Loose ends

Tues.23.08.11. I have finally made contact with Nigel Penk; he feels no animosity towards me and said after the sudden death of his young wife Mandy he just walked away from the business to look after his children, who are now 18, 16, and 7 respectively. He had closed the workshop the same day and has not returned since. I have had no excuse not to trace him before, but after two years I had learned to ignore the payment. I unequivocally apologised which he graciously accepted. I paid my debt of £250 plus a further £50 for my tardiness, wishing him all the best for the future: both Jo and I left at 5.45. The matter is closed albeit two years late.

Mon.29.08.11. There has been a further notable twist in the Chris Ball saga. I had been in the Oak for about one hour talking to Captain Salty and Danny Brennan about trivial football and Rugby anecdotes. After they had left Chris entered the pub, immediately making contact. In his own way, he apologised for his behaviour claiming that his genuine passion for the vehicle had accounted for his outrageous behaviour when he realised I had left for France without the triumphant send off he had assumed should have occurred. Which incidentally could possibly only have been manufactured intuitively, by instinct or impulse since neither the Doc nor myself had a not a clue of what was ‘going on’ in his head. He had a journalist lined up, he wanted to drive the vehicle with ‘Brockie’, it had been a life saver for him, he loved every entire inch, every nut and bolt, he had crafted and created the complete concept. 

Unquestionably, the project had occupied his life for the past five years; it had in fact been a ‘life saver’. His brutal reaction had been unforgivable, out of character. “I am a gentle person just like yourself!” “I would also like to apologise to Jo, please pass on my thoughts: all this ‘bother’ is making me ill.”

I accepted everything that he had said, shaking his hand, I commented that we should put all of this nasty business behind us, water under the bridge, move on, sign it off. He appeared contrite, humble, more significantly he had not had a drink: this was as honest an explanation as it was going to be. I am also personally pleased this unpleasant episode has reached some sort of conclusion: I am also in no doubt that this may be only a temporary truce, but perhaps I shall be proved wrong.