Ringer – Bentley 2

The phone rang and Covid startled, hurtled across the room and took refuge under the TV stand. She peaked out cautiously as Bentley, slightly alarmed himself by this interruption via a line he thought long dead, lifted the receiver and experimentally put the ear piece to his ear.

“H-Hello?” He asked.

There was a slightly too long pause at the other end. Either an automatic phone dialler was about to play him a message about an accident it thought he’d had or the person on the other end of the phone wasn’t certain whether this was the right number.

“Dad?” asked the voice eventually.

Bentley was more than taken aback. He hadn’t been called that for some years. It wasn’t something that came easily into his hearing, and it required an unusual amount of processing. Someone was calling him dad. That someone was male. That meant it was his son. His son was called….

“Lawrence?” asked Bentley, continuing what was fast becoming a battle of questions – who would crack first and provide an answer?

“How are you?” asked Lawrence, not cracking quite yet.

“I’m… here,” said Bentley, with finality.

“I’m glad. Glad. Very glad – good to speak with you,” said Lawrence, a phrase that made Bentley wonder whether they’d just skipped the actual conversation bit in the middle and dashed to the closing part of the call. Maybe his addled lonely brain had starting time jumping.

“It’s been a while,” observed Lawrence, with a sigh. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Yes,” said Bentley. “Me too. Sorry. How are you?”

“Oh, you know,” said Lawrence, “Not too bad. Stuck in. Like everyone else. I’m, I’m in my own house now so it’s – it’s OK. Got a bit of a garden and stuff so I can go and see the sun when I want. When it’s out.”

“Makes a change,” said Bentley, then regretting the phrase. “For the sun I mean. In the sky. Where are you living?”

“Brighton. I’m in Brighton.”

“Do you get to walk by the sea?”

“Some days, yes, not all the time. Can be difficult to get out some days, but on the whole…. I’m living with a couple of other people. Friends from way back – not old friends in the, well, you know. Good friends – that’s what I mean. Good friends.”

Bentley liked the sound of this. “Good, good,” he said, “It’s important to have good people around you, especially now.”

“You – do you have anyone?” Asked Lawrence.

“No, no – just me still. Well, me and Covid.”

“What you’ve got – ?”

“It’s the cat, the cat – Covid’s the cat,” said Bentley quickly. “Used to be Ginger Spice but. I renamed her.”

“Oh,” said Lawrence, “I see. I think.”

There was another pause.

“Have you –?“ they both started and then stopped.

“You go first,” said Lawrence.

“Have you been in touch with your mother at all?”

“No,” said Lawrence, with a slight laugh. “That was what I was going to ask you.”

Bentley sighed. “You’re barking up the wrong tree if you’re trying to find her through me.”

“Oh, I’m not, I’m, I’m interested in how you are first up,” Lawrence defended. “I was just wondering if you were in touch, nothing else. What – what have you been up to? Are you still checking out the trains?”

“I was, until it all got cancelled,” said Bentley. “Was doing quite well on that front to be honest. New trains coming in on the GWR lines, you know? Quite sleek and hi-tech – at least in places. Not sure about the seats and some of the suspension rides had been reported as less than desirable.”

“Less than desirable?”

“Not much of an improvement on the stock it replaces,” said Bentley. “I know I’m a traditionalist but you have to consider the comfort of your passengers as well. Get that wrong and no one will ever accept new journey times are worth it. Or the environmental impact.”

“Right.”

“It’s all very well pointing out these improvements to the every day traveller but if you are going to take the train every day I can assure you you just want comfort. Especially now.”

“Dad, it’s great to hear you’re still passionate about it.”

“Yes, well. Got to have some passion or other. Not always appreciated, is it?”

Lawrence was quiet for a moment. “I don’t blame you, you know,” he said.

“Really?” asked Bentley after a pause.

“I – look this isn’t the time for this discussion, it’s… I just wanted to check in on you. Make sure you were OK.”

“And are you OK?” asked Bentley.

“I’ll be fine,” said Lawrence, “I am fine.”

“Which of those?” asked Bentley, sharply.

“Look, someone’s just come in,” said Lawrence. Bentley could hear some other noise in the background, possibly someone coming in, possibly Lawrence kicking something over to make background noise, his ears and the landline wouldn’t discern which. If he wanted to he could take offence at the abruptness of this conclusion and accuse him of terminating the call before time. If he wanted to. 

“Ah, OK, you’d better talk to them and see what they want,” he said.

“Can I call you later?” asked Lawrence.

“Do you want to?”

“If that’s OK?”

“Here for the foreseeable,” Bentley cracked and finally answered. Together they gently closed the line with the satisfying click that only comes from placing a receiver on the rest of an old telephone.