Chapter 8

Andrew decided to meet Maggie and Tony at the train station, it was not that far of a walk for him, and it meant they missed most of the narrow streets and limited parking of the centre of the town. He hoped that they would have time on the Sunday afternoon or evening to stop and stay for dinner but they hadn’t talked about it yet. They managed to connect without issues, both arriving a few minutes early. Andrew jumped in the car and directed Tony back out of the town first onto the A14 and then back onto the A11. It was only 65 miles or so but on a Sunday afternoon it was going to take a couple of hours. Once they had escaped Cambridge they could finally chat.

“How was the first week? Did you survive? Did you run aground?”

Tony did the ‘vees’ over his shoulder.

“It was fine. The actual boating when you are on the move is easy and setting off is not too much of an adventure, but the docking has had its moments. I have gradually got the hang of it but whenever I make a cock-up inevitably there is someone watching, often a small crowd. I think it is the nature of boating, you are always moments away from disaster. Once we are docked, and are sitting having a drink, then it is our turn to watch other people try to dock. I am not the best at docking but I am also definitely not the worst. The locals must see all these fools week in week out trying to avoid ramming the dock, or each other.”

Andrew, who had never been on anything bigger than a row boat could only listen.

“Has it been what you expected?”

“Yes it has. The boat is great but we both had been working pretty hard all Spring so it is a nice break for us both. There are pubs close to most of the places to moor so we haven’t had to cook much at night and other than a couple of twats everybody has been really friendly. The weather is a lot milder down here than in Scotland and a lot less windy so we have meandered along, watching the world go by. Mags will read her book and catch some rays and then she will take a turn at the wheel and let me try and get some wildlife photographs. It will be interesting to see if any of them turn out. I haven’t really tried getting shots of birds or animals before, at least none that are moving pretty fast.”

Andrew turned to Maggie who had been sitting uncharacteristically quiet. She smiled and nodded.

“Tony has summed it up perfectly. We needed a break, I have been busy with work and we both have been busy with the business in the evening.”

Then her smile widened.

“And it has been a celebration holiday as well.”

Before Andrew could ask for what, Maggie put her left hand on her right shoulder so that Andrew could see the ring.

“You’re engaged? Congratulations.”

“Yes, this big old fool completely surprised me. You could have knocked me over with a feather. But yes, three weeks ago. That is when we decided to try and book this trip. When we spoke to you two weeks ago we had only finalised it about three days earlier. It was a spur of the moment thing.”

“How are all the friends and family? Is everyone pleased?”

“Oh yes, I was pretty well living with Tony already, I was only at home one day a week, sometimes not even that. So this keeps Mum happy.”

“What about your Uncle, Tony?

His closest living relative was his father’s brother.

“He was pleased, in the way that men are. I got a handshake and a toast of whisky and then we went back to talking about the football.”

Andrew smiled. That was about right.

“My cousin is going to be my best man but I wondered if you would be an usher at the wedding?”

“I would be delighted and honoured. Do you have a date?”

“No, that is still being decided. There is nowhere available over the summer, it is too late. We are figuring all that stuff out.”

“Assuming it is a weekend then I will be fine.”

“Thanks man.”

The height of male bonding.

The next 20 minutes was spent listening to Maggie talking about all the details, everything from bridesmaids to flowers, to well everything. Andrew pretended to listen but wasn’t really. He wondered whether Maggie’s new status as fiancé changed how and whether she was going to model. He need not have worried. Maggie herself brought it up.

“We tried taking some pictures but it wasn’t very successful. There were lots of opportunities but the rivers are windy and there are a fair few boats about. We need the third person to take the pictures so that we are safe and don’t hit the bank or another boat.”

Well that answered that question then. Maggie flushed a little but carried on.

“Plus the shoots when it is you as the photographer are better.”

The psychology of that statement could keep someone employed for months. But in a typically Scottish manner Andrew left it well alone. They had negotiated their way past a bunch of Sunday drivers, caravans and even a couple of tractors. With the last, Andrew was convinced they just went out for a drive just to fuck up the roads and annoy the tourists. It worked. As they passed Thetford Andrew thought of Mandy Brown. She would be at the same stage as Andrew after cancer, finished her first term since returning to school. He realised he was due her a letter and made a note to remember and write to her before OTC camp. Norwich was even more of a chore to negotiate on a Sunday but soon they were on the homeward stretch, the last five miles north out of the city to the little town of Wroxham. They found a space in the large carpark beside the river and Tony led the way past the little basin full of boats, to a dock right on the river. The boat they had hired was tied up there. He stepped onto the back deck and unlocked the hatch down into the boat itself.

“This is it. Let me run through the start-up procedures while Maggie shows you the cabin. It won’t take long.”

Andrew left Tony fiddling about in the cockpit and followed Maggie into the cabin. As Tony said it didn’t take long. There was a large kitchen and eating area with the toilet off that part of the cabin, and then there was a large double bed in the front of the boat. Maggie lifted one of the seat cushions and there in the storage space under the seat was Andrew’s camera bag. Suddenly the engine burst into life and the two of them headed back outside. Leaving the dock was done with the minimum of fuss. The two lines were cast off and Andrew stepped onto the back of the boat as Tony edged it away from the dock. There were lots of very prominent ‘MAX 3mph’ signs so they crawled away from the town. Maggie passed Andrew the map they had been given when they started their holiday. They were only 15 miles from the sea, as the crow flies, although more than twice that when you took in the meandering paths of all the rivers. But at 3-5mph everywhere was both close and yet an hour or two cruise. As they left Wroxham it was clear that the rivers were also comparatively narrow, it looked no more than 30 metres from bank to bank. Andrew’s perusal of the map screeched to a halt as Maggie returned to the cockpit, naked apart from a wrap around her hips. She sat back down on the bench with a smirk on her face.

“I have been working on my tan all week. This deck is perfect, just high enough that I can sit here comfortably. There are a lot of families on holiday so I have had to be careful. Last weekend was the worst but even during the week there were a lot of kids about.”

Maggie sounded disappointed. Andrew, in contrast, was pretty well completely covered as usual. He didn’t even have shorts on, and had his ugly wide-brimmed hat to protect him from the sun as much as possible. Maggie had a tee-shirt beside her and lifted her bum to remove the wrap as well. She then proceeded to give Tony and Andrew a show as she oiled up her skin.

“Here, try not to hit anything while I do her back.”

Tony was as bad as she was. They passed no boats in the 10 minutes that Andrew was in charge and Maggie was very thoroughly oiled by the end of it.

“Are you okay there?”

There really was nothing to it so Andrew nodded. Maggie leaned back against Tony and they watched the world slowly drift past.

“Have you done any photography this term?”

“None, there never seems to be time. More and more in Edinburgh all the photography I do is either with you two or through you. I haven’t taken the camera out of its case since I came south. Schiehallion was the last set of shots that I took.”

“We brought them with us. There are three that are really good, two where I am just posing looking off into the distance and one from that crazy artist tableau you created.”

Andrew smiled at the memory.

“That is pretty well our reaction when we think about it as well. I can’t believe you hauled all that stuff up to the top of Schiehallion.”

“It wasn’t that heavy. Our packs at the OTC when we are on exercise are much heavier. Have the two of you climbed any more Munros?”

“Yes we have. We have done two one day trips, one each at the beginning of May and June. In May we climbed Ben Chonzie, and that was nice and straightforward. There was a tiny bit of snow at the top but just some last remnants. I managed to get a couple of topless shots of Mags, but we only had a minute. The other trip was more of an expedition. There are three Munros to the west of Glen Shee. And the road goes to 2,000ft so the hike up is not so far, although steeper. We were going to do the easy two ones but we heard a couple of guys talk in the carpark about doing the third Munro as well and one saying to the other that it should only take six hours. So we let them head off and then just followed in their wake. We didn’t hound them but kept them in sight and were back at the car in 5 hours and 45 minutes. One of mountains had ski lifts almost to the top, and another had some kind of transmitter there. The views were great but it was quite the difference to Schiehallion. The third Munro was further back than the other two and felt much more remote. Again I was able to capture a topless flash from Mags but that was all. So yes, we are up to five. Only 277 to go.”

“I know that it was your crazy idea that put the suggestion of climbing Munros into our heads, me getting naked or not. But we have come to really enjoy it. It is something that we do together and is a great break from the city. In the summer there are a lot more people on the hills. To do shoots like we did on Schiehallion then it will have to be shoulder season and even then, early in the morning. But the thing is what makes it different is that you are there. You have this really dirty creative streak in you. I mean look at me, I am lying back naked against Tony at 5.00 on a Friday afternoon on a boat on the Norfolk Broads. With you driving. You have set such a high standard for unexpected and thrilling shoots that I am lying here wondering what you are going to come up with. Tony is the same, we talked about it last night, you are the spark.”

No pressure then! Andrew smiled and accepted that what Maggie said was true. As they approached the little town of Horning the traffic both on the river and on the banks picked up. But Maggie lay back against Tony unconcerned, at least outwardly. Andrew could see Tony straining not to feel Maggie up in front of him. The cruised past the town with numerous boats futzing about either docking or trying to dock. Andrew looked over at Tony but although he was keeping an eye open he was making no move to take over. Given he had a naked Maggie in his lap it wasn’t a tough choice. Eventually they got to the bottom of Horning and there was a small marina with space to dock and a restaurant feet from the marina. Maggie pulled her tee-shirt over her head before disappearing inside. By the time Tony had the boat nestled against the dock and Andrew had tied it off, Maggie had pulled on a skirt and some tennis shoes. She clearly hadn’t bothered with a bra and Andrew wouldn’t have bet on any knickers either.

It was early but they had seen that moorings were tough to nab so they relaxed and ate an early dinner. Over the course of the meal Andrew talked about the term, which didn’t take long. He had never told either of them the number of hours he studied but he was honest with them now that the term was over and confessed to an average of 60 hours a week for the whole term.

“No wonder you have no time for anything else. It is a very different life to how you spent your break.”

“That is exactly it. For most of the last four years at school that was my life, those sort of hours. Think back to that time, remember how you wouldn’t see me for weeks at a time. I had schoolwork and then worked away at my degree in the evening. It should pay off in my results but I will wait and see. That is why this weekend is such a nice surprise. I don’t do well sitting around for long, but a couple of days of just relaxing is what I need.”

“Will you be in Edinburgh much over the summer?”

“Not as much as I had hoped and it is my own fault. I got the chance to get a summer job and I had been worrying about it. So I applied, without really thinking it all the way through. It is based in London which in hindsight was. Well it wasn’t a mistake but I did it unthinkingly and now I am faced with the prospect of being away for most of the summer. I will try and come up several weekends but I was so pleased to get the summer job that I didn’t think about what I was going to have to miss.”

“Do you know what you are doing?”

“Not a clue. I am not convinced that the Ministry of Defence will know what to do with us.”

“Well let us know. I think that Stacey’s friend Elspeth is going to choose you as the photographer. Just because she saw you work with Stacey.”

“Has there been any more interest?”

“There are two shoots tentatively scheduled for the week we get back. One woman is bringing a friend but the other one wants me there for support. Tony has done four more glamour shoots and one of them got picked up so working as a photographer rather than just running the shop is starting to happen. But they are all baby steps. I have a technical computing question for you. Is there a way to track something?”

“How do you mean?”

“Sorry, I am not being very clear. In one of the shoots the model wore that beret that you had got for Tony when he was pretending to be an artist. And then another one of the models used one of my pairs of boots. I wondered if there was a way that a computer could keep track of when something had been worn or used in a shoot?”

The rest of the meal was taken up with technical discussions about what sort of program would work. Andrew had created a database structure more than a year earlier as part of his final project for his degree. The three of them had an animated discussion about what fields would be needed to keep track of props and clothes, and how they would identify the shoot. Andrew settled the bill while Tony and Maggie went to the local off-licence to pick up some beer and wine for the weekend. As Andrew was waiting he looked over at the boat. He knew nothing about boats but in addition to the cockpit at the back there was a large open area in front of it, the roof of the cabin below. And right at the prow there was a small guard rail, 18 inches or so off the deck. Andrew considered things for a moment and then stepped into the little shop at the marina. They had what he needed, a roll of duct tape, and he had it tucked away on board the boat when Tony and Maggie returned. They left the little marina without incident, being so close to lots of other boats was very nerve wracking.