The Old Boat Shed

Chapter 14

Tilly was on her way to the tram stop about five or so minutes' walk from the Boat Shed.

As she walked along, she mulled over what the girls had said and decided that she would follow through and stay on Darling to see what was what.

Thinking about getting a part-time hospitality job to see her through whatever happened, she wondered if she would have any chance of getting something locally.

To be frank, finding a job right away would suit her well, give her a bit of breathing space to get the shed up to speed and allow her to ease into living back in Blighty.

As she turned down a small road and then went left at the end, she checked her maps and then spied an old Victorian timber tram shelter set into the pavement.

Just underneath a gabled roof, a small digital sign flickered over a bench where an elderly man with a tartan shopping trolley and a woman with a wicker bag on her lap sat chatting.

Approaching the shelter, Tilly stood adjacent and looked up at the digital sign as it flickered through its rotation.

A bell sounded from somewhere down the road, and a moment later, a tram appeared in the distance.

Widening her eyes and devoid of jet lag, Tilly couldn't believe how beautiful the old tram was.

She'd read about it and seen pictures, but in real life, it razzle-dazzled and then some.

Lovely old timber painted white, cream and dark blue, sliding windows on both sides and a bell hanging from a braided rope inside the roof.

Darling Tramways Co. painted in gold along the side.

It came to a slow stop at the shelter, and a handful of passengers got off.

A woman in a uniform with a white polo shirt with blue epaulettes, navy trousers and a matching waistcoat beamed.

Her hair was in a thick plait over one shoulder, and she greeted the man with the tartan trolley as he got on.

'Morning, Mr Cooke. Down by the horn again?'

'Just a little look, Shelly love. Not as much as last week.'

'Anything for the collection?'

The man opened the lid of his trolley and held out something on the flat of his hand. Shelly peered down and nodded in the manner of a woman who had been shown a great number of pebbles in her time.

'That's a nice one. You take care now. Storm coming through, they said. Have you heard?'

'Of course. I’m going to batten down.'

'Quite right.'

Mr Cooke shuffled off down the tram and sat himself down by a window, settling the trolley between his knees.

Shelly turned to the woman with the wicker bag, exchanged a few quick words about somebody called Margaret and waved her through.

She turned to Tilly as Tilly stepped on. 'Morning, my lover.'

'Morning.'

'Where to?'

Tilly hesitated. 'I'm, umm, I'm not entirely sure. I think I want Darling Bay.'

'Single?'

'Yes, please.'

Shelly held the machine out, and Tilly tapped her card against it. Then Shelly paused, looking at her properly for the first time, and her head went very slightly to one side. 'Sorry, I should have asked before you tapped. I’m not with it this morning. Resident?'

There was the resident's question again. 'Yes. Resident.'

Shelly's head came up. 'Sorry, no, I mean. Do you live here on Darling?'

'I do, yes. I’ve just moved in.'

'First I’ve heard. Oh, right, I see. Have you got a permit?' Shelly's eyebrows went up. 'Did you really just move in?'

'I did.'

'Whereabouts, love?'

'The Old Boat Shed.' For the second time in a few days, Tilly watched a Darling Islander's whole face change.

'Margery's?' Shelly queried and narrowed her eyes.

'Yup, that’s right.'

'Well, I never.' Shelly let the machine drop to her side. 'Wait till I tell my sister. We've all been wondering what was going on with it. Someone said something about Otto taking it over.'

'So, umm, yes, do I need the Bay tram for a place called Darlings?'

'Sit yourself down, my lover. I'll give you the shout when you need to get off. It's the stop before the bay depending on which way you go.'

'Thank you.'

'You take a pew anywhere you like.'

Tilly nodded and moved down the carriage, where highly polished timber seats, dark with age, ran up and down on either side.

Choosing a seat by a window halfway down on the right, she slid in as Shelly stepped to the front of the tram, picked up the rope from the bell and called out down the length of the carriage.

'First stop Darling Fire Station, then Town Hall, all stops Darling Bay! Darling Bay, all stops to the bay.'

Tilly hadn't been prepared for how lovely the tram ride would be, and as it moved with a slow, rolling rhythm along the rails and the sliding window beside let in the smell of the sea, she exhaled in pleasure. Beyond the window, the buildings of Darling Street rolled gently past together with a row of shops in between, squished together white cottages, a bakery, a pub on a corner. Then another row of small shops with bunting strung between their awnings. Then more pastels, a doctor’s surgery with old-fashioned shutters and the soft blue Margery had used on her doors at the Shed.

A florist with metal buckets on the pavement outside, full of pink and white stems. A small bookshop with a window full of paperbacks.

A man on a bicycle going slowly past in the other direction with a French stick under his arm. Darling doing its thing.

Tilly settled her shoulders against the timber back of the seat and watched Shelly working her way slowly back down the carriage, tapping people on and chatting here and there. She stopped at Tilly's seat on her way towards the front. 'Alright, my lover? How are you enjoying us so far?'

Tilly didn’t feel it the right time to divulge that she was thoroughly cheesed off regarding the state of the boat shed. 'Lovely so far. Thank you. Yes, fine, thanks.' She tried to sound positive. ‘The nature and views are gorgeous.’

Shelly sat down briefly on the seat opposite. 'How did you find out about it, then? The Boat Shed? I'm only being nosy.'

'Facebook.'

'Facebook! Right, I see. Ahh, yep, Bill was always on Facebook, especially when they were in Spain. Where are you from then?'

'Actually, I've been travelling for a few years. I came from Fiji. I was very homesick for England, actually.'

Shelly's eyebrows flew up. 'Fiji! What and you saw a Facebook post for a boat shed on Darling Island? We're not quite tropical here.' Shelly cackled. ‘You really came to Darling from Fiji?’

'As I said, I was homesick. I like what I see so far.'

'We aim to please.' Shelly winked. 'Right you are, well, give us a shout if you need anything. The stop after this next one is yours.'

The tram pulled in at a stop where a few people got off, and Shelly positioned herself in the aisle.

When the next stop came up, Shelly nodded.

'There you go, my lover. Go up the passageway to the right of the shelter, just there, see it?

And then you carry on past the bend, and you'll see a little place set back with a blue door.

That's Darlings. Doesn't look much from the outside. '

'Right.'

'When you go in, you ask for a Darling basket, and you tell them I sent you, and they'll fall over themselves.'

'A Darling basket?'

Shelly frowned. 'Haven't you had any yet?'

It went through Tilly's mind that Shelly might have a bit of a screw loose. Having no idea what Shelly was talking about, Tilly shook her head. 'Basket? Err, no, not that I know of.'

'It's an old Darling superstition. You'll probably have a few left on the doorstep before the end of the day. It's how we roll around here.'

'I see.' Tilly didn't see. She had no idea what a Darling basket was.

Shelly lowered her voice. 'If anyone offers you a basket, you don't say no.'

'I don't?'

Shelly made a face. 'Take it from me, you do not.'

As the tram pulled away, Tilly stood on the pavement with her hands in her pockets for a moment, watching it make its way along Darling Street.

The tram ride, Darling scenery and friendly locals had done something to Tilly.

What a funny, quaint, absolutely beautiful part of the world.

Were things looking up? It seemed as if they were.