A Chicken for Dinner by Ruth Rudkin

Author:Ruth Rudkin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: short story, womens interest, romance, fiction, rural, chicken, dog, professional, farm, mother, middle age, light reading
ISBN: 9781781661611
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2012
Published: 2012-03-14T00:00:00+00:00

Gill discovered that Ida ran the small farm shop that was attached to Jenson’s farm and made a point of visiting it.

“Oh, hello love. Nice to see you.” The little bird of a woman had greeted her warmly the first time she had ventured through the door. The farm shop was a purpose built unit, that looked rather out of place at the side of the old, ivy covered farm house that Gill guessed was probably around a hundred years old. To reach the farm, she had driven for a quarter of a mile down a rough track, off the main road. A bumpy ride, the rudimentary road was just about passable, the weather was warm and dry, she shuddered to think how Ida and her son managed in bad weather. Leaving Sam yapping in the front passenger seat of the car, jumping up leaving doggy saliva stains on the window, she knew he would settle down the second she was out of view.

Stepping into the little shop, which was surprisingly modern, she breathed in the rich aroma of freshly made coffee. Not exactly the smell she was expecting, as she looked around the compact space, there were shelves filled with jars and cans, bags of sweets, a freezer full of designer ice cream that came at a premier price and of course the meat counter. Through the glass, Gill could see the trays of cheese and cooked sliced meats at one end and at the other, bacon, sausages and various cuts of raw meat. There was also a few prepared fresh chickens. Gill averted her eyes. Since the arrival of Lucky, she had eaten chicken, but it had been mainly prepared breast or the meat disguised in a curry or a pie, and she’d enjoyed it. But she couldn’t bare to look at chicken legs, or a whole chicken, meat presented in a way that left no doubts that it came from a once living animal. She knew she was being a total hypocrite and she despised herself for it, but somehow, after Lucky, it now seemed just wrong.

“Want to join me in a coffee? “ Ida asked. “It’s fresh made.”

“Yes, I’d love a cup, it smells lovely.”

“Our Will, will be along in a minute. Looks forward to a mug of coffee around 10.30am. Has to be the proper stuff, mind.”

Ida handed Gill a mug of the steaming beverage and the two women continued their chat. The door to the shop was pushed open and a large burly figure shuffled in backwards carrying a large bag of potatoes.

“Where do you want these Mam?” It asked with the slight breathlessness of someone who had just carried and put down a heavy object.

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