The Drive

“I can’t believe you didn’t pack them,” Mary said digging through the bag in her lap.

“I thought chocolate was a bad idea.”

Mary turned and gave Rob a disbelieving look. “You’re joking…”

“Um… No. It melts,” Rob said not taking his eyes from the road.

Mary sniffed in indignation. “That’s the whole point in chocolate. Its meltiness.”

Rob just shook his head and allowed himself a small smile. Once the conversation would have had him in stitches but at the moment with everything they owned in the beat up mini he just couldn’t do it. They were traveling thirty miles to Mary’s parents where they had a static caravan that they could stay in. The only problem was that it had been partially gutted to be turned into a chicken house.

Now it would be their house.

The small smile died on his lips. Mary saw and leant over and squeezed his knee. “It’s okay. I’ll cope without the chocolate.”

Rob lowered his eyes for a moment. He knew that she was saying that it didn’t matter that he had lost his job or that they had been evicted. That they only had fifty pounds between them. Mary was saying that no matter what she was where she wanted to be.

“Rob!” Mary screamed and he looked up only to see a woman in the middle of the road. He jammed on his brakes and slid to a stop. The woman lowered her waving arms and walked over the the drivers side. As she did she glanced at the car and seemed to nod when she saw it was packed with their possessions.

Rob unwound his window. “Yes?”

“Are you on holiday?”

Rob looked at Mary and she shrugged saying without speaking that she was uncertain why the woman had asked but seemed harmless.

Rob looked at the lady and noted her manicured hand leaning on the door and the designer top. It didn’t really matter but he found himself wondering if he ought to lie. He felt ashamed of their situation. Before he could work out what to say Mary leaned over him.

“No… We are relocating.”

Rob smiled and kissed her cheek. It was a great way to put it.

The woman looked at them with something akin to longing. “Then I was wondering if you could help me. I have just got divorced and it wasn’t amicable…”

Oh god, Rob thought. Please don’t ask us to help with a body. He felt Mary stiffen.

“You see I am the money.” She gave a humourless laugh and waved a crumpled piece of paper at them. Rob took it. “He wants me to sell the house for whatever I can get…”

Rob cut her off. “We have no money.”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t,” she said smiling.

“What?” asked Mary.

“Well, he never specified a price. So how much do you have in your purse?”

Rob looked at Mary and then they both looked at the woman.

“This is a joke. Right?”

“No, just read the letter.”

Rob opened it and together they read it, noting the words ‘bitch’ and ‘cow’ and others. For a moment they looked at each other. Then Mary spoke. “About fifty quid.”

“Deal!” The woman exclaimed clapping her hands together. “If you would drive round the corner and park my lawyer is in the house and we can get this done immediately.”

So they did.

This is an urban myth that circulates the family. I think it is just a story to make you slow down on country lanes, but I do love it for the story value. I am hoping one day to expand it and tell Mary and Rob’s story. This post as inspired by the daily prompt – let’s go crazy.