My Dinosaur Era Chapter 52 (Epilogue)

 

ginny never really did go back home

her and patrycja went places

sticking pins in maps

local at first, the hinterlands of sussex

branching out to northern france, wales

managed to keep going to work somehow

orchestrating the cleaning from afar

 

how the fuck do you do your job remotely, I asked her

fear, timmy, pure unadulterated terror, she said

how so, I said

my little army of cleaning fairies know that  I’m out there, that I could appear at any time, that’s the same as me being there, she said

and the owners are fine with this, I said

of course,  the rooms are fucking immaculate, she said

silly question, imagine having to tell her off

 

patrycja worked the hotel bar all weekend

then, by monday night they’d disappear

show up on friday 

with stories about the the places they’d been

after a couple of months I asked her

why she even had her flat anymore

fuck knows, costs me a fortune in rent and I’m never there, she said

give it up, we’ll share my flat and the van between us, I said

shit, that might work, timmy, she said

 

and so it did

friday became changeover day

ginny and patrycja would turn up in the morning

put their washing on, shower

stroll off down to the hotel

we would hang the washing up when done

petula would fold it beautifully into piles

ready for their return from work that night

 

patrycja had not been joking about testing my driving

the first time she let me take it out

she handed me the keys

my hands shaking, sweating on the wheel

her eyes flitting from the road to me

my neck pulsating with panic

held it together to get a pass

you drive ok, timmy, she said

my whole body let out a breath

 

friday night, we’d take the van

make our own adventure

at first

nervous to take patrycja’s gleaming baby far

we stayed local

brighton marina, less than two miles away

free parking, asda and wetherspoons adjacent

 

eventually we spread our wings out to

lewes, ashdown forest

a four wheel visit back to shoreham

summer nights sat on the beach

still just about holding hands

 

the financials worked out well

all this shared four ways felt easy

petula took a placement at the hospital

sorted her physio registration out again

landed a part time job there when she was done

 

at first I was the housekeeper

of my own house

the only one with no work

I went shopping a lot

daydreaming around the aisles

remembered how to cook again

played music loud as a chilli spat at the ceiling

ginny called me her house bitch

I’d scowl at her, smile deep inside

 

after a while

I took a job in the hole

part time

wednesday and thursday nights only

me and alan slinging beers around the tiny bar

petula sat up on a stool

watching me make a mess

if someone ordered a cocktail

 

one time jonny walked through the door

she had her back to him

he saw us, turned right around

never to be seen again

 

we never talked about him

all that went on before

it seemed like a long time ago

he didn’t deserve mourning

 

we just lived our funny little lives

scooting around the country

in a ford nugget

getting admiring looks from other nomads

she’s a beauty mate, in such good nick

how many miles, drives like a dream I bet

 

we went to see my mum, all four of us

she was overwhelmed, all this company

these two are so tall and that one is only little, tim, she said

yes mum, that’s how people work, some are bigger than others, I said

which one is your girlfriend then, she said

one of the tall ones, I said

I’d never called petula my girlfriend

it seemed redundant, glib

actually funny coming out of mum’s mouth

oh good, I do like the little one but she’s too small for you, a bit loud too, she said

she’s my best friend in the world, mum, but yeah, she does have a noise on her, I said

so which one is it, out of the tall ones, the scary one or the one with the big eyes, she said

the one with the big eyes, I said

oh good, she looks nice, lovely face, I said

a big weird face, I said

oi, don’t be so bloody rude, she’s too pretty for you, she said

I’m joking mum, that’s just a thing we say, but yeah, she is way too pretty for me, I said

did the little one just kiss the scary one, she said

yes mum, they are in love, I said

that’s nice, shame about the height thing but they do seem happy, she said

I think they are very happy, I said

and you, son, are you happy, she said

yes mum, I think I am, I said