Short Story - Clifton Road

Short story posted in our A Company For All Book; new book on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited @ http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01ASFE6K6?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Clifton Road

"It takes one deed to change the world."

For Gary it was a normal working day. It was 9:30 and he was headed to his car. His neighbours would always be out tending to their garden and as so it was no surprise to see Mrs. King in the front garden. As Gary looked over and smiled at her removing the key for the car from his pocket he shouted over, "Good morning."

She offered her normal smile and spoke back in her ever polite manner, "Morning I see Jimmy heading to do his paper round this morning. Did I see another scuff on the helmet."

Gary gave a hearty laugh to himself. The neighbours knew everything that was happening, there was little you could get away with in the area. He glanced down at his watch before unlocking the car he was going to be forty five minute early for work again, this was no mistake though as he loved to be there early instead of rushing around in the morning.

"Yeah, he was at the bike ramps last night as normal."

Mrs. King smiled, "Those ramps they put in must be your worst nightmare, I remember when they were just fields and we used to play rounder's on that field." She spoke as she headed towards a flower pot as she turned it and twisted it struggling to move it over the drive to the other side.

"The area is certainly improving. The investment from the local companies have really helped us to make the most out of the space. Do you need help with that?" He said as he sat in the car yet to close the door.

Mrs. King looked across relieved for the help, "It's only just this one I just need to move it over their so that we can get the car in the driveway easier I have my father coming down next week and we need plenty of space for him to get out of the car."

Gary got out of his car leaving his keys on the seat and strolled to the plant pot, lifting it he asked, "Isn't it his birthday next month?"

"Yeah, he will be one hundred."

Gary smiled, "You come from good stock, you will outlive me" He winked at her as he placed the flower pot where he had been directed to then immediately walked to his car before looking back, "Have a good day." He closed his car door and drove off looking at the seventy year old woman in his rear view mirror as he waved and drove down the road.

The sun came out strong in the late afternoon and most people were looking for shade when Gary's boy was returning from school. It was four o'clock, fifteen minutes later then he would usually get home and as he was dragging his bike home he looked utterly disheartened and fed up.

He was a few meters from his house when the spritely seventy two year old husband of Mrs. King called, "Thank your dad for me as he helped my wife move the things around in the garden." He stopped and looked at Gary's young lad and asked, "You know how to fix that?"

Gary's child whose name was Oliver replied, "I will leave it for my Dad, my Mum will be busy with the baby and I have never had to fix my bike before."

"Oliver bring it over here and pop it on the grass, there is always a first time and I wouldn't want you missing spending time with your friends." Mr. King looked at Oliver and then added, "Do you want to learn to fix your chain."

Oliver almost afforded a smile as he looked towards his neighbour, "You don't expect me to deliver your paper first or anything do you."

"No but one good turn deserves another and your Dad helped my wife so why can't I help you." The elderly gentlemen pushed on one part of the cogs and added, "All you have to do is press there. which will loosen the chain everywhere else and give you some play and just re-apply your chain to the rest of the cogs. Then wash your hands and the job's done."

Oliver smiled at his neighbour, "My Mum and Dad never have time to show me these kind of things Dad just fixes it."

"But if I did that how would you learn to repair it next time, very little in this world is truly broken with a bit of tender care we can repair anything. When I was younger we made our own rounder's bats to play on the field with. Yes they broke a few times but we repaired them until we could afford to get real ones, but you know something they were never as good as the ones we made."

This is a short story to really show the importance of being willing to help each other in our communities. The importance of being willing to spend two minutes to help someone in the garden in the morning and the payment back of having the husband help Gary's son. This is a story where a mutual respect and willingness to help each other has given a much greater outcome than what could have been if each individual was left to tend to their own problem.