Tony Littlejohns - The Hoffmann Plague

‘I know… She calls us Mum and Dad now, which is really touching. She’s changed an awful lot recently and is growing up quickly. We don’t know if it’s because of the shooting or just her hormones.’

‘Maybe it’s both. I could see a change in her as we came in,’ said Sarah. ‘It’s lovely to see her doing so well and I’m so pleased for you.’

Georgie agreed and Jane told them that Megan had also recently started her periods. Both women said ‘ Ah, bless her!’ in unison.

In the third week of September, on a trip to the farm, Bill and Jamie decided they should sit down together and make a list of all the materials and tools they would need to get and bring to the farm for the future, while they still had use of the vehicles. They agreed, jokingly, that as this was “man-stuff” it needed to be done in a pub! After lunch, Jamie, Bill, Phil and Peter walked to the village pub three-quarters of a mile away and broke in. Bill hadn’t been there since before the plague, but he knew the owners had died early on. It felt strange at first sitting there in an empty pub, but it didn’t last for long.

The beer on tap was undrinkable, of course, but there were still many bottles left on the shelves, along with many spirits. They all got drinks and sat at a table by a window, and pretty soon it almost felt like old times. They spent a couple of hours going over things and making a list of everything they might want, and talking about the machinery at the farm and what spares might be needed. They also discussed things they would need for converting one of the barns in the top yard into stables.

After nearly three hours they were all rather drunk; Peter was only seventeen and was the first to flag, followed by Phil. By the end the writing on their list wasn’t very legible. They staggered off home with Bill and Jamie singing Bohemian Rhapsody , which Phil and Peter thought was a bit old-school, but they joined in anyway. Back at the farm the women tut-tutted at their condition, but Emma and Jane glanced at each other and smiled, knowing it had been good for all the men to get out together for once and let off steam.

During those last two weeks of September Jamie, Bill, Phil and Peter made many trips to all the DIY stores and builders’ merchants in Bexhill, bringing back huge stocks of everything they thought might be needed in years to come. They also visited the gun store on the outskirts of Hastings and picked up several more shotguns and rifles, along with most of the ammunition left there. There were some smaller twenty-bore shotguns that they picked up, too, which had become more popular in recent years as they were lighter and had less recoil, and they would also be good for the girls to practise with as they got older.

They collected many racks and shelving units and erected them in two buildings in the top yard to use as storerooms, after clearing them of junk that had been in them for years. All the timber and sheet materials they collected were put into the big barn in the main yard. There was a lot more timber that they wanted to pick up from several places in town, but they would continue to make trips over the next couple of months. They stored screws, nails, washers, brackets, gaskets, nuts, bolts, tools, and all manner of other useful things in plastic storage boxes on the shelves, along with glues, sealants, chemicals and plumbing supplies. They also collected materials like sand, cement and ballast for making concrete, for any future projects or repairs. Another place they visited was a garden centre, where Jamie picked up two flat-packed greenhouses and other supplies, as he and Jane wanted to create a garden in the field behind their place where they could grow herbs, tomatoes and other plants.

They erected the greenhouses far enough back from their building that they wouldn’t be in its shadow and would get full sun. The tomato plants from the conservatory that were still producing fruit were transported to the farm and put into the greenhouses, and Jane dug up the perennial herbs from their garden and put them into containers temporarily, to be planted in the new garden when they were ready. She also thought it would be a good idea to dig up a few sea beet plants from the beach behind the bungalow to transplant into the new garden.

It had been a rather hectic six weeks for them, but by the middle of October it was all done. Their preserved food was now spread between their new kitchen and the unit next door, which was now filled with the converted wine racks from their cellar and many other shelf units for storage. Jamie had also fixed hooks high up around the edges and across the ceiling and there were many string bags hanging there containing onions, root vegetables and fruit. There was a space set aside for all his tools and their bikes were against the wall near the door. Outside, near the hedge, was a covered storage area for logs for the stove and the range.

They had brought the Toyota pickup, the BMW and Jamie’s Seat to the farm, along with the Land Rover, but Jane decided to leave her Golf in the bungalow’s garage as they didn’t need it. The dining table and chairs from the bungalow’s kitchen were brought over and now sat in the space allocated for them in the living area. They’d also found a small round high table and two bar stools that fitted in the kitchen, and the patio table and chairs were in the yard in front of the building. Through the gap between their row of buildings and the ones on the yard’s adjacent side they would be able to see the sun going down at certain times of the year. Max hadn’t been forgotten about: he had a lovely rattan dog-basket filled with thick fleecy cushions and blankets to snuggle-up in.

Finally, there was just one more trip left to make to pick up the last few bits and pieces before it got dark. Jane asked Megan if she was coming but she smiled and declined, saying she was happy pottering about the place with Max, unpacking and getting her bedroom sorted. Max was lounging in his new bed and looked like he wouldn’t be doing much pottering for a while. She kissed them both and they drove off in the Toyota. Secretly, she had wanted them to have time on their own together to say goodbye to their old home. As soon as they had driven off she put on her coat and walked off across the yard to the farmhouse.

It didn’t take them long to load the last few things into the truck then they went back into the bungalow. They walked from room to room holding hands, remembering things that had happened in the five months or more that it had been their home. It felt like they had lived in the place for years with all the things they’d done and achieved there, as it had been their first step on the road to survival and self-sufficiency. They had tears in their eyes and held each other as they remembered the day they’d met, when Jamie had come running down the road with the shotgun and saved her life.

They went outside and walked around the gardens, commenting on things they’d made or done and remembering successes and failures with growing food.

‘God! D’you remember the evening you came running back in your dressing gown after finding Max half-dead on the beach?’ said Jamie, shaking his head.

‘How could I forget it? We were so lucky to find him, and that he survived. He’s been a fantastic companion.’ Jamie smiled and agreed with her.

She sniggered. ‘And what about our mad drive along the seafront to Galley Hill in the RS2000?’

‘…Singing Summer of ’69 at the tops of our voices!’ he added, and they both laughed.

They kissed and then walked back through the house to the truck and drove back to the farm. They parked in the yard, walked to the door and went inside. Megan had lit the stove and also the range in the kitchen and the place was warm and cosy, with candles burning on the walls. She was standing there smiling in the green dress she’d been wearing when they met her. Behind her on the wall was a banner she’d made with Sally’s help, which said Welcome to our new home, Mum and Dad! Jamie and Jane smiled and then got tearful, as Megan came over and held them both tightly.