The House that Jack Bought by Jack Waldie

Author:Jack Waldie [Waldie, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Celtiberian Press
Published: 2019-04-01T20:00:00+00:00

In the second box, unceremoniously shoved under a travel iron and other bits and bobs, I’d spotted Neil’s Spanish language books, so that evening, instead of going to the bar for our usual pre-dinner aperitifs, we adjourned to the patio to get to grips with his wayward grammar. We concentrated on the verb conjugations in the different tenses and I saw that he’d studied them, but needed to commit them to memory more thoroughly.

“When you speak you don’t have time to think, which is why you make mistakes.”

“Yes, I reckon that’s it. That and the fact that I try to speak too fast.”

“You ought to type out some sheets with the most important verb conjugations. You can borrow my spare laptop, if you like, and use my printer.”

He nodded. “All right, thanks, I’ll do that.”

“Then keep them somewhere handy. Ha, last winter I typed out three sheets and kept them in the bathroom, so that when I sat on the bog I could go through them.”

He smiled. “I could stick them on my bathroom door. I’ll be able to read them from the loo.”

“Good idea.”

“Oh, but it won’t be just my bathroom for long, as Jenny will soon be here. She might not like that.”

I chuckled. “Or she might be grateful for them. She only got a Spanish GCSE, after all, and that was about… fifteen years ago, I guess.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

“Yes, me too, though I hope she won’t disturb our, er… harmonious arrangement.”

He smiled. “We are getting on well, aren’t we, Jack?”

“Yes.”

“To tell you the truth I thought you’d find me more of a pain in the arse. Linda found me dull and repetitive, she told me before she left.”

“That was nice of her.” I handed him the grammar book I’d been preaching from and stood up. “No, there’s plenty of room for the two of us here, and I must say I enjoy your company. I was… well, I got bored sometimes before you came.”

“Hmm, I’ll be sad to leave in some ways, but of course I’ll only be three doors away.”

I wagged my finger at him, almost touching his beaky nose. “Don’t get your hopes up about Encarna’s house. We haven’t heard from María Jesús yet, so there might be nothing doing.”

“No news is good news, I hope. I’m sure she’ll have spoken to her about it, so Encarna’s probably already talked to her sister, so they’re probably deciding how much to ask for it, don’t you think, Jack?”

I raised two crossed fingers and went inside to prepare the dinner.

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