The Perfect Passion Company by Alexander Mccall smith

Author:Alexander Mccall smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Polygon

CHAPTER ELEVEN

A day out with Herb and Jacques

Herb came round to collect Ness in his truck. Jacques was with him, having left his own older and even more decrepit truck outside Herb’s house. Ness had seen them from her window and had watched as Herb came out to greet his friend; she saw that Jacques had something with him – a small sack of some sort – and he handed this to Herb, who looked inside it, appeared to say something to Jacques, and then took it inside. Jacques lit a cigarette while he waited for Herb to return. Ness watched the small clouds of smoke rise above his head, like breath in winter. Then Herb came out of the house, and the two men climbed into the other truck. She hoped that Jacques would not smoke as they drove to the lake. People sometimes said, “Do you mind if I smoke?” even as they lit up. She would say she did. She believed in telling people that she objected, and she would do so if Jacques asked her.

Herb came to her front door and knocked. There was a bell, but it did not work, and Herb appeared to know that.

“Your bell hasn’t worked for years,” he said. “You knew that? I always knock when I come here. The last people to rent this house were deaf. I had to knock real loud to get them to answer.”

“I’ll fix it,” said Ness. “I’m going to be living here for a while.”

“There’s a guy called Bill who does these things,” Herb told her. “He’s not exactly an electrician – but he behaves like one.”

Ness laughed. “That’s an interesting way of putting it.”

“He’ll fix your bell,” said Herb. “Bill’s got electricity tape.”

She locked the front door behind her and walked with him back to the truck. Jacques had moved to the back seat.

“We haven’t got far to go,” said Herb. “I’ve got the rods in the back. Also, some sandwiches. Fishing can be hungry work.”

Jacques greeted her from the back seat as she got into the front of the cab. “We’re going to catch a pike today,” he said. “Maybe two or three. You never know.”

“That big one,” said Herb.

“You said that last month, Herb,” said Jacques. “And the month before. He’s still there. Watching us. Laughing.”

“I’ve been trying for a long time,” said Herb.

Ness gazed out of the window as they moved off. Trees, she thought. All these trees.

“We’ve got trees, all right,” Herb said.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. He appeared to have read her mind. And then she asked herself, What do I think I’m doing? Going pike fishing with two men I barely know? Pike fishing!

From the back, Jacques said, “No shortage of trees.”

Ness decided that she should say something. “I like trees.”

“You like trees?” asked Herb.

“Yes. I love forests. I love the way they smell. And the quiet. I like the way that trees deaden sound.”

Jacques made his contribution. “You don’t want to get lost in all those trees out there.

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