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And it was. There was no car in the garage as Victor’s old Fiesta was parked on the driveway and looked like he hadn’tused it for months, but the garage was packed with goods. From saucepans to slow cookers to washing up bowls to hairdryers to bedside cabinets to children’s toys and bikes, to a pair of skis, the garage was like a strange kind of Aladdin’s Cave.
‘What’s he doing with all this stuff?’ Leif asked.
‘Preparing for the apocalypse?’ Flora said with a shrug.
‘What will he do with a bedside cabinet in the apocalypse?’ Leif asked.
‘I don’t know. Store things? Use them as barricades to stop zombies or marauders getting inside?’ She bit her lip as the thought of using a bedside table to keep zombies out made a giggle rise inside her. It was a funny thought but she was also feeling a bit anxious because of the sheer amount of stuff that they’d found in Victor’s garage. Was he a secret kleptomaniac who brought things home every time he went out and then put them in his garage? Had he got a Prime subscription and found himself unable to stop ordering things when there were deals on? Had he gone bargain crazy last year on Black Friday? It was all too easily done, she knew, especially if a person was sitting home alone in need of something to do, something that made them feel a bit better if only for a few minutes.
‘Ha! I don’t think a bedside table is going to deter a zombie or a marauder but it’s a funny image,’ Leif said in his adorable accent. ‘Skis though… they could come in handy.’
‘And what’s that at the back?’ Flora crossed the garage and peered at a large box. ‘A luxury sledge.’
‘Wow! Everything you need right here.’ Leif nodded. ‘But can you see any baking tins?’
‘I think they’re behind the saucepans.’
Flora and Leif froze at the comment and turned to see Victor in the doorway with his hands in his trouser pockets, his face etched with sadness.
‘Sorry, Victor, we weren’t prying,’ Leif said. ‘I saw this… this… um… collection and I called Flora to help me find the baking tins and—’
‘It’s OK.’ Victor walked into the garage and Magnus trotted in after him, wagging his tail as he started to sniff around. ‘I can only imagine how it looks. Like a lonely, old man has gone mad online ordering anything and everything that’s on sale.’
Flora and Leif stared at the concrete floor and Flora hoped that wasn’t the impression Victor had got from their reaction to what they’d found.
‘But this wasn’t my doing. It was Mavis. Growing up during rationing, it was drilled into her to be frugal. Even after the Second World War ended, things were tight and many items were not readily available. But then, it changed with time and before we knew it, you could purchase products online. Mavis was overjoyed when she discovered internet shopping and how easy it was to one-click. She’d sit in the lounge of an evening with her iPad making me look at the bargains available. We didn’t have children or grandchildren to spend money on and so when she’d ask if she should buy something, I’d tell her to get whatever she wanted. I hated denying her anything and what she said made sense, we might need a new hairdryer or washing up bowl soon so it was always better to get things while they were on sale.’ He ran a hand over his bald head. ‘I didn’t exactly need a hairdryer, but Mavis used one. She liked to save money, you know?’ He held his hands up and gestured at the garage. ‘But before I knew it, the garage looked like this and I had no idea what to do about it. I didn’t want Mavis to worry about her spending, so I just kept bringing things out here. We discussed doing a car boot sale or donating it all to a charity shop but then… it was too late, she was gone and now I’m stuck with all of this. I’ve no idea what to do with it to be honest, so I locked the door and ignored it.’
The three of them stared at the piles of boxes and Flora could understand why Victor felt so hopeless about it all. The sight was overwhelming, and she could imagine just wanting to forget about it if she was in Victor’s position. After all, she’d ended up leaving her home because her life had changed. She’d closed the door on something she didn’t want to see, on what had happened to the life she’d once thought of as hers, but it had been on her way out of the building. Victor was stuck with all of these things under his roof.
‘Victor… Do you want to keep it all?’ she asked gently.
‘Keep it?’ He shook his head. ‘Goodness me! Not at all, but I’m also not sure what to do with it.’
‘So you don’t feel attached to it because Mavis bought it?’ she asked.
‘I don’t. I mean, I enjoyed seeing her joy every time she got a delivery, which was usually the day after she’d ordered it, but I don’t really want to keep it all here. Imagine what it will be like after I die! Whoever is tasked with clearing out the house and garage will have one hell of a job on their hands.’
‘Well… let me think about it for a bit and see if I…’ She looked at Leif and he was nodding. ‘Ifwecan come up with a solution.’ Flora liked being able to saywewhen it included Leif. It was nice to have someone around to discuss things with.
‘That would be brilliant thank you.’ Victor yawned and covered his mouth with a gnarled, old hand. ‘Excuse me, please.’
‘Victor, we are going to dig those tins out and get baking, so you go and rest in the lounge and stay warm and we’ll bring you some cakes when they’re ready.’
‘Are you sure you don’t mind?’ Victor asked, clearly fighting another yawn.
‘Not at all.’ Flora smiled at him.
‘Thanks again, both. You’ve no idea how much this means to me.’
When Victor had gone and Magnus had trotted after him, Flora and Leif located the baking tins and she took them to the kitchen while he locked the garage door. She wasn’t quite sure what to suggest about Mavis’s purchases yet, but she’d speak to Leif and hopefully they could come up with a solution together. A solution that worked for Victor because he clearly needed some help deciding what to do.
Chapter 10
Leif
Leif stood back and looked at the display of cakes on the kitchen island. He had to admit that he was pretty impressed with what they’d achieved in a few hours. There were chocolate muffins with chocolate chips, fairy cakes topped with light, fluffy buttercream, scones with plump raisins and even some mince pies made with mincemeat that they’d picked up in the village shop. Flora had added some clementine juice and brandy to the mincemeat and the smell as they’d baked in the oven had been mouth-watering.
‘We’ve done well,’ he said, turning to Flora.
