Chapter 7 - Violets business.

It was five o’clock in the evening. The three of them were already there, having agreed to make a journey that whilst it would be time consuming, it would also expand their knowledgeable horizons. There would be picture taking, sightseeing, exploring the cities where these landmarks were located.
“Did you tell everyone,” asked Chris, as Jake strolled through to the conservatory.
“I sure did,” Jake replied happily. “Oh, wait, I didn’t tell Drake, but I did tell Jackie so I would anticipate him coming along. You know what she’s like. Always punctual, and the two of them when together are never late.”
“Well, that’s settled. We know at least two are definitely going to be here,” said Andy. He had watched Drake grow up from birth, and ever since he’d got with Jackie, they had always been on time, especially when together.

Jackie had been busy herself that day, when she’d run into Jake. He’d mentioned something about a sightseeing tour, and to be at Vi’s for seven. She however had one more person to talk to regarding getting herself a job. Having been out of work for the last few weeks, landing an opportunity after the turn of the year was always going to be a challenge. Also, this particular opportunity was a rare one. She didn’t have to dress smart, she could be casual for the interview because of what the occupation was. The title, Public House Assistant, was rather appealing, but she knew deep down it was simply just a barmaid. The local pub was only a few moments down the road, so she headed off for her interview.

The pub itself was offset from the road with just about enough parking spaces for a dozen or so cars. Being a quiet country pub, there wasn’t an excessive need for too many. It was a gravelly car park, one of those where if you walk on it for too long you’d end up with a stone in your shoe. Also there was a four foot high hedge which ran around the sides of the car park, barely enough space for two cars to pass on entry from the main road. The pub itself had formerly been two cottages, and this was evident from the stony white exterior. It was hard to maintain, and the building itself was listed, so it could not be knocked down without prior permission. Striding over the gravel, Jackie opened the wooden door and stepped inside.

The inside of the pub was decorated with a variety of artwork, from famous painters to more local artists. Solid oak beams were the backbone of the building, often visited for repair to prevent any collapsing. The bar area itself was long enough to have four stools for punters on the outside, and stood behind was the landlady. She was relatively young in features, being only twenty-eight, and her hair was short and curly. Being advantageous in the chest area, she often wore a low cut top, and was also frequently having flirtatious banter with most of the guys who popped in on their way home from work. To Jackie’s left, there was a jukebox, which, connected to the PA system, had a variety of classic songs and newer releases. The new releases were updated weekly, as that fitted the marketing of chart based new sounds.

Approaching the bar, the young landlady greeted her. “Hi, you must be Jackie. I’m Susan, your landlady, and interviewer for this position.”
“Hello Susan,” Jackie professionally extended her right hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”
“No need for being too professional here,” Susan chimed. “We’re not exactly thriving of late, after the New Years Eve party we’ve been pretty quiet.”
Jackie pulled her hand away.
“You ever worked in a pub before?” quizzed Susan, looking Jackie up and down. “You sure look like you’d fit the part, if you can hold a conversation about whatever the guys want to talk about.”
“I have, once,” replied Jackie. “I was only twenty at the time, and it was away in the city. That was a bit much for me if I’m honest. Too many guys kept trying to get hold of me when I was clearing tables and I lost patience with the management structure there.”
“That won’t be a problem here, our regulars barely know how to keep straight on the stools. They can have a bit of a laugh and a joke, so you have to be able to laugh at yourself at times,” Susan explained. “If you want to come through, I’ll run you through where everything is.”
Jackie followed her through to the cellar. Susan ran her through the wines and re-trained her on how to change the barrels too.
“If you are free tonight, I could give you a trial run,” Susan was hopeful that she could hire Jackie there and then. “I’ve been asked to go to my sister-in-laws tonight. I think a couple of our close community in the village around the corner are going on a round the world sightseeing tour. Could we reschedule for tomorrow if possible?” Jackie queried.
“Sure thing, that wouldn’t be a problem. Living so close it would make it less time for you to get home after a shift too,” came the reply. “I’ll see you here about four tomorrow afternoon then.”
“Ok, that would be nice. Hope tonight goes ok for you, and thanks for taking the time to interview me,” Jackie was pleasantly surprised. She hadn’t been expecting that kind of response for a casual interview, and left.

Seven o’clock chimed on the grandfather clock that stood in the hallway at the back of the house. Everyone had turned up, although there was some confusion as to why they were all there at such short notice.
“Hello everyone,” stated Andy. Chris was stood alongside him, and Jake was just behind them.
Derek, Neville and Simon, looked up from their conversation that they had stifled.
“We would like to announce,” Chris began, “that the three of us have agreed to accompany each other on a trip around the world.”
“That’s right,” Jake interrupted. “We’re looking at going to many different tourist attractions.”
Jackie looked over at Violet. She could sense there were tears about to flow.
Derek finally spoke out. “I hope you have it all well thought out. It would be more advisable to check what vaccines you would need too.”
Chris replied, “We’ve already thought that through. After Jake had come to tell everyone, we went and got ourselves prepared.”
Derek was impressed. “Well I’m glad to hear it,” he applauded. “Lets hope that it all goes well for you then. When do you leave?”
“It would most likely be first thing in the morning,” Andy said. “Probably best that we all get a good night’s sleep first.”
“Wise choice,” Simon boomed.
“Bro, you gonna keep in touch?” asked Drake.
“We’ll be sure to try and send letters your way,” Andy replied. “Can’t guarantee how long they are going to take to get here though.”
All of the attention in the room turned to Violet. She was starting to shake with a few tears running down her face. Chris walked over to her and, holding her tightly, whispered in her ear, “Everything will be fine. You said yourself you could throw your efforts into getting this business up and running. Who knows, without me getting under your feet, this could be your time to really shine.”
“I’m just scared that something bad will happen,” she pleaded, through the tears. “I’ve never stopped you doing anything before, and why should I do that now?”
The room went silent. Neville turned to Jake.
“You have to remember, listen to these guys, don’t go wandering off on your own,” he warned. “They are there to protect you. Don’t get them into any unwanted situations if you can help it.”
Jake had a reply ready. “Of course, uncle Neville. I’ve been around these guys a few years now haven’t I?” “And no wise-guy backchat either,” Neville said, disapprovingly shaking his head.
“Think its time we have a little drink and then head to bed,” Andy said. “It’s already eight-thirty and we have to get our rest.”
The rest of the group nodded in agreement. The next few months were hardly likely to be the same without these guys around, but it was exciting that they were going to experience such an enviable trek.

A few weeks passed. Today was the first of Violet’s summertime parties. A group of ten people were coming around for a reception of light entertainment and drinks. She had been given a menu selection from which to prepare a few snacks, and was aware that a DJ was coming in to set up a karaoke themed selection. It was around ten-thirty in the morning, and a familiar knock at the door made her jump back into reality. Of course, it was only Derek with the post, but she was still anticipating the first letter from the boys. Hastily opening up, she took the letters that he had for her, checking each one in turn. Today, there was just one letter that stood out. It was postmarked from India. Ripping the envelope open, she anxiously unfolded the paper. Unaware that Derek was still standing there, she scanned over what had been written.

‘To my darling Violet. We hope you are well, and that your business is looking up. Jake’s been a little bit of a handful, but we already knew this was likely to happen. The Taj Mahal is a supremely beautifully crafted building. It has given me a new incentive to look at how we can expand our own home too. Just a short one this time. May go into more detail with the next one. Love you forever and always, Chris. P.S. Andy and Jake send their love.’

She looked up excitedly at Derek. “They’re safe! They’ve let me know they are safe!” she exclaimed.
“Calm down Vi,” Derek chuckled. “This has come from India, so I’m expecting them to be further along than that. Plus, don’t you have something else today?”
“Oh yes, so I do. I’m expecting a DJ turn up at some point to connect his equipment,” she was still hyper. “But now I’ve heard from them, I’m relieved and can concentrate properly and professionally. It’s a little bit of luck that this happened on my first accepted booking.”
Violet’s business was simple. She had placed an advert in and around the local cities for small events catering, in which if a menu was provided, she would provide the food and the option of the use of the building. Costs would be worked out accordingly, but she had every intention of using her previous experiences of being a head chef and really getting stuck into it.
“Thanks Derek. If I need any help I’ll be sure to call you, but I must get on,” she breathlessly said.
“Ok, Take care. Let me know how it goes tomorrow when I drop by.” On that note, Derek turned and strode down the front path to his trusty bicycle, and Violet closed the door.

A short while later, there was another knock at the door. Violet had been humming to herself all morning since the letter had arrived, so she answered the door in a bouncy mood. “Hello there,” she said to the couple at her doorstep. “How can I help you today?”
The gentleman was dressed in a tuxedo, all clean, and well pressed. Clean shaven, and in his mid-fifties, he looked for all the world like he was a manager at least somewhere in the catering industry. “We are, Mr and Mrs Jackson,” he proclaimed. “We have come to meet with Violet, the lady described in the advert as the host with the most.”
“That would be my good self Mr Jackson. Please, do come in,” Violet invited them into her kitchen area. “Would either of you like a cup of tea?”
“Yes please,” piped up Mrs Jackson. She was also very well groomed, not a hair out of place, with a little bob on the top, and wearing a knee length crimson coloured dress, she certainly didn’t look like she was his wife. She looked more likely to be his daughter, but she had looked after her physical being with a fair few anti-wrinkle creams over the years.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” enquired Violet.
“It’s about tonight,” Mr Jackson stated. “We are here to talk you through what we are expecting of not only yourself, but of our guests.”
“Please, do continue,” Violet replied. “And how would you like your tea Mrs Jackson?”
“I usually have milk and one sugar,” answered Mrs Jackson.
“Anyway, hot beverages to the side,” Mr Jackson continued, “We would like to see the room in which the DJ will be playing the music from. Also, we can see that your kitchen is well looked after, so we have no problems with the food preparation.”
After the kettle had boiled and Mrs Jackson had been given her cup of tea, Violet said to them both, “If you would like to follow me, I will show you where the best room is for the DJ.”
Accompanying her through to the sitting room, they looked at the spaciousness of it.
“Is there any chance we could perhaps move the furniture through to the conservatory?” Mr Jackson was used to doing much of the talking. He was a political representative for the city in which he’d driven down from. “We have a number of people who like to sing, so the rest of the room would need to be opened up a little bit more if possible.”
“I’m sure I can arrange some assistance for this,” Violet was a little cautious but firm toned. “As part of the small village I am proud to represent here today, I have a few people I can ask.”
“It seems like everything is under control and going to plan very nicely,” said Mrs Jackson, before her husband could ask any more awkward questions. “We shall leave you to carry on with this. The DJ should arrive around four-thirty, and we will be back with a guest list around five.”
Ushering her husband towards the door, she turned back to Violet, “Thank you for the cup of tea, my dear. It was wonderful. We shall see ourselves out.”
Violet was pleased. That had gone far better than she had initially hoped. Now she had a couple of hours to spare, so she threw on an old pair of tracksuit trousers, and a long sleeved t-shirt. It was a little chilly outside, but she had to see if she could catch Derek and get some help.

Derek had paused outside Neville’s shop. Leaving his pushbike to one side, he noticed something different about it. But what it was he couldn’t put his finger on. Just as he was about to go and enter, he heard a voice behind him.
“Derek!”
He turned around and saw Violet coming up the road. “Derek,” she paused to catch her breath. “You remember offering to help me out if I needed it,” she continued. “Thing is, I had a couple come and knock on my door asking me if I could re-arrange my furniture a little bit. I could probably manage the armchairs, but the settee is a two person job.”
“Why Vi, I don’t see why you should have to do this at all. Come inside a minute, I just want to get a couple of bits for my lunch,” Derek went through and held the door open. She followed inside.
“Hello Derek, Violet,” said Neville. “What can I do for you today?”
“I’m just after a few bits for my lunch Neville, but I was wondering if you could close up for thirty minutes or so and come and help me move some furniture at Vi’s?” Derek enquired hopefully.
“You know lunchtime is my busiest spell of the day, right?” Neville wasn’t in the best of moods today. “I could lose a fair bit of business!”
“If you can’t help, its ok. We understand. But this is Vi’s first catering party, and without Chris and Andy around to help, she was going to do it herself,” replied Derek.
“I’ll see what I can do. I might be able to call someone to cover,” Neville remembered the conversation of the night before they boys left.
“Thank you for at least trying to help,” Derek said, as he paid for his goods and left. Violet hurried after him.
“You don’t need to ask someone else to help, we could do it ourselves,” she started.
“I’m a bit too old fashioned for that Vi,” sighed Derek. “I’m so used to being around where guys have done more of the physical workloads.”
“We don’t have a lot of time available to us though. Needs must,” she continued. “If it means me lifting heavy things, then so be it.”
“Ok, calm down,” He was a little put out by this. “I’ll ask Neville not to come.”
Popping his head back into the shop, he relayed this information, and then they both set off back to the house.
“Where is the stuff going?” he asked.
“Into the conservatory for now,” she replied. “It has enough space in it.”
With one at each end of the settee, they slowly lifted it up, and moved it through the opening into the conservatory. Following that with the two armchairs, it looked like there was room for thirty people, not ten.
“One more tiny detail,” she added. “lets move the central table up against the staircase wall. This will be easier for me to put the drinks and snacks on if they get low. And thanks again for your help. You’ve been a godsend for me today.”
“What are communities for,” he grinned. “I know I’m old fashioned, but you know what you’re doing.” He left her in peace to carry on with the food preparations. It was only twelve-thirty, but there were a few items on the menu of nibbles that would take a little while to prepare.