Malcolm focussed on the waitress. She was a slim hippie-ish lass of about twenty one. She looked at him sharply then uttered.
“Are you ready to order yet Sir?”
Malcolm was light years away so it took a while for her words to register.
Suddenly he crashed back into the 21st Century and responded asking her to bring him a pint of Stella Artois whilst he waited for his companion. She looked perturbed and then replied ‘any food’.
He shook his head responding with “No I am expecting company but she haven’t arrived yet can I just have the beer for now please!”
He sipped on the cold Belgian beer which the waitress returned with. Aileen was dressed in her jodhpurs and riding boots as she approached him it was a pleasantly warm day in early May. She smiled at him with her usual ‘hi babe’ greeting then kissed him. She smelled of juniper and cloves then regaled him with tales of her colleague Mary who also worked at the Montgomery Riding School in Rhu adjacent to Helensburgh. Aileen and Mary were a riding instructresses there.
He got an unexpected memory of their lovemaking session five hours before. They were on the kitchen floor her auburn hair brushed against the cupboard doors as they ground their pelvises into each other frantically. Upstairs a leak in the water tank caused a drip to cascade irritatingly down into a bucket beside them on the varnished floor.
They finished then she unwrapped her legs from his waist as she grinned.
“Wish Sandy would get the handyman to fix that bloody drip … Mary and I empty this bucket four times a day. He says he can’t afford to call Wullie out to do the repairs … lyin’ bastard … the amount he charges for lessons here … you know he has just bought a timeshare in Tenerife … so him and his wife aren’t skint!” Malcolm unrolled the condom and lobbed it into the nearby bin forgetting momentarily how much that upset Aileen. He pre-empted her.
“Aye ok hen ah’ll take it ‘n’ chuck it in this poly bag in a wee minute”
Aileen stood up and pulled on her knickers as the internal phone rang.
“Aye Mary … Esther MacKay … that eejit bint from Ayr who says she went to school with Kirsty Wark the newsreader, what time did she say she is she arriving at?” She looked at the digital clock above the sink which said that it was 15:43hrs.
Mary came across the courtyard and entered the main building.
“Hello Malky, Aileen said you were picking her up but I never realised you were here yet is that your car outside by the stable?”
He nodded as Mary passed her colleague a clipboard with forms to sign.
Aileen scribbled on it then passed it back, as she motioned to him to pick up her car keys from the kitchen table. “Come on Patterson’s Garage shuts at five so we only have less than an hour to get to Dumbarton which will be a struggle with all the day-trippers traffic on the A814.”
Aileen’s Volkswagen Polo was in for repairs and she was loathed to spend one more journey on the ‘Ned’s Express’ as she referred to the railway from Helensburgh to Glasgow. The trains were particularly busy because of the influx of folk visiting the seafront and she had spent three days travelling by train from flat in Cardross to Helensburgh whilst the garage waited on a component to be delivered from Germany.
“Get real Aileen that mechanic is rippin’ the pish they don’t have to bring in parts from Munich … he just doesn’t want to give you yer car back in a hurry … do you really believe his story?”
The microwave oven bleeped and Aileen withdrew the two coffee cups from it. She had re-heated them rather than waiting for the percolator.
“Aye well glug this down and we’ll go!”
They left as Mary spoke on the phone with Mrs MacKay’s husband.
Aileen patted her arm as she and Malcolm exited.
Outside a helicopter buzzed past on its way to the naval base.
“The new Defence Secretary is visiting the submarine base today … it was on the car radio earlier.” He grinned as he turned his ignition key.
“Aw fuck hope that CND lot aren’t blockading the traffic at Faslane or else we will never get to collect my car.”
“Don’t think he’ll be in his job for long … John Major has to call a General Election next year.”
They were flagged down by a policeman.
“Can you turn up the hill Sir … some protestors have blocked the road further down and we are diverting people up to the Loch Lomond road.”
Aileen snarled as Malcolm changed gear to comply with the copper’s request to divert.
“Nahh the A82 is faster … we will still make it.” He grinned.
He accelerated up over the brow then down towards the loch.
They arrived at Patterson’s just as the boiler-suited owner was about to close the doors.
Her Polo lay on the forecourt ready for collection.
“All that panic fur nuthin’ ehh Aileen!” She paid Patterson then jumped into her car. Malcolm followed her back up the A82.
It was 2010 again. Aileen, now a woman in her late 30’s entered the bar restaurant and waived at him.
“Hiya darlin’ how was yer shopping trip?” he enquired then kissed her cheek as she sat down next to him.
“Bloody freezing I hope it doesn’t snow again.” She replied.
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