Chapter 41
“I’m sorry, do you mind, only I’m really tired, and-“
“It’s okay love, if you’re tired, you’re tired, simple as that! Pointless trying to drag you out if you’re not going to enjoy it now is there”
“So, will you come over?” Buffy asked smiling
“No”
Buffy’s face went from a smile to disappointed
“If you’re tired, you might as well get an early night, there are things I can be getting on with, I think I’ve almost got a sack full of mail to deal with myself!”
“Okay…will I see you tomorrow?”
“Depends”
“On?”
“How busy I am, I’ve got an appointment with Quentin”
“What time?”
“Evening”
“I could come with”
“It’s business pet, you’d be bored silly”
“You’re making it sound like you don’t want to see me!”
“Don’t be silly! Look, I’ll ring you, okay?”
“Okay, what-“
“What, what?”
“Nothing”
“Go on”
“I was just going to say, what time?”
“When I get a free minute”
“Okay then, bye” Buffy put the phone down without waiting for him to reply, and William looked at the receiver when he heard the dialling tone. He put the receiver down and went back into his own lounge.
Everything he’d told her was true, he had got an absolute stack of letters, eight of them were urgent requests for him to go operate on famous sportsmen and women, there was Diego Salvatore Alvarez, the brilliant Argentinean footballer, there were two Dutch players, a French one and a German that all needed the delicate touch of his hand on hamstring or ankle problems.
Also there was Stacy Holmes, the tennis player, she had a knee problem, Dick ‘Deadeye’ Mortensen, pitcher with one of the top baseball teams, he needed an elbow job, and last but not least, Spencer Turner ace swimmer was having shoulder problems
He sat back with a glass of wine, again thinking how much easier for him if
people could just come to him rather than the other way around. The phone ringing broke his reverie. Feeling too idle to get up, he let the answer machine pick up for him
“Will, are you there? William? – Okay look, I just wanted to say I’m sorry okay…ring me when you’ve –“
“Hi babe”
“Hi. I’m sorry. Sorry for behaving like a spoilt brat” Buffy said in a small voice. William chuckled and said
“I’ll forgive you, and I’m sorry for being a bit vague, I’ve just been checking my mail, there’s eight requests wanting me everywhere from Ohio to Alberta, Munich, Santa Fé, Toulouse, Eindhoven, Paris…it would be so much easier if…well, you know”
“I know babe, if you had a clinic of your own”
“Yeah, look, I’ll ring you about lunchtime tomorrow, is that okay?”
“Fine. Well, I’m off for a bath now and a nice early night”
“Good girl, it’ll do you good”
“Night babe”
“Night sweetie, sweet dreams”
Getting back to his mail, William opened his laptop and found there were more requests for his services on there via email too………
*********************
“You’re going to do it?”
“Why not, I’ve always loved the show…unless you think I shouldn’t?”
Buffy looked questioningly at her mother
“No, no, your decision honey! – It’s just that, well…” her mother trailed off
“What?”
“Well, if you want my opinion, if you’re going to do a chat show, then why not make it the best one, the one that goes coast to coast – Alan Lakewave”
“But I already turned them down!”
“You can change your mind” Joyce said, slipping another letter into ‘offers of TV work’ box
“Suppose…but I was thinking, get my book out, THEN go on there to plug it”
“And how’s that coming along?”
“Slowly – it’s having the time really”
“You know what, you could do with an agent AND a secretary”
Buffy surveyed her mother’s lounge, the mail sacks, the boxes and concurred
“Yeah. Half the time I used to let Illyria deal with the fan mail, they had a rubber stamp of my signature, and one of the secretaries used to type out a newsletter giving my timetable of things I was doing and that – now all that’s gone, I suppose I need to pay somebody…at least for a couple of months, until I’m settled”
“I might be able to help you there – you know Sandra, tall girl from the gallery?” Buffy nodded
“Well her sister, Angela, she’s not long had a baby but her husband has had an accident at work and they’re finding it a bit difficult to manage on her maternity pay and just his sick pay, she could come in and type up letters for you – she’d be able to bring the baby with her, what do you say, shall I give her a ring?”
“Okay – it won’t hurt – what’s the going rate these days?”
Joyce said they’d work something out. Buffy glanced through the offers of TV work, and saw a letter from ‘Challenge’ TV. She was being offered a spot on one of her favourite game shows, Celebrity Castle-Quest…
“Oh look, Celebrity Castle-Quest, I LOVE that show…how soon do you think this Angela could start?”
“I’ll ring Sandra and get her number now”
“Thanks mom”
***************************
William looked at the phone and debated whether to answer it, or let the machine do it…
“William Carling”
“Will, how are you old chap – it’s been a long time!”
William tried to place the upper class English accent; it had been a long time since he’d heard it…
“It’s me, Tim, Tim Hesketh-Browne!”
“Good god, Tim, how did you get my number?”
“Long story, involved a good many phone calls I can tell you!”
“So…what can I do for you?”
“Well, I was hoping it would be a case of something for our mutual benefit…when will you be back in England again, any ideas?
William frowned
“Truthfully, no idea mate – to be honest, I’m only just catching up with my mail – there are several European venues begging me at the moment, and a couple here, why?”
“Got a proposition to put to you, but it’s not the sort of thing I’d like to discuss over the phone” Tim said, and William was intrigued
“Ah, um well…probably the nearest I can get to you in the next fortnight, would be…Paris”
“That’ll do fine – let me know when you’ll be going, and we can meet up”
“Fine – look Tim, just so as we’re not going to waste each other’s time, can you give me an inkling about what this is all about?”
“Sure, my father, the Professor, he’s taking very early retirement, he’s giving me his clinic”
“And you were wondering if…” William hardly dared hope
“Well, I was wondering if you wanted in, old chap, well it was my father actually, he said to go for the best – nobody I’d like better than you – we can discuss the finer details when we meet – got to go, Natasha’s here – keep in touch, you can phone me at the Grange”
“Natasha?”
“The fiancé, she keeps me on my toes!”
“Oh, right! So, the Grange, right, I’ll do that Tim, as soon as I’ve worked out my schedule, bye”
“Bye!”
William put the phone down and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling very surprised – Tim’s father, Sir Toby Hesketh-Browne had one of the most respected images there was to be had – and if William was to take them up on their offer, it would lead to nothing but the good as far as his work was concerned…but it would be in England………
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