Another gem from Jos Biggs . Enjoy !!

This story starts with my much disliked phone. It is important that you remember this, why becomes obvious later.

On Tuesday 28th the phone informed me that it needed filling up, and if I didn’t then it would withdraw its services on the 29th.

So I high-tailed to the phone shop in the main road in Albox and stood patiently for 20 minutes with my 10€ in hand while an elderly Spanish lady prevaricated about whether she wanted to buy a phone or not.

Eventually she didn’t!

Enough of the phone for now, but remember it!

The next day my neighbour asked me if I could take her and her cat to the vet; only the cat needed treatment, but as someone had to carry it she came as well.

Treatment done, I drove them back to their abode, stopped outside in the road, effectively blocking her entrance, and unloaded my passengers.

This is where it went pear shaped. Ready to leave I pushed Henry’s Start button, and nothing happened.

I pushed it again. Nothing.

I systematically checked everything; no radio, air-con, lights, transporter to another dimension were on. The gear was in neutral, the brake was on, my temper was still controlled.

‘Everything all right?’ asked a questioning voice. Had I been a man I would probably have said ‘Yes, fine, I can handle it.’ But I’m not, so I said ‘No.’

It turned out that the voice belonged to Paul the Pool, handily being blocked in by my recalcitrant Henry.

I got out, he got in and checked everything, including the transporter to another dimension, but Henry remained stubbornly silent.

Having exhausted all options Paul bumpstarted him. I don’t think Henry had any intention of starting, but Paul had taken him by surprise and he leapt in to life.

Once he was going there was no way I was stopping him – he was going to the garage, like it or not!

Arriving at Sebastian’s Taller I parked him right in the entrance to the workshop. Mean of me perhaps, but I wanted him seen to pronto. 

I explained. Sebastian listened, got into Henry, pushed his button – and he started!

However, a check of his battery showed that it was on the point of death, and he needed a new one. Of course Henry, who regards himself as upper class, couldn’t settle for an ordinary battery; no, he had to have one specially ordered from Renault! 

My heart sank. That’s going to take ages and cost a fortune, I thought. But Sebastian reckoned only a couple of hours, assuming he could get the battery quickly.

There is a limit to the amount of fun one can have at the bottom of the mountain road, so I pulled out the phone to beg for transport back home from anyone I could contact.

Remember the phone? Next week you’re going to find out what part it played in this sad scenario!