147 The World
The boxes were all unpacked, the new flat was clean and starting to look organised and more like their ‘home’, temporary or otherwise. Body has worked hard.
It’s not easy to assemble cheap MDF furniture on ones own as it is very heavy, and holding and fixing it together was difficult. Body and Brain had to adapt the instructions so that it could be assembled, and turn around the pieces so they could be lent against a wall instead of working single handed. Body’s hands did not have the strength they used to have. It meant reading the instructions ahead a bit too to make sure assembly was not hindered by a previous adapted action made out of necessity. Brain managed to remember to turn each piece around to the right way again before the next instruction, Body managed to keep lifting the heavy pieces, but it made a simple task harder. Hey Ho, they were getting used to every job being harder than it should be.
“Can we go out to the park soon?” the Little Red Haired Girl asked at Spirits encouragement. Spirit needed to be outside more since their past confinement in the Pumphouse and it was understandable. Body needed to be outside more too but was trying to be practical and finish the jobs in hand.
“Can it be tomorrow child? We still have plenty to do and tomorrow we can have the whole day off together if I finish this now. We can even take a picnic and go to the beach. Wouldn’t that be better?”
“Oooh yes please. What do you need to finish then? Coz I can help?”
“There is one box left which is very heavy and stuck in the wrong place. It’s in the way and I keep stubbing my toes on it.”
“Then it needs moving” Brain agreed. “Empty it so it’s not so heavy to move.”
“I don’t want to empty it” Body denied the command.
“Why not?” the child asked. “I want to go to the beach tomorrow.”
“I know child but I really don’t want to look inside it.”
“Why? what is inside it?” the child tried to read the big word written in red on all four sides of the box. “I can’t read it” she sighed.
“Photographs” Brain answered “it’s a big box filled to the brim of Photographs.”
“Oooh I like Photographs” the Little Red Haired Girl was excited. “Nana let me look at hers. They was in books.”
” It’s ‘were’ and ‘albums’ Brain corrected.
“Yes. Books of Mummy and Daddy when they was younger or getting married. I had to be careful mind, so I did not ruck or fold the tissue.”
“She means the protective tissue leaves old photo albums used to have” Brain clarified.
“Can we look at them please and move the box then we can go to the beach tomorrow?” the child pleaded.
Body was hesitant, Heart did not want to.
“Face it” called Spirit “we need to move this box out of the way, and you Heart need to face the feeling of possibly loosing these past people for good.”
“Only time will tell that” sighed Soul.
“I agree” called Spirit “but we have to be prepared for the loss whether it happens or not.”
It was a tough call.
“Go for it Body” Heart whispered “as long as we stop when I have to. Will you listen to me Body?”
“Yes, I promise I will listen” Body affirmed as the knife slid to cut the packing tape that was barely holding the box together and from spilling it’s contents onto the floor.
The box released it’s contents easily as if on a spring, and instantly looked as if it would never be able to be re packed and put out of the way in the same manner again. A bit like when one digs a hole, the spoil from it is always bigger than the hole and usually there is some left after it has been refilled. One has to make a decision, does one leave it out and get rid of it? or pile it on so the earth stands proud of the surface?
Body picked up the first folder of photos (she had never got around to putting them all in albums) that had already spilled onto the floor and took a deep breath as fingers opened the folder and saw a picture of herself. Her young self at 21 holding her new born baby daughter.
“Who’s that?” the little one asked pointing at the baby.
“It’s my baby, my daughter.”
“She’s pretty” the child admired whilst Heart turned painfully in Body’s chest. “Where is she now?” the child was curious.
“She lives in the U.K. We moved here to Portugal to live.”
“Oh why?”
“Because our life in the U.K. was difficult and I was ill.”
“Does she miss you?”
“Yes I guess so, but she’s happy, she has her own children and a new partner now too.”
“What happened to her old one?”
“It was sad, he was ill and went to heaven.”
The child looked at her shoes and sat down next to Body on the Indian rug that had moved with them from the old house. She took the photo folder from Body and looked at the rest carefully. She stopped at one in particular that Body must have got mixed into the wrong folder. It was from a totally different era and was one of Nana and Grandad dressed as a cook and a maid from bygone years ready for a fancy dress party.
“It’s Nana! and Grandad too!” the child exclaimed “but why do they have got funny hats on?”
“They were pretending to be a cook, see Grandad’s tall hat? and Nana’s has a maids cap on. Look they are both wearing apron’s and Grandad even has a a bowl and a wooden spoon.”
The child giggled. “What’s so funny child” cried Heart.
“Grandad doesn’t cook! In fact Nana says he can barely make a cup of tea! Nana should have the tall cooks hat. She did all the cooking and baking, so why is it the wrong way around?”
“A good question” called Spirit. “Brain would you care to enlighten her?”
“Not really” Brain was tired and eyes had seen the photos all before albeit a long time ago.
“In the olden days, the cook was usually a man” Body offered.
“Not strictly true” Brain interjected. “In the big country houses of the wealthy they were classed as a cook not a chef, and were usually women that took that role. In a restaurant that’s different, it is quite often or was a man.”
The child looked confused. Finally she asked “What’s a restaurant?”
“A place you go to eat. You pay money for a meal and chose it from a menu. A list if you like.”
“Like the chip shop? It has lists to chose from?”
“No not really. It has tables and chairs and you sit in the place to eat not take it home.”
“Like Nanas kitchen?”
“With a table and chairs yes, but Nana doesn’t get paid to offer people food does she? She cooks just to feed her family.”
“Grandad says she should coz everyone visits when she bakes. Grandad say’s they know and that they must be able to smell the pastry cooking.”
Spirit laughed.
“It’s true. ‘The world and his wife turns up’ Grandad said.”
Spirit laughed some more.
“So we went into the front room to do the pools, me and Grandad, he said he needed to win them to pay for it all. Till they had all gone that is.”
“Who?” Heart cried “Till who or what had gone?”
“The people. ‘The world and his wife” the child repeated. “Nana would call us back into the kitchen for tea when they had gone.”
“Oh a happy ending then. There was some tea” cried Heart.
“Yes I liked the imps.”
“Imps?” Heart questioned.
“Yes with fresh bread and butter, imps and cumber.”
Body was lost momentarily until she remembered the vinegar and could have sworn she actually smelt it too.
“Give us a clue?” asked Brain.
“She means shrimps and cucumber. Nana liked a little vinegar on the sandwiches.”
“It’s what I said” the child replied. “It was my favourite and if we were lucky, there would be some jam tarts left.”
“Left?” Heart questioned.
“Yes ‘the world and his wife’ maybe left some jam tarts and Nana said she would have to start again tomorrow and bake some more.”
“Did she enjoy baking?” Spirit called.
“Yes and I got to do it with her so it was better. I got to help her all over again. They’re meant to be eaten you know.”
“True” laughed Spirit.
“And shared” sighed Soul. “Good things however small are better for sharing. Even time itself is the better for sharing.”
“Grandad said Nana should shut the window so ‘the world and his wife’ wouldn’t know, but where’s the fun in that? I wouldn’t get to chose the numbers on the pools with Grandad then either.”
“A blessing which ever way you look at it” said Big voice.
© 2025 Jennifer Harris. Free And Alive 555
