Page 69 of The Side Road
‘Come over here and I’ll show you.’
‘You go all in, don’t you?’
‘Always. Is Alfie the reason you think you’re a bad chooser?’
She nodded. ‘Not just him, there were others.’
‘The world is full of fuckwits. You’re not responsible for someone else’s behaviour.’
‘Thank you.’
‘And Alfie is a dog’s name.’
Mia smiled. Her hand found its way across the rug and into Oliver’s. They met in the middle, and he wrapped his arms around her. She looked into his eyes and said, ‘You’re very good at picnicking.’
‘I’m also a serial monogamist.’
The sound of motorbike engines, a deep, thunderous roar, drew their attention to the road. A group of riders cameinto view. Half a dozen Harley-Davidsons pulled into the picnic area and cut their engines.
A mountainous-looking man, half Viking and half bear, climbed off his bike. After pulling off his helmet and gloves, he took giant steps in their direction.
Oliver got to his feet. Offering a hand, he helped Mia up.
‘Good afternoon,’ the Viking said. ‘I hope I’m not interrupting; this is a beautiful bike. It looks original. 1970s?’ He stared at the BMW.
Mia stepped behind Oliver, but he wasn’t going to answer for her. She poked her head around his shoulder. ‘Yes, 1978. It’s an R18 classic. The sidecar’s a Watsonian. You probably know that already.’
The rider’s eyes twinkled. A smile creased the corners of his mouth. ‘Ben,’ he said, holding out a hand.
Mia stepped out from behind Oliver and took Ben’s hand. ‘I’m Mia,’ she said. ‘And this is my friend, Oliver.’
As the men shook hands, Ben hesitated. He looked Oliver in the eye. ‘Ah, I thought it was you,’ he said. ‘It’s a pleasure.’
Snood wiggled over to Ben, hoping for some attention. Ben crouched on the ground and rubbed the dog’s ears. ‘I have a toy poodle myself.’
‘Really?’ Mia baulked.
‘I know,’ Ben agreed. ‘Ten years ago, if you’d asked me what sort of dog I wanted, it would not have been a toy poodle. Honestly, he’s the best dog I’ve ever had. I used to tell people he was a poodle and not a toy, but I was lying to both of us.’
‘We’re out of petrol,’ Oliver announced. ‘Do you have a spare tank?’
‘No,’ Ben said. ‘But I’ve just filled up.’
Ben rolled his bike forward and parked it beside the BMW. From his toolkit, he took out a piece of hosepipe. Heplaced one end into his petrol tank. The other end he put into his mouth.
‘For god’s sake, let me,’ Oliver said.
Ben held up a hand. ‘Anything I can do, it’s a privilege.’ He sucked hard on the hose, coughing and spluttering as petrol spilled onto the ground. With a finger over the end of the hose, he slipped it into the tank of the BMW.
22
A FLAT
Ben declinedMia’s offer of cake and a glass of wine. She was grateful because they didn’t have enough for his friends, who also looked like Vikings. However, four people could have shared the remaining sandwiches and cake. Mixing sweet and savoury on the same plate was not something she liked to do, but she thought it was acceptable on a picnic when impromptu guests arrived.
With half a tank of petrol, Mia and Oliver packed up their picnic and once again climbed on the BMW. On the way back to town, Oliver took the loop road. As they ascended a sharp incline, they passed a station wagon parked on the side of the road. It had stopped in a no-parking zone, in a precarious position where the traffic merged from two lanes into one.
Oliver pulled the bike into the next side street and cut the engine. ‘A flat tyre. They might need some help.’
