Page 53 of Waiting for a Bright New Future

It doesn’t take much, does it? One little setback and you start to feel unworthy again. Man up! You’ve ousted Audi man, so why would she wind you up?

“Virtually the whole of my adult life has been spent in a siding and now I’m trying to play with the express trains on their terms. Terms they’ve been practising and nuancing for years. Is it surprising my confidence ebbs and flows?”

All the more reason why you have to be single-minded and focused.

His sister was right. If he let doubts take over his mind, he’d never build himself a future.

Phone Jayne and check the veracity of the diamond story. Imagine the embarrassment if it isn’t true and you turn up at the vet’s asking for an x-ray, or, even worse, try to remove the shell yourself. Florence will not be pleased.

He phoned Jayne, ready to laugh it off if she’d been winding him up.

“Of course it’s true!” Her excitement cascaded through the words. “Perhaps we could keep a diamond or two before telling Florence? Think what a difference that would make to our future together.”

“No. We don’t do anything without Florence’s full knowledge.”

“Relax! I was joking.” There was a pause. “I’d come round and help you but Mum’s in one of her anxious moods tonight. She’s frightened about the future. Her future, my future, our future. She’s pulling me down but I can’t leave her.”

“Would it help if I came to you?”

“I don’t think so. Not unless you want to try a bit of meditation after I’ve settled Mum?” There was a note of hope in Jayne’s voice. “I’ve just downloaded an app which teaches mindfulness and meditation. I’m hoping it will shut down all those chattering worry voices in my head. A bit like on the yoga retreat.”

Stuart took a breath. He hated turning her down but all that sort of stuff made no sense at all to him. He’d had too many years of living inside his own head.

“If I can master it, I might try it on Mum,” Jayne continued.

Stuart made what he hoped was an encouraging noise.

“Speak tomorrow.”

He continued to watch Slowcoach late into the night. He looked at him from all angles, trying to detect something in the animal’s gait that might indicate an ill-fitting shell or uneven distribution of weight. He tapped gently on various parts of the shell, trying to decipher, from the sound, anything unusual. He asked the tortoise out loud if he’d packed his own shell and did it contain any prohibited substances. The slow blink of the black eyes said,that’s for me to know and you to find out.

He was sitting in the semi-darkness of just one standard lamp when Florence’s key turned in the lock. In the hall she hummed quietly to herself.

“Oh!” She put her hand on her heart when he emerged from the gloom. “I thought you’d be in bed.” She paused, peering over his shoulder. “Is that Slowcoach on the newspaper in there?”

Stuart nodded.

“Why is he in here? Is he ill?”

“No, there’s something I need to tell you. Something that could change your future.” He led her into the lounge and she sat down. “There might be diamonds under his shell.”

“Diamonds?”

Stuart told her the story. “I think we should investigate further,” he finished.

“No! You’re talking about maiming or killing Slowcoach on the basis of some cock-and-bull story that might not be true.”

“We could talk to the vet.”

“Vets don’t come cheap! And how would we convert these uncut diamonds to money without admitting they were smuggled? My family, and Jacob’s in South Africa, would be investigated for criminal connections. We could end up in prison ourselves.”

“There must be a way.” He remembered Sandra’s advice to stay focused if he wanted to achieve anything.

“No! And I’m not leaving Slowcoach with you.”

She went out to the garage and fetched the tortoise’s cardboard box, laid him gently on the straw and took him up to her bedroom. Her door closed with a thump.

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