Thursday, March 13, 2008

north and south

I knocked on the door. Footsteps were heard in the hallway and my neighbour opened the door. ‘Hello Rilly’ said my neighbour, ‘what’s the matter love?’ ‘I think I’ve run over a cow’, I told him. ‘Not a sacred one I hope’, he smiled. I lowered my gaze. I didn’t need to say more. ‘Fancy a brew?’ he asked, standing aside from the door. I went in. ‘Come on through’, he said. ‘I’ll put kettle on’. Just then the phone rang. My neighbour picked up the receiver. ‘What’s that?’ he asked the caller, ‘trouble at mill you say!?’ he repeated, grinning at me. I smiled embarrassedly. With a few more words he ended the call. ‘You mustn’t worry about those Londoners pet’, he assured me. ‘They’ve never heard of Galileo down there, still think the universe revolves around them’. 'Galileo?' I queried. 'Aye, Galileo' he said. 'Hmm, Galileo' I pondered. 'Rilly, let me go', he said, 'kettle's boiling', and I unhanded him so he could make the tea. I moved a little closer to the fire as my neighbour clanked mugs in the kitchen and with my damp feet starting to warm by the hearth I was sure I was feeling a tingly sensation I hadn’t felt for a long time; static, it must be, I thought to myself, bloody northerners and their synthetic carpets, and I wondered if my neighbour had any brandy in, sigh..

9 comments:

Mopsa said...

ooh - is he a Heathcliff type? Don't tell your husband about him Rilly...just in case he wants first pick.

Penny Pincher said...

He's gorgeous - even when he was with that French Dawn ... sigh.

aims said...

Dear dear Rilly - you do get yourself into awkward situations quite often don't you? What about the cow? (the one that you hit)

Expat mum said...

Just give them northerners a few more years and they'll be ripping up the carpets, polishing the boards and pretending to be soft, I mean southerners.

The Draughtsman said...

The Crowthers of Bankdam were never like this, by 'eck!

Frog in the Field said...

Poor Rilly,
Farmers always have Brandy in the house, I have known Darling Husband give it to sick animals before now!
My neighbours have commented that my baby piggies wander up on to the road, must get them some brightly coloured collars.

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

How come you keep managing to find all these available men? Do you want to pass some on to me? ;)

MommyHeadache said...

Don't be so backward about coming forward with this man of the soil. Next time just mount him and ride him into the sunset. I'm sure he won't protest too much!

Hadriana's Treasures said...

Rilly..Perhaps he was dropping you a hint. You know "Gal-on-a-lilo". Nudge. Nudge. Wink. Wink. Say no More!