Chapter 5

Mum and I were up early the following day. Sally phoned me at seven-thirty to tell me the trailer was coming to Ava’s.

Ava messaged me ten minutes later to say the first trailer had arrived, and she was waiting for the second. She told me she’d ask George for the zapper so she could give it back to me.

Mum and I left early for the meeting with Gary and Sally. When we arrived, Mum’s tradesmen were waiting at the door.

Sally and Gary arrived minutes later. Mum quickly explained what we intended to do. Gary had brought plans for both properties.

We all walked through the building, so everyone had a feel for it. When Mum spoke, everyone listened. She was so professional in her approach.

After the tour, we all congregated at the reception desk. Gary spread his plans out. Sally gave several suggestions on dimensions.

Gary gave her his card and asked her to contact his office with her contact details. The electrician and painter made suggestions about electrical power points and lighting.

Gary had worked in an antique centre with thirty dealers. He was so knowledgeable about the dimensions required.

I was so confident that Gary, Mum, and Sally were handling things.

I said, “This has been a great meeting. There’s a big house clearance to attend to.

“We won’t store any house clearance furnishings in the grain store until we’ve completed all the initial preparatory work.

“It’s best to store all the house clearance materials in the warehouse and the two containers Sally has provided us with.

Mum and Gary both said this was a great idea.

Gary said, “In my experience, a rushed job is always a poor job.”

Gary also said he’d give the electrician details of the power supply for the first two floors tomorrow.

Mum said, “All financial matters must come through my office as we’re on a tight timeframe. I don’t want any holdups because of finance.”

When I heard this, I knew Mummy was looking after me. Sally and I left. She followed me to Ava’s house.

Her two vans were being filled. The two containers were open, and both had a wide selection of blankets for wrapping furniture. Sally and I walked through the house.

Sally saw what impressed her and asked, “Barry, how much are you paying for all of this?

“I want to place a value on it all. We are talking big money here.

“The library has thousands of books. A lot of them are first editions.”

I told her we hadn’t agreed on a price yet. Our problem was getting everything out of the house in four weeks.

Mum’s joiner arrived, and I wanted to know the best way to dismantle the kitchen and have it installed as a feature in the Bistro restaurant.

The guy studied it for over half an hour.

He smiled and said, “This is a work of art. It’s well over a hundred years old.

“I’ll need to find some old floor tiles, as I can’t save the flooring.

“The ovens, stoves, pots, and pans are as easy as the wall covering.

“In three days, it will be the best feature in any restaurant in the city.”

He left, and Sally said, “Barry, that kitchen is incredible. It should be in a museum. You’re lucky to have it, as few people have the space to show such a piece of history.”

We packed and transported so many things. Sally had five helpers and dealers interested in taking space in the centre.

This helped a lot, as 90% of the main house had now been cleared. We were all doing fourteen-hour shifts.

Sally and I were trying to put a value on it all. Sally suggested we take the work we were doing into account.

I paid a lot in cash. The important thing was we’d easily have it cleared. The old stables and staff accommodation were full of collectables.

They could all be designed as room features. Probably Ava didn’t realise the value. I wanted to be fair with her.

The two containers were now complete and stored in the warehouse. Sally and her porters reckoned that another four days would clear the house.

I had approached Gary to arrange an apartment on the second floor. The auction house was now partitioned off. It also had a storage area on the second floor above the auction house.

Tenders had come in for the Bistro kitchen equipment, tables, and chairs that would match the old kitchen features.

One helper was an excellent cook and an antique dealer. She prepared delicious meals for us all during our working days.

I paid her for this. Everyone looked forward to her meals.

Ava was also working hard. She had a massive collection of antique Persian carpets.

Sally told me they had a lot of money, and her stall would attract the right people to the centre. I still hadn’t had my first date with Ava.

Mum and Gran were the only ones who didn’t feel neglected. As our workload decreased, I needed time with Ava and Sally.

Sally had agreed with Peter. She had listed all the usable display cabinets from the auction house, including the vans and containers.

After the final auction, the new company would employ all staff members. Sally would be a director of the company.

Everything she brought with her was her contribution to her directorship. Peter had accepted this gladly and also raised Sally’s housekeeping money.

Tina and her daughter were helping with packing the clearance. Gran had told Tina I was setting up an antique centre, and Sally had told her we were all working on a house clearance.

Tina had phoned me, saying she was interested in a stall and would help with the packaging. Her daughter, Lucy, was home for her Easter holidays and would return to university in ten days.

When I first saw Lucy, you could easily take her and Tina for sisters. They were both so busty, and both of them dressed in a discreet but sexy way.

Lucy also dealt in antiques. She wanted to share a stall with Tina. When we were operational, I told them they’d be one of the first stallholders.

Lucy gave me a card with her mobile number and email address, asking me to keep her updated. She smiled when I gave her one of my cards.

As I gave it to her, I said, “Keep in touch.”

Sally was in charge of the house clearance. She’d taken pictures of every room and numbered them.

Each room had a number and a list of the contents. I worked with Pam Carter, a dealer, who also wanted to take a stand in the centre.

It had been Sally who had us working together. Most of our work involved packaging delicate articles, such as porcelain and ceramics.

Anything fragile, we packaged it. Pam was so neat about her work. There would be no breakages in what we were doing.

I once asked Sally if Pam was married. She told me she didn’t know, as they’d never discussed their personal lives.