Second thoughts

Leonora was having second thoughts about going to stay with Leonard. She'd now got very mixed views about it after her Saturday lunch with Paul.

In the past, she had enjoyed Paul's company, laughed at his inane jokes, made superficial but easy conversation, and found him friendly and charming.

She'd never been interested in any more from him - which was just as well - and she never asked about the rest of his life or the other woman/women in it. About all she knew was that he was divorced - or so he said.

But yesterday he had been different. Or rather, she had seen him differently. She hadn't been able to see anything good in him, and even worse, she had found him boring.

Now she was fretting that she would see Leonard through totally critical eyes as well, and not be able to see anything good in him either. Well, she normally did see him through totally critical eyes, but he did make her laugh, and sometimes she thought he could be quite nice.

She limped around, packing the rest of her stuff.

The little crutches on the other hand, were in high spirits. They had chattered away all Saturday night until they tired themselves out and then suddenly fell asleep.

They had woken up early on Sunday morning, and started chitter-chattering yet again, although quietly so as not to wake Leonora up at some unearthly hour.

She had smiled at them when she woke up, listening to their quiet excited voices looking forward to the trip. She was very fond of them, and hadn't the heart to dampen their enthusiasm.

Anyway, if it's totally hellish, I can always play with Tata and shut myself in my room and clear off immediately after the outpatient appointment, she said to herself.

The little crutches heard her though, and realised she was worried.

"Don't worry Leonora," they said.

"We will all have a nice time. We can even go geocaching," said the first little crutch.

The second little crutch quickly kicked the first little crutch. "Leonora doesn't like geocaching. Idiot," said the second little crutch.

"Well, she likes walking, or limping, and she likes Tata, so what's wrong with going geocaching?" said the first little crutch, refusing to be bossed around.

Leonora laughed in spite of herself at the two little crutches arguing about geocaching.

"Hey, you are both right," she said diplomatically. "I don't like geocaching, but I do like the walk and going out with Tata. Anyway, let's get a taxi and clear off."

She thought it was a good idea to change the subject before they began arguing about who was right, as she could see they were just about to start off all over again.

............................

Leonard, meanwhile, was gazing at the geocaching site, willing some first to finds to turn up. Tata was on her sofa, wondering when they were going to go out.

"Tata," said Leonard.

She looked up hopefully.



"Let's do some pictures for Leonora. Smile for her," he said.

Tata curled round and hid from the camera. She was sick of Leonora being here and there. Tata liked reliability and routine. Leonora was unreliable. Plus there didn't seem to be much hope of her running in rivers or digging crazy holes in the sand. She couldn't even be bothered to bark in reply.



Leonard rolled his eyes. Things were not looking good when Tata was not impressed with an impending visit. He hoped things were going to go OK. He was sick of arguing with Leonora and didn't even understand what he did or said wrong. She always took his jokes so seriously.

The day dragged on. Leonard wished it had been his shooting Sunday, and then he would have had something interesting to distract himself with.

Mrs Leonard made a few sandwiches for lunch and said something about having a decent meal in the evening when Leonora arrived.

Decent, thought Leonard. Since when has vegetarian food ever been decent? That was another thing to be gloomy about. He was destined to a meat and fish-free diet while Leonora was around. He sighed gloomily. Then he perked up, perhaps he could sneak in a few fat-boy breakfasts before work. No. Unlikely. Recently he'd been getting up so late that he had only just managed to get to work on time. Fat boy breakfasts during the week were a no-hoper. And at weekends Mrs Leonard would insist on Leonora-style breakfasts.

He looked at Tata for consolation but she was still sulking at the world. Suddenly he noticed a FTF had popped up.

"Tata, come on. Let's go get this cache, and then we'll go and sit at the station and wait for Leonora," he said.

She jumped off the sofa immediately and did a small twirl.

"Just going to get a FTF," he called to Mrs Leonard. "Then we will pick Leonora up from the station."

Tata and Leonard bounded out happily to her Land Rover to get the FTF.

"Of course," said Leonard to Tata once they were on the road, "it would be good to take Leonora to the FTF, but we daren't miss the chance of bagging it."

"Gruff," barked Tata non-committally.

Leonard parked Tata's Land Rover carefully under the viaduct, and began to look for the cache. But it clearly wasn't accessible from the road, so he decided to clamber up the hillside, carefully hobbling over the broken barbed-wire fence.

He found the cache, and was delirious to discover he was the first to find it. He carefully wrote in the log book, and left a travel bug. Then he set off down the steep banking. But half way down he lost his footing. And started to slither.

Tata brightened up. What a superb game. She bounded over him from side to side while he continued to slide uncontrollably down the banking. He couldn't help laughing at her, which only served to make his slide even faster and more erratic. He arrived at the bottom of the bank with a thud. Tata stood there wondering if they were going to climb up and do it all over again.

"I don't think we will bother repeating that Tata," said Leonard, standing up with some difficulty and a few sore places, and brushing himself off.

"Maybe just as well we didn't bring Leonora," he added.

"Ruff ruff ruff," barked Tata.

"No, Leonora definitely wouldn't have liked sliding down the banking with you leaping over her and me."

"Ruuuuufff," she barked sadly. Leonora was beginning to be a pain, she thought. What could she do to liven her up during her stay?

They sat in the car park at the railway station listening to Basement Jaxx. Tata had been so entertained by the new game under the viaduct that she was willing to suffer Leonard's obnoxious taste in music. For a short while anyway.

The train pulled in. Leonora and the little crutches hobbled off slowly. As usual Leonora had a tiny travel bag. Leonard walked up to meet her. They looked at each other, waiting for the other one to speak.

"Hello Leonora," said Leonard, wondering what he had done wrong now, before he had even opened his mouth.

"Hi Leonard," she replied, wondering what he was criticising her for this time.

They made their way over to the Land Rover in silence.