Albert Porter's Law

ALBERT PORTER'S LAW

Anna sighed at the accounts spread out on her desk, wishing she could
tip the lot into the waste bin. The sun was falling on a bitterly cold
afternoon, and she herself was freezing, but the way things were,
turning up the heating was unacceptable.
Ray, her business partner, put his head round her door. 'You
okay?'
She managed to find a smile. Things were bad for her, but worse for
him. At least tonight she didn't have to give half their staff
redundancy notices. Not on the 23rd of December.
'Are you?' she asked.
He shrugged. 'I've tried talking to Richard again, but -' Ray held up
his hands hopelessly.
She looked again at the paperwork. Normally the accountants would do
the job, but the firm needed all the cash it could get.
She couldn't really blame Richard for leaving. After all, he was young,
clever and ambitious, and they were a small, struggling, provincial
firm of solicitors. They had never made a fortune, but when Richard
left, he took a lot of clients with him; a lot of income. Their bank
had not been impressed.
She thought of Ray, and swallowed. He had built this practice up, it
was his life.
She tallied up a row, staring in dismay as the columns refused to
balance. She was probably going to be here till seven tonight again,
and even then she'd likely have to take the work home. She was counting
up the column again when the phone rang. It was Bernice on
reception.
'Sorry, Mrs Scott. There's a lady here has had a bereavement. Can you
spare a minute?'
Anna sighed. No I can't, she thought desperately. She was about to tell
Bernice to make an appointment for the lady, when the church bells
across town began to ring. They spoke to her of loss, of a future of
loneliness.
'I'll be down in a minute,' she said.

The old lady smiled brightly at Anna as she introduced herself.
'I'm sorry to trouble you,' she said, sitting down carefully, 'But I
went to Grabbitz and Runn, and they couldn't see me, so I went to
Leavieux Short, and they told me to make an appointment. You see, I
really need to speak to someone today -'
'It's quite all right.' Anna said softly. 'Why don't you tell me about
it.'
The old lady breathed in deeply. She had bright brown eyes, as sharp
and clever as a bird's. She was tiny, and in her tartan coat and fake
fur hat she looked like a child in adult clothes.
'It's my Albert,' she said. 'He died, you see.'
'I'm sorry.'
'Oh, it's all right. It was just as well, he was in such pain.'
Anna winced, but the old lady smiled. 'Albert Porter. He was a big
strong man. I recall at our wedding, when we danced, he lifted me clean
off the floor, he did. We danced the whole night, and my feet barely
touched the ground -' She gazed into the fire.
Anna swallowed to hide an impatient sigh. The sun was setting now, and
the sky was filled with fire. The accounts nudged at the back of her
mind, reminding her of the painful Christmas to come. Bernice knocked
at the door and brought in a tea tray.
'Oh goodness, thank you so much!' Molly Porter beamed up at Bernice,
who tried to smile back. Anna could see that news of tonight's
announcement had already spread. If only they could get some more work!
All week Ray had tried to coax Richard back, and when that failed,
fought to secure new contracts, while she had tried to persuade their
clients to stay. She was painfully aware that her department did not
make the same fees as Ray's. It was steady income, however, and up till
now hadn't been a problem.
'Oh, I'm sorry,' she said, realising that the old lady had
spoken.
'I said, would you like sugar?'
'Oh, no thanks, Mrs Porter. Here, I'll do that.'
She poured the tea, noticing that her hand was shaking.
'Are you all right, my dear?'
Anna laughed brightly. 'I'm fine! Now, Mrs Porter, let's get on.'
The old lady looked at Anna carefully, slowly sipping her tea.
'He was the pit head foreman, you know.'
Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Molly Porter had travelled beyond
her into the land of memory.
'Nowadays they say what a dreadful job it was, but he loved it, and all
the men thought the world of him. He would do anything for anyone. He
used to say, 'if you can help, you must. That's my law'. Of course it
was emphysema got him in the end. All that coal dust.. There he was
behind that oxygen mask, and I took his hand and squeezed it, and he
just smiled.'
She sighed, and Anna waited for her to continue. She hadn't the heart
to interrupt.
'I'd have gone with him then like a shot, you know.'
The old lady smiled, and Anna was surprised to see that her eyes held
no trace of sadness. 'I loved him that much.'
Anna nodded. All the company's problems sat silent in her head. They
had nothing to say.
'Old Reverend Dixon did the funeral service. He did all the pit men's
of course-'
'Reverend Dixon?' Anna said, 'But he died two years ago.'
'That's right, dear.'
Anna looked at the old lady, and felt her heart sinking fast.
'When did Albert die, Mrs Porter?'
'It was ten years ago this very morning. You see, that's why I had to
talk to you today.' Molly finished her tea and put the cup down
carefully.
Anna closed her eyes. The last twenty minutes might have seen the end
of those accounts. She might have cracked it and not had to take it all
home to poor Jim.
'I'm sorry, dear,' the old lady whispered.
Anna sighed. 'It's all right.' She smiled resignedly.
Molly looked at her anxiously, then smiled back.
'Afterwards, I went down the old pit. You know they've landscaped it
now? There's a lake, with an island where the old shaft wheel stands.
Albert used to take me down there, while he was still able. We'd sit
and feed the swans. 'Molly,' he used to say, 'We must take care of
these creatures. They pair up for life, you know, just like us.'
She stared past Anna, her eyes filled with light.
'I went and sat on our bench, and you know, I was never more content
than at that moment.'
Anna squeezed Molly Porter's arm. The old lady looked at her, still
smiling.
'You're a kind soul, busy as you are, to let an old biddy like me
rabbit on.'
Anna shook her head. 'You can always come and talk to me,' she said,
and found that she meant it. The old lady nodded once to herself and
reached across to take Anna's hands.
Anna felt as if she had just drunk warm wine, or a bright golden sun
had come out to shine exclusively on her heart. She felt as if all her
problems were pebbles in a stream, and one by one the rushing water was
wearing them away. She looked at the old lady, who was gazing at her
levelly.
'Thank you, Mrs Scott.' she said.
Anna hesitated. 'I think I should be thanking you.' She blinked. The
sky outside was darkening, and the old lady looked blurred. She reached
up and wiped her eyes, and when she opened them, Molly Porter had
gone.
Anna stood up quickly. The old lady couldn't have moved that fast,
could she? She opened the door and looked out at reception. Bernice
looked back quizzically.
'Did you see Mrs Porter leave?'
Bernice shook her head. Anna looked back at the tea tray. The two cups
sat there, untouched. She felt her heart pounding, her thoughts racing.
She couldn't explain what had just happened, but she could still feel
the edge of the strange warmth. She returned to her office, looking at
the accounts and realising they weren't important any more, though she
couldn't think why. She picked up the phone and dialled home.
'Jim, it's me.'
'Hello love.' He sounded resigned. 'You're working late, I take
it?'
'No,' she said quickly, 'I'm coming home, and listen, how about we go
out for a drink or something tonight? We've hardly seen each other
lately-'
'Are you serious? I'll get my glad rags on!'
She smiled as she put the phone down, thinking again about the old lady
and her dead husband. She hadn't imagined it, she was sure, but-
She went through to Ray's office. He had his head in his hands.
She sat down quietly, and he looked up. But instead of despair on his
face, she saw his eyes were gleaming.
'You're not going to believe it,' he said softly.
'What?'
'The Wiley contract. We got it!'
'We did?'
Ray leaped up and let out a yell. Wiley's were the biggest
housebuilders in the country. Years of contracts to buy land and sell
houses lay ahead, years in which the bank would have no quarrel with
them.
'Have you rung the bank?'
'No need. They've already heard and rung me. You know what this
means?'
She nodded, seeing he was on the edge of tears. 'No one has to lose
their job.'
'Come on, girl, I'll take you for a drink to celebrate. Take all of us
for a drink!'
She laughed. 'Not me, I've got a date.'
She stood up, and saw Richard standing in the doorway.
'Um, you two, can I have a quick word?' he said sheepishly.

On the drive home, Anna thought about Molly Porter and her sad story,
and the fact that she was not sad in the telling of it. She thought she
knew why, now. But she didn't understand the feeling of contentment the
old lady had somehow placed in her heart, or whether she had anything
to do with the company's eleventh-hour redemption. As she passed the
old colliery, on an impulse she drove in. The wind was biting as she
got out and walked to the lakeside, but inside, she still felt
strangely warm. In the moonlight she could see the silhouette of the
old shaft wheel, a memory of times gone. She sighed.
If you can help someone, you must, she recalled. It was an
old-fashioned concept from a world long lost, yet one she had always
held true in her own heart.
As she turned to go, something caught her eye, something pale moving in
the darkness.
The two swans watched her quietly, their dark eyes fixed on hers. She
had the feeling they were smiling.