The Parrotts of Penzance
by Angus Shoor Caan
Genre: Drama
Swearwords: None.
Description: Always read the small print on that retirement plan.
Swearwords: None.
Description: Always read the small print on that retirement plan.
Government cut-backs was the excuse given to Bill Parrott, but to be absolutely fair, he saw it coming from a mile off. The writing had been on the wall according to Carmen, his secretary and no strings attached lover. There was no one better at reading between the lines of official gobbledegook than Carmen, and she was seldom wrong, and she was seldom slow in letting on to Bill.
Basic Training cadet numbers had been dwindling over recent years, one reason being there was no place for them in the scheme of things once they had passed out. Another reason, perhaps more significant was that servicemen now appreciated the fact that there was little or no suitable work shoreside and so didn't hesitate in re-upping, extending their length of service to keep a wage coming in. Bill's workload was reduced enough that he now had to share Carmen with Eddie Cochrane in Supplies, something neither of the three was particularly happy about.
So, when the leaked memo on redundancy hit Carmen's screen, Bill was quick to crunch the numbers and apply after a lengthy telephone discussion with Dylis, his wife of twenty three years. It meant the three bed house in an upmarket area of Penzance would now be mortgage free, and with a considerable chunk left over as a cushion of sorts. The alternative wasn't worth the bother of consideration when the offer was made, a move to either Cardiff or Liverpool with no guarantee of a lengthy contract, or even work in the same field to suit his experience.
Dylis Parrott wasn't sure exactly how she felt about her husband's retirement from the Royal Navy. Working in Portsmouth as he did, he was only ever at home for one week in four, reduced to five and a half/six days due to travel and she had become accustomed to living quite separate lives over the years. It actually suited her. She loved her job in administration at the secondary school, the same school both of her kids had attended. The money was good, better than the pittance teachers earned and far less hassle too. Her large circle of friends kept her going and there was never a shortage of theatre or cinema companions, coffee and wine get-togethers and of course J D, her lover. J D was a part time fitness instructor/part time fireperson. Twelve years her junior, J D had film star looks and the firm, fit body of an athletic goddess, her only real fault being she was a little too clingy where Dylis was concerned. J D didn't like it when Bill was at home and there had been arguments.
They gave Bill a big send-off, hiring the banqueting suite of a large hotel and putting on a free bar for the first two hours. Presentations were made where everyone said the right thing and wished him all the best for the future. Dylis didn't attend for a couple of reasons, the main one being their son had a court appointment, his first since qualifying as a solicitor, that very afternoon and she couldn't be in two places at once. That suited Bill just fine. It meant he and Carmen could spend a final night of passion together before Carmen upped sticks and headed off to Malta, her new place of employment.
They exchanged gifts when they were finally alone, made love, clung to each other all night and decided not to keep in touch over breakfast as per their no strings arrangement. Both felt the sadness of it without actually lending voice.
Dylis hadn't been idle. Her break-up talks with J D didn't go down too well but J D finally had to admit, after delivering the inevitable 'him or me' ultimatum, that she really wouldn't be able to cope with Bill being at home all the time. There was no way that could work. They parted on what can only be described as acrimonious terms with J D spouting all manner of threats.
Bill Parrott junior conducted himself well, managing to sweet talk his client out of a custodial sentence and having her punishment reduced to a reasonable fine; a fair result for his first solo day at the office. Dylis treated him to a congratulatory dinner to celebrate but Sarah, her daughter, couldn't make it. She had cricket practice.
Bill junior was happy he'd be able to spend more time with his old man. Despite the almost constant absences they were close and shared hobbies such as cycling and fishing to the point that they were quite competitive.
Sarah was the sportiest member of the Parrott family by quite a margin. Besides the cricket, a recent interest, she was captain of the netball team, a member of the local harriers club, loved canoeing when she could find the time and lived for her annual skiing jaunts to far off places. Combine all of those activities with third year of Veterinary College and Sarah was one busy young lady.
Bill spent the first two weeks of his retirement catching up with odd jobs around the house and garden, finding time to put faces to names Dylis had bandied about over the years, her coffee drinking friends and those she accompanied to the theatre or cinema. He was also in the habit of looking after old Mrs Watt's garden, a neighbour from when they moved into the house. He cycled with Bill junior every other evening and watched Sarah train at whichever sport she was occupied with on alternate evenings; but he was restless, bored even. He joined the gym, paid a year's subscription and lasted all of three days, three sessions. He didn't want to bulk up. Nor did he want to sit preening himself in any one of the wall length mirrors like so many of the others seemed to do so he bought himself a treadmill, rearranged the garage, coaxed an old radio into broadcasting again and trained on his own. His fiftieth birthday was only a couple of weeks away and he wanted to be in tip top condition for the second honeymoon he had promised Dylis.
Dylis threw herself into organising Bill's birthday party, taking on board the fact that he didn't want a big fuss. She decided to have it at home, get the proprietor of her favourite coffee shop to do the catering and keep the guest list down to just family, a couple of neighbours and some close friends. He didn't care that no one from his old occupation would be there. That life was behind him.
Dylis wondered at just how relaxed she was, wondered at why she had been so nervous about Bill coming home to stay and wondered why she had allowed herself to get so worked up about J D and her bunny boiler remarks. Life was good and that particular episode was behind her.
Bill junior arrived with, Becca, his long standing girlfriend, the day before the party. They would be house-sitting for three weeks while his parents were in Canada, since some relatives couldn't make it over for the party, a fact simply countered when Bill and Dylis chose to visit them as part of their holiday.
Dylis made sure everything was just so before popping next door to bring Mrs Watt round for the party. Guests were already arriving. Her phone beeped, a message; photographs, photographs of Bill with Carmen, intimate photographs lit by soft candlelight which left her in no doubt as to the couple's relationship. Dylis thought her heart was about to stop but managed to assist the frail old lady along the fifty yards or so to the party venue. The party mood had somehow left her.
Bill junior was on hand to take care of Mrs Watt while Dylis went looking for Bill. She didn't quite know how she felt. She did but she didn't. From the back window she caught sight of her husband showing someone around the large garden, someone blonde, someone vaguely familiar. Her heart almost stopped again when she realised it was JD but that wasn't the end of it. No, the actual dizziness and subsequent faint came over her when Sarah, her lovely daughter, linked arms with JD and gazed adoringly into her eyes. Just as she once did.
Basic Training cadet numbers had been dwindling over recent years, one reason being there was no place for them in the scheme of things once they had passed out. Another reason, perhaps more significant was that servicemen now appreciated the fact that there was little or no suitable work shoreside and so didn't hesitate in re-upping, extending their length of service to keep a wage coming in. Bill's workload was reduced enough that he now had to share Carmen with Eddie Cochrane in Supplies, something neither of the three was particularly happy about.
So, when the leaked memo on redundancy hit Carmen's screen, Bill was quick to crunch the numbers and apply after a lengthy telephone discussion with Dylis, his wife of twenty three years. It meant the three bed house in an upmarket area of Penzance would now be mortgage free, and with a considerable chunk left over as a cushion of sorts. The alternative wasn't worth the bother of consideration when the offer was made, a move to either Cardiff or Liverpool with no guarantee of a lengthy contract, or even work in the same field to suit his experience.
Dylis Parrott wasn't sure exactly how she felt about her husband's retirement from the Royal Navy. Working in Portsmouth as he did, he was only ever at home for one week in four, reduced to five and a half/six days due to travel and she had become accustomed to living quite separate lives over the years. It actually suited her. She loved her job in administration at the secondary school, the same school both of her kids had attended. The money was good, better than the pittance teachers earned and far less hassle too. Her large circle of friends kept her going and there was never a shortage of theatre or cinema companions, coffee and wine get-togethers and of course J D, her lover. J D was a part time fitness instructor/part time fireperson. Twelve years her junior, J D had film star looks and the firm, fit body of an athletic goddess, her only real fault being she was a little too clingy where Dylis was concerned. J D didn't like it when Bill was at home and there had been arguments.
They gave Bill a big send-off, hiring the banqueting suite of a large hotel and putting on a free bar for the first two hours. Presentations were made where everyone said the right thing and wished him all the best for the future. Dylis didn't attend for a couple of reasons, the main one being their son had a court appointment, his first since qualifying as a solicitor, that very afternoon and she couldn't be in two places at once. That suited Bill just fine. It meant he and Carmen could spend a final night of passion together before Carmen upped sticks and headed off to Malta, her new place of employment.
They exchanged gifts when they were finally alone, made love, clung to each other all night and decided not to keep in touch over breakfast as per their no strings arrangement. Both felt the sadness of it without actually lending voice.
Dylis hadn't been idle. Her break-up talks with J D didn't go down too well but J D finally had to admit, after delivering the inevitable 'him or me' ultimatum, that she really wouldn't be able to cope with Bill being at home all the time. There was no way that could work. They parted on what can only be described as acrimonious terms with J D spouting all manner of threats.
Bill Parrott junior conducted himself well, managing to sweet talk his client out of a custodial sentence and having her punishment reduced to a reasonable fine; a fair result for his first solo day at the office. Dylis treated him to a congratulatory dinner to celebrate but Sarah, her daughter, couldn't make it. She had cricket practice.
Bill junior was happy he'd be able to spend more time with his old man. Despite the almost constant absences they were close and shared hobbies such as cycling and fishing to the point that they were quite competitive.
Sarah was the sportiest member of the Parrott family by quite a margin. Besides the cricket, a recent interest, she was captain of the netball team, a member of the local harriers club, loved canoeing when she could find the time and lived for her annual skiing jaunts to far off places. Combine all of those activities with third year of Veterinary College and Sarah was one busy young lady.
Bill spent the first two weeks of his retirement catching up with odd jobs around the house and garden, finding time to put faces to names Dylis had bandied about over the years, her coffee drinking friends and those she accompanied to the theatre or cinema. He was also in the habit of looking after old Mrs Watt's garden, a neighbour from when they moved into the house. He cycled with Bill junior every other evening and watched Sarah train at whichever sport she was occupied with on alternate evenings; but he was restless, bored even. He joined the gym, paid a year's subscription and lasted all of three days, three sessions. He didn't want to bulk up. Nor did he want to sit preening himself in any one of the wall length mirrors like so many of the others seemed to do so he bought himself a treadmill, rearranged the garage, coaxed an old radio into broadcasting again and trained on his own. His fiftieth birthday was only a couple of weeks away and he wanted to be in tip top condition for the second honeymoon he had promised Dylis.
Dylis threw herself into organising Bill's birthday party, taking on board the fact that he didn't want a big fuss. She decided to have it at home, get the proprietor of her favourite coffee shop to do the catering and keep the guest list down to just family, a couple of neighbours and some close friends. He didn't care that no one from his old occupation would be there. That life was behind him.
Dylis wondered at just how relaxed she was, wondered at why she had been so nervous about Bill coming home to stay and wondered why she had allowed herself to get so worked up about J D and her bunny boiler remarks. Life was good and that particular episode was behind her.
Bill junior arrived with, Becca, his long standing girlfriend, the day before the party. They would be house-sitting for three weeks while his parents were in Canada, since some relatives couldn't make it over for the party, a fact simply countered when Bill and Dylis chose to visit them as part of their holiday.
Dylis made sure everything was just so before popping next door to bring Mrs Watt round for the party. Guests were already arriving. Her phone beeped, a message; photographs, photographs of Bill with Carmen, intimate photographs lit by soft candlelight which left her in no doubt as to the couple's relationship. Dylis thought her heart was about to stop but managed to assist the frail old lady along the fifty yards or so to the party venue. The party mood had somehow left her.
Bill junior was on hand to take care of Mrs Watt while Dylis went looking for Bill. She didn't quite know how she felt. She did but she didn't. From the back window she caught sight of her husband showing someone around the large garden, someone blonde, someone vaguely familiar. Her heart almost stopped again when she realised it was JD but that wasn't the end of it. No, the actual dizziness and subsequent faint came over her when Sarah, her lovely daughter, linked arms with JD and gazed adoringly into her eyes. Just as she once did.
About the Author
Angus Shoor Caan is in an ex-seaman and rail worker. Born and bred in Saltcoats, he returned to Scotland after many years in England and found the time to begin writing.
Angus is the author of thirteen novels, two short story collections and seven collections of poems. All but four of his books are McStorytellers publications.
You can read his full profile on McVoices.
Angus is the author of thirteen novels, two short story collections and seven collections of poems. All but four of his books are McStorytellers publications.
You can read his full profile on McVoices.