A Touch of Heaven and Other Short Stories
to Buy Now
...... the first few paragraphs
Mike had been out of work for some time. He had been a van driver for a Horticultural Company and had been made redundant with four months severance pay. In some ways he was pleased about losing the job. It was tiring work and handling chemicals was smelly and filthy.
Mike decided to go into business for himself and he had managed to scrape together enough cash to purchase the company’s van, which was destined to go on the scrap heap. He thought that gardening would be an ideal pursuit, mainly because he had the necessary tools to hand.
He had never moved away from his parents house, they had divorced and had gone their separate ways, leaving him to fend for himself. They were the early days – he was now 29 and not looking forward to his 30th birthday which would be in three months time.
Mike never married, although he had been engaged twice, but both of his suitable intended brides-to-be found other partners, latterly because they could not stand the chemical smell that seemed to emanate from Mike’s clothing.
He placed two advertisements, one in the local paper and the other on a postcard in the nearby newspaper shop and he received a phone call that same evening. It was from a Mrs. M Mace, although it was run-of-the-mill sort of name, it caught Mike off guard because his name was Mace.
He wrote down the name, address and telephone number on a scrap of paper he had ready by the phone. The lady caller had stated that he should visit the garden tomorrow and see what needed to be done and if he was suitable, he would be offered full time employment with a fixed rate of income in cash every week. Mike could not believe how lucky he was to have landed, it seemed, on two feet, and to be offered a job, on approval of course, if his face fitted.
Mike woke suddenly and sat bolt upright and looked towards the bedroom window. It appeared to be a very dull dark day.
to Buy Now
He arrived at the address. It was pouring with rain and the wind was so strong it had blown his umbrella inside out. The house looked very bright as if it had just been freshly painted. Mike knocked on the door.
The door opened and there stood an old lady. She had grey hair swept back in a bun and a rather smart grey two piece suit. She smiled and said “Hello Mike!” “Come on in!” Mike moved into the hall as the lady shut the front door. “Come on through into the lounge and let me have a proper look at you!” Mike hesitated for a moment and then followed. He said “How did you know I was Mike, I could have been anyone!” The lady said “I’m not expecting anybody else and as soon as I saw you through the window I was reminded that you looked like someone I used to know!” Mike was wondering whether he had made the right decision in coming.
The old lady spoke again “We needed someone we could trust to tend the garden. Our daughter, Mary and her husband were involved in a fatal accident and we built this walled garden in their memory” .........................
