November-Charlie (3 page)

“Anyone would think you lot were after something.” Nichola laughed as she left the room.

Lou quickly cleared the table, shut the kitchen door and began to wash up. It didn’t take long with Lou washing, Staci wiping, and Jim putting away and making a pot of tea.

He took a mug through to find Nichola engrossed in a TV game show. “We’re going to play monopoly in the dining room,” he said.

“Don’t keep Staci up too late.”

“We won’t.” Jim removed the game from the sideboard and took it through to the clean table. He set the board up and then called to the girls.

Staci carried her tea and another he assumed was his. Lou brought her tea and the biscuits. She pushed the door shut with her knee and sat down.

Jim picked up the dice. “I start.”

“Why?” Staci crossed her arms and frowned.

“Because, kiddo, I’m the eldest and the only male in the room.”

“Don’t argue, Stace,” Lou said. “Just remember that men only have two faults.”

“Oh yeah? And what might they be?” Jim asked.

“Everything they say and everything they do.” Lou grinned at him.

“At least it’s only two. Not like women.” Jim poked his tongue out at her. He rolled the dice. “Usual rules apply,” he said moving his counter. That, of course, meant his own rules.

Lou was winning until she landed on his property with a hotel and four houses. Although the girls insisted it was either four houses or a hotel he never played it that way. It was far more fun this way.

“That’s three thousand, eight hundred quid, please,” he told her gleefully and held out a hand.

“Some landlords need to be hauled before the European Court of human rights,” Lou muttered as she handed over all her money.

Jim laughed and then rubbed his hands in glee as Staci threw the dice and landed on the same square.

Nichola came in with three cups of cocoa as he was raking in his spoils. “Have you any idea what time it is?” she asked. “It’s nine forty five. Drink this, then bed.”

Jim lay in bed a bit later, his mind still mulling over the embryo of his plan. Again, in the wee hours of dawn, he was woken by Staci crying. The plan grew a little more.

He bolted into the girls’ room. He had to do something. “Shhhh. It’s OK,” he said, climbing onto the bed. He put his arms around her as she clung to him and sobbed. Jim rocked her, quietly talking until she calmed and fell asleep in his arms.

“Stay there,” Lou said. “She needs you tonight.” She got out of bed. “Here, have my duvet. I’ll go sleep in the dining room. That way we’re not breaking the rule of sleeping in the same room.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Lou nodded. “Yeah.” She dumped the duvet on top of him. “But if you’re expecting me to tuck you in, forget it. You’re big enough and ugly enough to do that yourself.”

2

Sunday began with a pouring rain. As usual, they went to church and had roast for dinner.

Once again, Lou offered to do the dishes, which was followed by another game of, as the girls termed it, “Cheats.”

This time they got no further than dealing the cards and setting up the board.

Jim opened the notebook to a clean page and deftly divided the page up into sections. “Right, just for something to do. Let’s say I decided to take the boat out for the weekend. What would I need?”

“Food,” Staci answered at once. “And lots of it because you’re always hungry. And plenty of fizzy drink and juice, too.”

“Sleeping bags and blankets,” Lou said.

“Woof,” Deefer barked eager to add his two pennyworth to the conversation.

“That’s dog food and his bed,” Staci translated.

“Who said he’s coming on my weekend trip?”

Deefer put a paw over his nose and dropped his ears.

“OK, fine. Dog food and Deefer’s bed.” Jim added that to the list. “Torches and batteries,” he said.

“Why?” Lou asked.

“So I can see in the dark. Besides they might be useful.”

“In that case,” Lou said grinning wickedly, “you’d better add kettle, saucepan, cups, plates, knives, forks, spoons, tin opener...”

“Hold on, I can’t write that fast.”

Lou leaned over to peer at the page. “You’re not writing all that are you?”

“Nope, it’s already on the boat.” He winked at her. “Anyone have any sensible suggestions?”

“Your mobile phone and charger, because with you and the dog around, anything might happen.”

He pulled a face at Lou. “That’s not conducive to friendship, but I’ll add it regardless. Anything else?”

By the time the list was finished, it contained very silly suggestions. Including Lou’s teddy, his brain, and the kitchen sink.

That night, Jim sat up with the notepad and made a real list of things that he needed to sort out tomorrow, assuming he worked out the logistics of going to find his parents. He had his passport; well Nichola did, along with Staci’s, so leaving the country wouldn’t be a problem. He was fairly certain he could handle the boat alone. Dad had shown him the ropes, and he’d helped plenty of times.

OK, the Norfolk broads and a canal were a far cry from the Atlantic Ocean, but it was all water, right? So long as he planned it properly, he’d be fine. He made a note to check the lifebelts and dingy.

He hadn’t even realized he’d dozed off, until he jerked awake to the sound of crying coming from Lou’s room. He padded through to comfort Staci and she clung to him, not really awake. “It’s OK, kiddo. I get nightmares too.”

“Don’t leave me, too, Jim. I can’t do this on my own.”

“I won’t leave you, Stace. I’ll be here as long as you need me.”

Lou tossed him her duvet. “Maybe we should just change rooms. You sleep in here more often than you do in your own room,” she commented wryly as she slipped to the dining room.

He curled up next to Staci. How
could
he leave her behind? Which was more important? His sister or the fact his parents were lost and no one seemed to care.

God,
I sure hope You have a plan behind all this, because I sure can’t see it.

~*~

Lou went back to her room in the early morning sunshine to find Jim still asleep with Staci. She threw her pillow at him. “Wake up sleepyhead. Are you sure you don’t want to move in here?”

“No ta,” Jim replied. “Staci snores.”

“Thanks a bunch.” Staci huffed. She rose and opened the curtains. “Stopped raining,” she said. “Bags I first in the bathroom.”

“
Bags I
? No one says ‘bags I’ anymore,” Lou said. “You’ve read too many old-fashioned books.”

“That’s as may be,” Staci said running across the room. “But I am still getting in there first.”

Jim stood. “And I should get out of here before Nichola gets up.”

Lou studied him. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah. Staci’s nightmares are contagious.”

“If you want to talk, I’m here, and I don’t charge too much.”

“Thanks,” Jim smiled. “I’d better go and get dressed. You too. You need to leave in half an hour. School starts again today, remember?”

“Oh joy.” Lou said, opening the wardrobe and getting out her clean uniform. “Double maths first thing on a Monday morning. Just what I need.”

“What have you got planned today?” Mum asked Jim over breakfast.

“I have to go in to town. I’m meeting a mate for lunch. Then I thought I’d come back here and take Deefer for a long walk.”

“Staci has a doctor’s appointment before she goes into school this morning, so we can drop you off in town if you want.” Mum sipped her tea and glanced at the clock.

“Thank you, but I’m going via the boat yard in case they have any work. Why’s she seeing the doctor?”

Lou looked at him and opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind. He obviously didn’t want anyone to know what he was doing, as she knew full well the boat yard didn’t have any work for him. Matt had said so on when they stopped by on Saturday.

“I’m out of itchy stuff,” Staci said. “Ran out yesterday.”

“Eczema cream,” Lou translated. “I have double maths, double geography, yucky lunch in the canteen, PE, French, and finally double biology. Whoever did the timetable needs shooting for scheduling maths at ten past nine and PE straight after lunch.” She sighed, stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. “We who are about to die, salute you.”

“Strength and honor,” Jim replied.

Lou kissed her mum, poked her tongue out at Jim and headed out the door.

~*~

Once Staci and Nichola had left, Jim opened the letter from the navy that had arrived for him that morning. He read it through twice, trying to take the news as he imagined a man should, that he’d failed the entrance exam. It wasn’t fair. He’d worked so hard, studied so much, and all for nothing.

He tore the letter up and binned it. No one would know. If he did go and find his parents, he’d need a reason to leave and that would be as good as any.

Jim headed into town. He queued up in the bank and transferred all of his savings over to his card cash account. He double checked his card was valid aboard and wouldn’t be stopped if he used it in the USA or any other country over the next few months.

As he walked slowly down the river to the boat yard, the embryo idea grew into a fledgling plan.

Matt came out of the office to greet Jim. “Hello. I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

“I have a favor to ask. Can you run over
Avon
with me if you have time? Remind me how the sails and so on work.”

“Sure. Are you thinking of taking her out?”

“Maybe for the weekend, not sure yet.”

Matt nodded. He and Jim spent an hour on board going over her from bow to stern, checking the pumps, water tanks, and how to maintain the engines.

Jim thought carefully. “What is the longest journey you’ve ever done in a boat this size?”

Matt grinned. “A few mates and I once sailed to New York. We even renamed the boat
Titanic Two
for the duration. Not that we saw any icebergs.”

“Across the Atlantic? Was it difficult?”

“Nah. You file a shipping plan, a bit like a flight plan, and then the bigger ships know to look out for you.”

Jim followed Matt out onto the deck. “How long did it take?”

“Well, she’s not a cruise liner. That only takes a few days depending on how fast they go and where they stop. We did it in six weeks. Mind you, I did have a crew of four so we sailed continuously. Sailing single-handed could take eight weeks I suppose.”

“Is it safe to drop anchor in the Atlantic?”

Matt laughed. “Unless you have a three-mile anchor it would never reach the ocean floor. That’s what the autopilot is for.”

Jim glanced up at the bridge.
Avon
was his. OK, she wasn’t a naval ship, but she was his, and he was her captain.

“So what are your plans?” Matt asked.

“That depends on what happens in the next few days,” Jim said. “Matt, I really need to talk to someone. Have you got time?”

“Sure. Let’s go have lunch and talk then. I assume you still want to berth
Avon
here for the time being.”

Jim nodded. “If that’s OK. I’ll pay.”

Matt shook his head. “I don’t need to charge you, mate. Your Dad paid a year’s berth in advance. Come on, lunch.”

Over lunch, Jim explained to Matt about his concerns over the fact no one was looking for his parents and about Staci’s nightmares. Social services had called once, now he worried that he and Staci would be put into care if his parents were declared dead. Never mind Staci’s desire to run away, rather than be split up.

“We’d live on it here if need be, although that would be the first place social services would look.”

“You can’t do that. Running away doesn’t solve anything.”

“Maybe not. That’s another big favor I need to ask, mate. If I do go and search for Mum and Dad, I’ll need as much of a head start as possible. So I’d need to leave during the night. It’s not like I’d be sailing without filing the papers or taking my passport.”

“The marina is closed at night. So’s the boat yard. Nothing in or out, I’m afraid.”

Jim’s heart sank. Then he shrugged. So he needed to refine the plan. He could do that.

“Well, I guess that’s that then.”

~*~

Jim washed up the dinner dishes, trying to avoid Lou.

She’d been like a bear with a sore head ever since she’d gotten in from school and it was a fair guess the letter she’d hidden in the tea towel drawer had something to do with it.

Lou finished wiping up. “School stinks.”

“Louisa Benson.”

“Sorry, Mum. But it does.”

“Why today more than usual?”

“Just a bad day.” She looked at Jim with a bright smile. “Fancy a game in the other room?” she asked hopefully.

Jim nodded. “Sure. What about a different game for a change?”

In the dining room, Staci deftly dealt the cards and they sorted their hands out. “We have to add this to the list of stuff to keep on the boat.”

Jim picked up a card and promptly laid down his hand.

“Not if he’s going to do that all the time.” Lou said. She picked up and threw it away. “Skip Jim.”

“Thanks. Didn’t want to play anyway.”

“Just as well.” Staci laid down the first hand and added to Jim’s.

Lou sighed. “That’s not fair.” She picked up and without stopping to think, immediately threw the card away.

Staci grabbed it and laid it down on Jim’s pile. “Out.” she said, throwing away her last card.

Lou groaned and counted her cards. “Seventy-five.”

Jim put the cards down and looked at the girls. “I was thinking I might go and look for Mum and Dad.”

“Are you serious?” Lou whispered. “It’s the other side of the world. How would you get there? They’d never let you fly, even if you could afford the plane ticket.”

“Sail my boat,” he said. “I need to sort out a route, but it’s doable. I can’t just leave them out there somewhere. They’re still alive, I know it.”

Staci’s face fell. “But you can’t leave me behind.”