down in the spare hours he kept for them.
Busy dusting, Roisin looked up as Mary kissed all of the children goodbye. ‘Don’t worry, they’ll be fine,’ Roisin said. ‘I’ll keep an eye on them until you return. And I’ve got your number if we need you,’ she smiled.
