The Loner (33 page)

He placed notices in shop windows, asking if anyone knew the whereabouts of David Adams, and giving a description. He asked for people to please write to the Blackburn address below; there would be a small reward, he promised.

Anywhere and everywhere, he tirelessly enquired after his son. He showed the photograph of a teenaged boy, when in truth he was looking for a man. And at the end of the day, he seemed no nearer to finding him.

It was early one summer evening when a truck driver delivered him to a small village not far from Birmingham. Don tried knocking at several bed and breakfast places, and he didn’t really blame the local landladies, with their pinnies and turbans and lovely Brummie accents, when they turned him down; for he’d been up with the dawn and on the road ever since, so it was no wonder he looked like a tramp. Moreover, the last place he’d searched was the local pub, and was it his fault if he’d sunk a few bevvies to lighten his weary heart? It was completely out of Don’s normal character to do so, but tonight he was feeling very lost.

Darkness was closing in when he found himself down a country lane. Disillusioned and so tired he could hardly think straight, he was beginning to wonder if he would ever find Davie.

As he leaned over the fence, head down and eyes closed as he wondered which way to go next, the roughness of a warm tongue licked against his face. ‘What the … !’ Re e ling backwards, he was pleasantly surprised to see a horse, her huge brown eyes staring curiously at this stranger who had dared to intrude on her patch.

Reaching out, Don gently roamed the flat of his hand along the mare’s neck, ruffling the mane and taking pleasure in the animal’s curiosity. ‘You’re a friendly girl, an’ no mistake,’ he said. ‘A lot moreso than some o’ the people I’ve met along the way.’

As he climbed the fence and headed up the hill to the barn he’d seen earlier, the horse followed. Don chatted to the beast as they both climbed the grassy slopes. The stars shone down on two legs and four as they made towards the barn.

‘Aw, yer a lucky lady, so ye are,’ Don observed companionably. ‘You’re a big handsome beauty, well fed and watered, and pregnant too, by the look of it. I expect you want for nothing.’ He stopped to stroke the horse’s nose again.

‘My guess is you’ve won a lot o’ prizes in your time,’ he hiccuped.

It was good to talk, and besides, the tongue was always looser when lubricated with the golden nectar. ‘I’ll have ye know I’m not a stranger to horses, oh no! Sure wasn’t I born and bred in County Kilkenny.’ Tripping over a molehill, Don quickly righted himself again. ‘I’m not drunk – don’t think that, my friend!’ He laughed. ‘Although I’ll have you know, there was a time when I could out drink and outfight any man alive.’ He sighed. ‘Oh, but that was a long time ago, when I was young and foolish, and desperate to impress the pretty girls.’ His wife Rita came into his mind, and for a time he fell silent.

Having reached the barn, he pushed open the creaking old door. ‘Is there anybody in there?’ he called out, then answered himself: ‘Nobody but me.’

Turning to the horse who was right behind him, he instructed her to, ‘Keep a guard on me, will ye? Sure, I don’t fancy anybody sneaking up an’ catching me unawares.’ If truth be told, he had never felt comfortable in the dark, more especially if he was on his own and, like now, in hostile territory.

Striking a match, he took a quick look about. ‘Quiet as the grave!’ He glanced outside and again inside, and when he was satisfied that the place was not already occupied, he stretched and groaned, and taking off his coat, he spread it out over the straw.

He then began shouting and yelling like a banshee, and beating the walls with his fists. ‘Rats! Rats! COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!’ The horse snickered in fright, but there was no sign of any scuttling creatures.

Satisfied, Don Adams bedded himself down on the straw and fell into a deep restful sleep.

‘I mean no harm, sir.’ Fearing for his life, Don thrust his arms into the air. ‘I’ve been travelling the road looking for my son, and I needed a place to lay my head.’ If he had had a mind, he could have taken a chance and had the little runt on his backside, but there was no sense in arguing with the business end of a shotgun.

‘Were you here to steal my horse?’

‘No, sir, I wasn’t, not at all, no.’

‘Was it you who burgled my house last week? And don’t lie or I’ll have your head off and hung on a pole!’

‘How could I have burgled your house when I only just got here last night?’

‘Where from?’

‘Up north. Like I said, I’m searching for my son.’

‘Where is he?’

Don took discreet stock of the little man. Was he really as gormless as he seemed, or was he play-acting?

‘I just told you – I’ve travelled down from the north to find him. I’ve no idea where he is, and my arms are aching, so if you don’t mind …’

He began lowering his arms, until the man put the shotgun to his temple. ‘I wouldn’t if I were you!’

Don didn’t quite know what to make of this little leprechaun. ‘Sure I’ve do neno wrong, other than sleep a few hours in your measly barn, with the wind whistling through the cracks and freezing the are off me. And no, I haven’t burgled your house, and I don’t mean to steal your horse. I’m here in this godforsaken place, because my family went through a bad time some years back; my wife died and my son ran away. I’m doing no harm here. So, all I’m asking is that you let me up and I’ll be on my way.’

The man raised the shotgun. ‘All right. Get up … but don’t try anything, mister, because I’m watching you!’

Don got up, not surprised to see how he towered above the little creature, but the shotgun pointed straight at him was more than enough to keep the balance between them.

The farmer looked him up and down, and with his beady eye trained on the intruder, he lowered the gun to his side, though keeping it ever ready. ‘Irish, aren’t you?’ he asked.

‘That I am.’

‘Hmh! I had an old aunt who was Irish. Daft as a bat, but she’d give you the shirt off her back.’

‘I had one the same,’ he said to keep the man sweet.

‘Is that where you’ve travelled from … Ireland?’

‘No. I’ve lived many years in Lancashire … a town called Blackburn.’

‘Have you eaten?’

Surprised, Don shook his head.

‘Come on then. I’ll see what I can do.’

As they walked on, Don assured him, ‘It really is like I said.’ Taking a photo from his pocket, he showed it to him. ‘This is my son, David. You wouldn’t have seen him by any chance, would you?’

Stopping in his tracks, the little man took the picture and studied it. ‘Mmm,’ he kept saying. ‘Mmm …’

Don grew hopeful. ‘So – have you seen him?’

‘No.’ The little man shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. But he seems a nice young chap.’

Disheartened, Don retrieved the picture and slid it back into his pocket. ‘He’s older now, by a good few years.’

‘So why areyou showing that photograph, when likeas not hedoesn’t resembleit oneiota?’

The younger man shrugged. ‘It’s all I’ve got.’

They had arrived at the farmhouse – a scruffy place, but homely enough. ‘It’s nothing grand, but it’s mine.’ The little man bade Don to sit at the table. ‘I carenothing for bricks and mortar, and fancy things. It’s the land that I pride, and my beasts. As for that horse, she’s my favourite of them all. I’ve been working with horses since I was knee-high to a gnat.’ He laughed. ‘Not that I’m much taller than that nowadays, though I say it myself.’

Cracking a couple of eggs into a frying pan, he slid it onto the stove and gave Don a sideways glance. ‘I don’t suppose you know much about horses, do you?’

‘Well, I was brought up with them in Ireland, but that was a long time ago. I’m a joiner by trade.’

‘Ah, but you might surprise yourself.’ The little man had seen how his pregnant mare was patrolling the barn when he got there, and afterwards, as they walked back to the gate, she followed the stranger faithfully, even nuzzling him once or twice.

‘Jenny here doesn’t take to strangers easily – tetchy sort, she is.’ He regarded the Irishman in a different light. ‘But she took to you right enough.’

‘So she did,’ Don said. ‘Oh, and by the look of her she’s due to foal any day now, isn’t she?’

‘I thought you didn’t know about horses?’

‘I don’t, but I know enough about the female species to realise when the belly is swollen with offspring.’

The little man nodded. ‘Huh! Observant then, eh?’

‘If you like.’

A few minutes later the meal was cooked to perfection – egg, bacon, black pudding and tomatoes, accompanied by a large pot of tea, and a pile of thick toast dripping with best butter.

‘Do you need a place to stay?’ The little man sat at the table with him.

Don wasn’t sure. ‘I’ve a mind to keep going, but I’m tired, to be honest, and I need to plan where to go next.’

‘There’s a cabin – not much, I’ll admit – but it’s got a bed and a stove and there’s an old radio. You’re welcome to use it, until such a time as you’re ready to move on.’

Don chuckled. ‘One minute you’ recalling me a thief and a burglar and threatening to shoot me, and the next, you’re cooking me breakfast and offering me a place to lay my head.’ He didn’t expect something for nothing. ‘All right! What’s the catch?’

‘There’s no catch.’

‘There has to be.’

The little man chewed his bacon and took a swig of his tea. ‘Well now, if you mean, can you do something for me in return, there is one thing. Y’see, I’m a one-man band here, and with the mares in foal, it’s a busy time.’ He cocked an eye at Don. ‘It’ll mean handling horses, and you might be called on to bring one or two young ’uns into the world. So, what d’you say?’

‘All right then.’ Don could hardly refuse when he had been treated to breakfast and offered a place to sleep. ‘But I won’t stay long – a few days maybe- and then I’ll be moving on.’ He looked the other man in the face. ‘I don’t even know your name.’

‘It’s Jimmy – Jimmy Benson – and who am I talking to?’

‘Don Adams, and my son’s name is David.’

‘Mmm.’ Jimmy lapsed into deep thought once more. ‘Mmm … Davie, eh?’

‘Are you sure you haven’t seen him?’

Jimmy looked up. ‘Well, don’t get your hopes up, but there was something about the picture of your boy. I’m not sure- it could be something and nothing. Y’see, I’ve got a neighbour with four lads, and they all look alike to me. I’m not good with children. Never had any, nor wanted ’em either.’ He grimaced. ‘Never met a woman who wanted
me
.’

Don sat up. Ignoring the last remark, her apped out, ‘Did you see him somewhere? Did he come through here? For God’s sake, think, man!’

Jimmy shook his head. ‘No, I must be mistaken. No, I’m sorry. Like I say, they all look alike to me. But I’ll keep it all in mind, I promise.’ As far as he was concerned, the subject was closed.

But not for Don. This was the first real glimpse of hope he’d had.

When breakfast was over, Jimmy said, ‘Right! It’s time you saw where you’ll be working, and what I’m asking of you. After you’ve seen what it entails, if you want to change your mind, I won’t hold you to your word.’

He led Don outside, through the barns and into the area behind the house. ‘Good God!’ Having wended his way through dilapidated buildings and pitted walkways, he was astonished to see before him the largest, smartest run of stables he had ever seen, and beyond that, the land opening out as far as the eye could see … acres upon acres of fine pasture, with a number of fine-looking horses contentedly grazing.

‘Is all this yours?’ Don looked into the little man’s face and saw the answer written there.

‘All of it … every square inch.’ Jimmy suddenly appeared ten feet tall. ‘Up to three years ago, I was just a worker here – fetching and carrying, putting the horses out, bringing them in … a general dogs body.’

He had a story to tell. ‘The old man who owned it had me doing all the dirty work. He hardly ever spoke, and when he did it was to bark out an order.’

He gave a grateful wink and a cock of the head. ‘When he passed on, I found to my amazement that the old bugger had left me six hundred acres of land and that fine block of stables, complete with the horses that belonged in them. My master even wrote me a note to say how much he’d appreciated my loyalty over the years, and that he had issued instructions that, if any of his family should oppose his will, they were to be shut out of it altogether.’

He chuckled. ‘I got plenty of black looks from the sons at the will-reading. But there was never a word said.’

As they walked the fields, he had more to tell. ‘See that big house over there?’ Pointing up to the property, he said, ‘That was where my master lived. I was in the old cottage where I am now.’

‘So, he didn’t leave you the house then?’

Jimmy shook his head. ‘No, and I wouldn’t have wanted it neither. I’m a simple man with simple tastes. The house went to his daughter, a nice lady; very private since the divorce … keeps herself to herself. Yes, she got the house and gardens, and the two sons had all the money split between them.’

On the way back, Jimmy outlined his plans. ‘I’ve been left some of the best horses you’ll find this side of heaven – all mares, all top pedigree, and most of ’em in foal to a good stallion. It’s a matter of balance,’ he explained. ‘The two sons were left the money but no land, whereas I’ve been left the land and horses but no money – which means I need to sell the foals so I can feed good foodstuffs to the mares, so I can breed more foals and make the money. From there I can start to build a future.’

Don had an idea. ‘Why don’t you just sell everything, lock stock and barrel – the horses and land, with your little cottage and barns. Then you can live out the rest of your life in luxury.’

Jimmy shook his head decisively. ‘Don’t think I haven’t been tempted, because I have. The offers have been amazing. I’ve had offers from the best horse-breeders in the country, and from local farmers who would plough up the land and grow crops in it. Even the old man’s two sons want to get it from me for a pittance, and sell it on for a fortune.’

He tapped his nose. ‘They all think I’m a brick short of a load, but they don’t know me. For the first and only time in my life, I’ve been given a chance to prove myself – a chance I never dreamed would come my way. I have such plans, Don – such ambitions! I’ve worked here long enough to know the ropes, and now I mean to make a name for myself. I want to show I can be the best. If I don’t take the bull by the horns now, I never will, so I’m going for it, all guns blazing!’

He paused, a glint of fire in his eyes. ‘Look here, matey, I know you want to go looking for your son, and so you should. But I’m asking you to consider if you could use this as your base- work one day, scour the area the next – until you’ve exhausted this part of the country. You could do it, Don; you could help me and still take time out to search for your son. It would be just for a while, please? I’ve never asked any man for help before, and I swore I never would. But I’m asking you this one thing. Will you consider it?’

Hands in pockets, eyes big and sad, he made a pitiful sight. ‘If, after a few days, you change your mind, there’ll be no hard feelings. Just give it a try, that’s all I’m asking.’ He paused, searching the Irishman’s face for a hint of agreement. ‘You see, I have a feeling you could help me realise my dream. Will you do it, Don? Will you help me?’

Don was fired by the little man’s big ambitions. He also knew what it was like to be up against the money men, whose sole aim in life was to grab everything they could and send you on your way with nothing.

Yet although he wanted so much to help him, he had a dream of his own.

‘All right, but I can’t stay long,’ he told Jimmy in a serious voice. ‘In the short time I’ll be here, I give you my word, I’ll do what I can to help you achieve your ambitions. But remember, my knowledge of horses is vastly inferior to your own.’

Jimmy was not daunted. ‘You’re willing and able, and you have the heart for it,’ he said proudly. ‘And when it comes right down to it, that’s all a man needs.’

The deal was done with a handshake, and back at the house, Jimmy filled two glasses. ‘Here’s to us,’ he said, raising his own.

‘No,’ Don corrected him, ‘Here’s to you …
a man and his dream
.’

He would keep his promise to this brave little man. Then, God willing, it was back on the road to find his son.