We all love toys. Men love toys, women love toys, children love toys... we all love toys. As we women get older our toys seem to be bedside drawer, or under the pillow based but as the male of the species progresses their toys get bigger and bigger and they cost more and more and yet more and certainly won't fit into a bedside drawer or under a pillow. With my husband it started with steam. No, not a kettle chugging away in the corner but a full blown miniature steam engine that, when running, would power polishing discs and grinding wheels, hammers that went up and down and, joy of joys (yawn), a whistle.
To be fair, at various parties if he fired it up and got everything running like clockwork a small crowd would gather round the table, their mouths wide open and dribbling with jealousy. But they were exclusively the men in the house. We women were talking about our children, whether we wanted to move, where we were going on holiday - nothing as important as the chaps whose utterances would be along the lines of 'we used to have one of those' and 'my dad had one'. You get the idea.
Of course as time marched on and dust gathered all over the Mammod and it eventually made its way into the attic it was replaced by a classic car. An MGB Roadster. British racing green, brown leather interior, coffee coloured mohair hood and, of course, wire wheels. Then there was the garage to house it. Things had already got slightly out of hand until one day and, totally out of the ether came the breakfast table statement "I'm thinking of buying a tractor."
We have a few acres surrounding our house and for thirty years we'd managed perfectly well with a little 42 inch cut Wheel Horse ride-on mower.
I did my best but before three sunrises had passed I found myself being bundled into the car and driven twenty or so miles to a place in the country where there were rows of 'compact' tractors. None new but all very nice and practical. And there standing in front of a wooden stable block stood Harry.
Ah, Harry. Six feet three inches tall. Typical Englishman with his immaculate overalls, peaked cap and a slightly rough edge to his aristocratic bearing. As though fiddling with the tools of the 'trade' had rubbed off on him and he was now operating at a more 'human' level. Lucky (rich) people have houses on top of a hill, facing south with beautiful views over uninterrupted fields with the occasional cow grazing leisurely in the dappled sunlight. Harry's house stood nearby in just such a position. He was one of life's fortunate ones.
My husband took the tractor he was interested in buying off around the paddock, testing all the gears, the hydraulics and so on. In all it took no more than ten minutes but even as he was driving off Harry stared at my short (ish) skirted legs. I went beetroot but he chirped up.
"I like women in short skirts..." he paused, then added "especially when they've got the legs to carry it off." I wasn't wearing a mini-skirt but it was short enough to demand care when bending over.
"Right." was about all I could manage.
"You carry it off well."
"Thank you."
"No, thank you, for brightening my day, giving me something even better than the countryside to feast on."
"Gosh."
"You see I think women that wear short skirts are making a statement."
"What sort of statement?"
"Now that, my darling, would be telling - and I'm not sure I know you well enough to do that" another pause then added "yet."
I think I must have gulped or made some sort of noise. "Hope I'm not offending you."
"No. No, not at all." He wasn't offending me in the slightest but I was suddenly looking at him in a completely new light.
Long story short: they haggled, they bargained, they talked money, delivery, dates, times and so on, then they shook hands and the deal was done.
Two days later and, without my prior knowledge, Harry and tractor arrived. My husband drove it around the property, checking everything was as expected. Harry piped up once more, this time in a more darkly, deep voiced, mysterious way..
"Shame." It was just one word but I knew what it was about..
"I didn't know you were delivering it today, otherwise..." My voice trailed off as I realised where I was heading but it didn't matter because he finished my sentence.
"...You would have worn a short skirt and not jeans." I was slightly taken aback and my voice almost failed.
"Yes." My husband slowed the tractor up as he came towards us. I was staring up into Harry's eyes and my husband's enigmatic smile gave his thoughts away 'I know what's going on'. At that stage though, I'm not sure I did.
Two days later with my husband at meetings in London I got a text message from him:
Darling
Harry forgot to bring the service history, instruction manual and other bits of paper for the tractor, plus the standard toolkit that should have come with it.
Would you mind collecting them when you're next up that way? Better phone first as he's often out collecting or delivering bits and pieces. His number is 01234 567890.
I know there's your favourite Masseur up there so maybe you could combine the trip with some stress relief.
XX
I had a different sort of stress relief in mind but I am so often wrong about people and situations that I wasn't at all hopeful of anything happening. But naturally I had no objection at all and immediately rang the number and left a message for Harry to call back. I'm sure you can guess what was on my mind, and when he returned my call the following morning suggesting I visit early that afternoon he added, somewhat mysteriously, 'Because I'm free till six'. My heart skipped a beat and I was almost lost for words. All I could manage was that I'd be there around 2.30.
At this point I'm trying to remember my thoughts and feelings. He was a devilishly handsome man. Tall and seemingly very fit with dazzlingly bright blue eyes. He wore immaculate light grey overalls, with poppers all the way down the front and I found myself wondering how he kept them so clean. He was clearly perfectly refined and sophisticated but with an air of honest son of the soil but he also appeared to be nothing of the sort. My husband is a writer so gets to know the details about everyone he meets. Say's it's like food for him and he had previously told me that Harry was once a banker in Switzerland, made a lot of money but hated the lifestyle. He was the second son of a wealthy farming family but his elder brother had taken over the running of the estate since their father had retired.
All of that meant that Harry was now in one of the larger and very remote estate houses, including a stable block and disused tennis court and a few acres of grazing land and on that site he kept all of the machinery he had for sale. So yes a son of the soil but one who'd flown and found a new way.
2.00 PM came and I took a deep breath and climbed into my car. It was only a fifteen minute journey so I had to drive round some little single track lanes to use up some of the time. These little tracks and lanes have passing places every so often and wouldn't you just know it, the very first car I met and had to reverse for was driven by - you've guessed it - Harry. He lowered his window and I did the same.
"Are you lost?" He asked.
"No, just a little early."
"So not lost... just keen." I left that all alone in the air.
"Mmmm, I'll see you in a few minutes."
He was gone and I felt so stupid. I was back in the land of my childhood: always being the first one to arrive at a birthday party and having to make small talk through red cheeks, or being called teacher's pet for clearing up the text books after class and thanking the dinner ladies after lunch. Here I was making a fool of myself all over again. It was all so silly.
I turned the car round and made my embarrassed way to Harry's yard. Of course he was waiting for me, leaning nonchalantly against his Land Rover, that devilish grin decorating his face and all six foot three of him hunkilly handsome and self assured. I got out of the car.
"Ah, even shorter than the first skirt I saw you in."
"Is it?" I muttered lamely
"Yes." he was so laid back I was amazed he didn't fall over. "Even shorter and worn for me no doubt."
"Well, I'm not sure..." my voice tailed off.
"Were you wearing it when I phoned to arrange for you to come over here?"