Thank you for reading my story, I hope that you enjoy it, I would love to hear from you if you do. Mica xx West Yorkshire, England
It had been six months; it had been a terrible day. My Sister and her husband had been on the M6 motorway driving south to go to a show in Birmingham. A lorry driving north had a blow out and crossed the central barrier and drove over their car. The combined impact speed had been in excess of 120MPH. They were mercifully, killed instantly. That left John, their son, my nephew orphaned. He was eighteen, but still to lose both parents in an instant had been awful. He was dazed for a while, trying to come to terms with it all. There was not much I could do from my Dales farm, my animals needed tending to each day, the need to be there for him was overburdened by the needs of my animals.
I had no landline and a mobile phone that seemed only to find enough signal for conversations on odd days, never when you needed it, but strangely seemed able to text whenever. Texting, I was never much good at that, but that is all I had, and I texted him constantly. It was all I could do.
So here we were, six months later. Probate had been finalized. His home was up for sale, he will get seventy percent of it but in a trust fund until he is twenty one, another three years. I was to receive twenty five percent, the rest went to a distant relative of his fathers who somehow was still alive and in Australia. He had finished college and was still pretty much at a loose end. I suggested he came and lived with me whilst he decided what to do with his life. He had no job, nowhere to live and no income until he was twenty one. It took him about half a second to say yes.
I milked the cows and put the churns out for the milk lorry to pump out. I checked the sheep were all on their feet. Few people realise that if a sheep falls and rolls onto its back it cannot get up and will die. Every day, I have to check the sheep, twice I have had a sheep on its back, never listen to those that say it can't happen. It does. I collected the eggs, just ten today, and that was my morning chores done. I cleaned the kitchen, doing all the washing up, putting things where they really belong, rather than on my kitchen table ready to be used at some point in the future. Satisfied, and frankly quite surprised how good it all looked, I went up to tackle what would be John's new home.
The woodwork could have done with a lick of paint, but, well, I hadn't got any, so that would have to wait for some point in the future. The bed was a bit rattly, I might be able to fix that. I went down to the barn and collected my tool box, an old cantilever style that had pretty much all I needed for odd jobs, and hawked it back to the house and up to John's room. I smiled at how easily that rolled off my tongue. It used to be Jack's bedroom before he left home and made his way in the world. My husband Paul, his father, passed just after Jack left home, complications from covid, which was odd, because we live isolated, ten miles to our nearest neighbours, and we never saw anyone. But still, he caught it and never recovered.
I pulled myself out of my memories and returned to the task in hand. The bed frame was an old brass and metal spring affair. The nuts and bolts had worked a little loose. In the bottom of the toolbox was a little red bottle of thread locker. I found it when I was going through things after Paul passed. I pulled the bedding off and then the mattress, pushing them to one side, the mattress proving a tad awkward, wanting to flop all over the place. I cursed it, and then it behaved. I sat with two spanners at the corner of the bed and undid the first of three nuts and bolts that held the corner together, it wasn't exactly tight. I looked at the threads, the nut was a little loose on the bolt, but I knew that there would be nothing suitable in the barn, so it would have to do. I spread a very small amount of the red thread locker around the area where the nut would tighten and reassembled. I repeated with the other two fixings, they were not as worn, but each had a smear of red.
I repeated the process on the other three corners, and then on all the other secondary nuts and bolts, just really to try and reduce the rattles and squeaks. I remembered from when Jack came to stay for a while, how the bed squeaked every time he tossed and turned, or when he masturbated, that alone got quite a tune out of the bed. I didn't want to submit John to similar embarrassments.
Satisfied that the bed was sturdy and squeak free, I examined the mattress and decided that if I turned it over and then end to end, that would present the best lump free area for him. I hoped he lay on the right of the bed, not the left, that was a bit lumpy there. Well, it would have to do, it was all I had and no money for a new mattress. Paul had bought us a new mattress a couple of years before he passed, but with Jack about to leave home at that time, we did not spend money on his bed, this bed. After much sweat, cursing and a few tears, I got the mattress on the bed. I lay on the right and wiggled and tossed and turned.
The bed was quiet, I thanked it for its cooperation and looked at the bedding next. It obviously needed a clean. The quilt was a medium weight, fine for summer, spring and autumn, but a bit thin for winter. Typically, I would take the quilt and add it to mine in winter. Obviously not going to be an option for this upcoming winter if John was still here. Perhaps I could use some of the money from the will to buy a couple of quilts. I had no idea what that sum of money would be, and I wasn't going to count my chickens until it had arrived, and I most certainly wasn't going to waste any money, it was too scarce, and I might need to spend money on equipment to keep the farm moving on, no, that money was staying in the bank.
I took the bedding downstairs and threw it in the twin tub. Donkeys years old but still perfect for my needs. I added a little washing powder. I usually used around half the recommended amount and added a few ounces of white vinegar. That, I had found, was the perfect combination, kept costs down and yet produced a clean wash. Whilst it was tubbing, I went back up and grabbed my spare bedding and dressed John's bed. Paul and I had decided, when Jack grew too big for his single bed that we would get him one the same size as ours, knowing that we could cut down on bedding costs. The bed frame had come from a second hand shop in Keighley, and the mattress was new from a furniture store in Bingley.
That was the bed all sorted. I turned to the furniture next. I had stored stuff in the wardrobe and had put some of my winter wear in the drawers, I removed all that and stacked it in my bedroom for now, I could sort with it later. I went down to the kitchen and retrieved my tub of wax and a duster and went back and polished the furniture. I learned years ago to wax the drawer runners too, or they had a habit of swelling in damp weather and then refusing to open. The wax stopped that happening, but did need frequent reapplying. Today was not damp and the drawers opened well, they got a good waxing.
Finally I went back downstairs and got my hoover vacuum cleaner. Very old, little light on the front and a fabric dust bag inside that I had made, probably about twenty years ago, easy to empty and clean. Now that I had finished moving stuff around it was time to vacuum, goodness, this cleaner was so noisy, but it worked and in no time I had sucked up all the dust I had created. I opened the windows to let in some fresh Yorkshire air and then spent several trips up and down stairs putting everything back in the kitchen.
I put the kettle on the AGA and decided I was deserving of a cup of tea. When I opened my caddy I realised I was low on tea bags, and that I probably would not have enough general provisions for two of us living here. Well, that could wait a day. Whilst my tea was brewing, I transferred the washing from the tub to the spinner and set it off, poured my tea and went and sat on a chair in the yard, just taking in the air, relaxing.
A car came up the road, it had to be coming to me as the road stopped at the farm, we were lucky that the road was looked after by the council, they came and did a top dressing every seven or so years, there was no way that I could afford to maintain it. The downside was that I couldn't put a gate across the road to help with security, but we can't have everything. The car was a taxi, well, actually, an Uber, and it pulled into the yard and stopped.
John jumped out and waved, gosh, I wasn't expecting him until tomorrow. He spoke to the driver, did something with is phone and as I was walking over to great him, he was pulling several suitcases from the car and it's boot. Crumbs. It seemed he had more belongings than I did. I crushed him in an embrace as the Uber drove off.
"Oh it is so good to see you Auntie," He said, I hope that you didn't mind me coming a day early?"
"Heavens no John, why would I? But why?"
"Oh the agents have got people lined up to view tomorrow, it was just easier for me to get out today, I tried phoning but couldn't get through."
"Oh you'll get used to that, virtually no signal here."
"Oh yes, I remember you saying." He pulled himself from my embrace. "Can we go in, I really could use the loo, and I would love a cup of tea if I may?"
"Oh John, off you go, I'll make some fresh tea." John rushed into the house, a suitcase bouncing across the yard as he ran. I grabbed a couple of suitcases and followed at a more sedate pace. I put the cases in the corner of the kitchen, he could take them up, and as I put the kettle back on the AGA I heard the sounds of John noisily urinating in the loo. Hadn't heard that sound in a while.
Whilst the kettle was coming up to the boil I went back out and grabbed my tea mug and also carried the kitchen chair back in to the house. John reappeared his hands sort of hanging.
"No towel auntie. I washed but couldn't wipe."
"Ah yes, okay I will sort one out, meanwhile use this," I threw him a tea towel to use. "You can put it in the loo, and when I get a towel, I will swap it."
He dried his hands and popped back to leave the tea towel in the loo. When he came back he saw the two cases that I had brought in for him.
"Oh thanks Auntie, let me go and get my other two and then I will take them to my room, I presume I have a room?"
I kind of forgot that it had been many years since my sister had visited and brought him along. It wasn't that we fell out, it was just that we led separate lives.
"Well, where did you think you were going to sleep? In my bed? Of course I have a room for you. Grab a case and I'll show you, come on."
I led the way upstairs and showed him his room.
"Here we are. You can use all of the drawers and the wardrobe, all this space is yours, from today this is your new home. I just expect you to keep it tidy please."
"Wow Auntie, this is great, I honestly expected to sleep on a couch."
"You would be in with me before I would let that happen. Now, let's go down and have a cup of tea, then I have to go and do the evening milking. Whilst I do that you can unpack and wander around your new home and get the lie of the land."
We sat and drank Tea. John talked about possibly learning farming, especially as he could live the lessons, it might be his future. I told him that it could be a very lonely life and laughed saying he had heard all about the famous Young Farmers barn dances.
After I got back from milking I was quite covered in poo, I stood at the sink stripped to bra and panties and washed. My clothes would need to go into the twin tub. It didn't happen often, cows liberally pooing everywhere during milking, today was one of the days that it did. I wandered up to my room and was surprised to find John lying on my bed.
"Oh crumbs, Auntie, I was wandering around, and I loved the smell in here, it is very you."
His eyes roamed all over me, taking in my tired bra, crumpled knickers and creased body. I guessed there wasn't much left to the imagination. Well, he would just have to get used to it, in farm left you were faced with the unexpected every day, today was a half nude auntie day.
"Well if you could just pop off whilst I try and find some clothes, then I'll come down and think about some summer."
John wandered away, back into his own room, leaving both his and my doors open. Ok, were we to have an open style of living I wondered.
Dinner was not exactly exciting, mutton chops and boiled potatoes, but it was tasty.
"You look very much like mum," he said, "you remind me of her so much."
"Oh gosh, I hope that isn't upsetting?"
"Oh no Auntie, not at all, mum and I were very close, very close, and so you are bringing back good memories."
I wondered what he meant by very close? Surely not 'that' close. Was it seeing me in my bra and pants that reminded him of my sister? Crikey.
