The Back of Beyond by Doris Davidson

Author:Doris Davidson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Birlinn

When Ken Partridge put in his next apperance, the first thing he did was to hand David a slim wallet of photographs. ‘They’re all quite good,’ he observed, smiling at the boy’s haste to take them out and look.

‘So they are!’ David exulted. ‘Look, Mum, and Uncle Ken only took three. I took the rest myself.’

The snapshots duly inspected by Gwen, Marge and Leila, and praise given where it was due, David wanted to play cricket again, so they all trooped outside to get some exercise and then soak in some sunshine while they recovered. Both Gwen and Marge had a feeling that Ken was holding something back, but neither of them said anything. If he had something to tell them, it was up to him to choose his moment.

They had another picnic tea, but as soon as a move was made to gather the dirty dishes, Ken said, ‘Leave them for now. I’m not going to make a speech, exactly, but there’s a few things I’d like to say before I leave Forvit.’ He held up his hand to stop any comments on this, and continued, ‘First, I want to thank you two ladies for the pleasure you’ve given me over the past eighteen months. You always made me feel I was part of your family, and as for you two …’ he ruffled David’s hair with one hand and touched Leila’s cheek with the other, ‘… well, it was like being with my own kids.’

David knuckled his eyes. ‘You’re not going away, are you, Uncle Ken?’

‘I’m afraid I have to. We’re being posted down south somewhere.’

‘But you’ll come back to see us?’

‘I don’t think we’ll ever be sent back to Forvit.’

‘Will you write to us?’

Ken glanced hopelessly at Gwen, then clasped the two children closely for a second. ‘No, I don’t think that’s …’

‘No, of course, you’re not supposed to be friends with another soldier’s family, are you?’ David still believed the tale Marge had once spun him, but Ken was too involved in making sure he expressed his sentiments clearly to notice.

‘I’ll never forget you, though … any of you.’ The man’s voice was strained now, and he said nothing more until he composed himself. ‘What about a last shot at cricket, David? You learned pretty quick, you know, so maybe, if we promise to be careful, your Mum’ll let us use the proper ball?’

It was Marge who jumped in. ‘Fifteen minutes, then, to let us get the dishes done, then it’s off to bed with you.’

When Gwen finally managed to haul her son upstairs, still begging to stay up a bit later since it was the last time he would see Uncle Ken, Marge took advantage of her brief absence. ‘I’m going to tell Gwen I’ve got another headache,’ she told Ken, ‘so would you be a dear and take her out for a while? She won’t admit it, but she’s really worried about Alistair, and she must miss a man’s company.’

‘It’ll be my pleasure, Marge,

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.