Scrap 63

SCRAP 63
Frank is ready for his breakfast and near the front of the queue when the doors open to the dining hall. He has been seated for a few minutes before the Stewart clan drift in, unusually quietly, and take their seats. He looks round at the glum faces and wonders who is in the dog house this time. It can’t be him because he didn’t get back to the camp until the early hours of the morning.
‘Alright, what’s happened?’ asks Frank, unable to bear the silence any longer. The brothers exchange sheepish looks and Robbie resorts to his tried and tested trick of turning on the waterworks. For once this brings no reaction so he adds a few loud sobs, only to get a dig in the ribs from his mother. Perhaps he is getting too old to be the baby of the family. It was good while it lasted. John, the 11 year old finally gives in and admits that they have lost the bike deposit. ‘Is that all?’ laughs Frank, ‘I thought somebody had died.’
‘It wasn’t my fault,’ wails Robbie, resorting to tears again, ‘I wasn’t late: it was that bloke talking to his girlfriend what done it.’ Frank is as puzzled as the other adults but it seems that if all the rented equipment is not returned by 6pm then the deposit is lost. ‘Oh it is, is it?’ says Frank, ‘we’ll see about that, don’t you worry kids. We’ll go straight round there after breakfast and Uncle Frank will sort it.’
The children brighten up and start on their breakfasts. Scotty would prefer to forget the whole thing but it was Frank’s money and he doesn’t like to argue with his best source of support. He prefers to change the subject. ‘So where did you get to yesterday? You missed some good stuff.’ Frank says he just needed to get out for a while but doesn’t go into detail. He makes no mention of Rosa. ‘What did I miss then?’
Dawn chips in with her four pennyworth: ‘If he thinks his two underage daughters getting drunk on cider is a good thing he needs his head examining,’ she says, shooting a glare at the two girls, who are sitting shame-faced in front of untouched bowls of cereal. ‘I feel sick,’ says Heather. ‘So do I,’ adds Janet. They make a hasty exit, followed by tutting from Dawn and her mother. Scotty rolls his eyes to the ceiling and finishes his breakfast.
Dawn and Mavis are going to play bingo in the Hawaiian ballroom so Scotty and Frank take the boys to the rental hut where the middle-aged owner is opening up for the day. He gives the boys a haughty look and continues standing bikes into racks outside.
‘I understand that you wouldn’t return the boy’s deposit yesterday,’ says Frank. ‘He must have been late back then,’ says the man, without looking at his accuser. ‘And the lad says he was back in time but that you were too busy chatting up some bird to take any notice of him.’
The man stops what he is doing, stands up to his full 6ft 4in height and asks if they want to make something of it. At 5ft 10in Frank seems at a disadvantage and Scotty is quick to step in. ‘Now then lads, we don’t want to make an issue of it. Just give the boy his money back and we’ll say no more about it.’ The man is not in a mood to back down in front of a growing crowd of children, all waiting to hire equipment. After a few words and raised voices, it seems that he has won. That is until Frank’s anger is well and truly lit.
Lifting a 4 seater pedal vehicle above his head he gives an ultimatum. ‘Give the boy his money or you will be wearing a new creation for Ascot this season.’
Astonished at the shorter man’s strength, the man dashes behind the counter, opens the till and hands over the cash. He cowers behind the till, hoping that he hasn’t gone too far this time.
Frank gently replaces the quad cycle on the ground. ‘Now you can find the four best bikes for these lads to rent today, and make sure they get their deposit back this time.’
The man does as he is told and the boys pedal off happily, jeering over their shoulders at the loser. Robbie’s little legs pedal like mad to keep up as he shouts to his brothers: ‘wait for me.’
Frank and Scotty saunter off in the direction of the ice cream kiosk. ‘Tell the boys not to bring the bikes back,’ he says. ‘They can put them in my chalet and use them for free for the rest of the holiday. I don’t think we’ll be having any more problems with that shyster.’