Invigoration

- Chapter 2 -

Chapter 2

REMINISCING WHAT HE HAD JUST SEEN, a feeling of warmth raced through Brody. Strangely, he didn't feel afraid, or petrified. He simply kept on walking, beside his father, as they approached the village pub: The Old Elm.

Situated between two redbrick homes on the edge of the road, opposite the lane leading to the church and cottages, The Old Elm was an anomaly in Hamberleigh. Three storeys tall, it overlooked the rest of the village, through its large, double-glazed Georgian windows, it was built of greenstone and roofed in a dark meadfoot slate with a purplish hew; within, it was a bubbling social hub for the surrounding area, all the locals could be found inside.

The Old Elm was more cramped than usual, due to the funeral reception taking place. The air, saturated with the sweet aroma of bear breath, hit their nostrils as Aaron and Brody entered the pub. As they approached the bar, they caught the drifting, pungent smells of grilled lamb chops and frying chips, from the kitchen. The muffled sound of conversation filtered through to their ears as snatches of gossip and anecdotes: Invitees were mingling, both with each other, and with the locals, too.

The intention of the reception was to celebrate Debbie's life, rather than continuing to weep over her death; it certainly appeared as everyone was doing so.

Aaron and Brody each found a bar stall to sit on, as they began to join in with the various on-going conversations. The bar was the best-lit part of the pub; the rest appeared a lot darker. Odd glowing lamps lit every other wall, but the bar was positioned under much larger lamps, and lights. The back wall was stacked with cups, drinks and even confectionery, each unique to the last.

"Aaron, Brody! I was so sad to hear the news, can I get you anything... on the house?" spoke a portly little barman, whose belly shook side-to-side, like jelly, as he walked towards them from the kitchen, his baldhead shining like a melon in the moonlight. "Sorry, thanks Patrick, a beer for me, and a lemonade for Brody!" replied Aaron after a pause; Brody rolled his eyes in response to the drink his father always presumed he'd have.

Patrick Hodges was the landlord of The Old Elm. Of friendly nature, Patrick never wandered much further than his precious bar, having stood behind it for many decades, chatting to his customers for seemingly endless amounts of time. In fact, he knew just about everything about everyone in the village, and beyond; being the most gossipy person in the neighbourhood, everyone knew they had to be careful what they said within hearing-distance of Patrick: he'd spread anything to any customer, from near or far! His head only just poked over the bar; his sky-blue eyes were more glazed than those of the scads in the Starry-gazey pie from the kitchen.

With their ice-cold bubbling drinks now in hand, Brody began to indulge in conversation with Patrick, escaping from his feelings and thoughts: "How's the renovation going upstairs, then?" he asked. "Great, thanks, I'm getting the same beds in as Martha Strong, down the road; you know, I hear that she's thinking about leaving Bill! She's falling for Brian once again... they're on holiday together right now, in fact, but poor Bill thinks she's off working", cackled Patrick; his laugh silenced those at the bar, before they continued with their own conversations, each of which he was discreetly listening in to. Brody turned to stare at his father, and together they laughed - they loved Patrick's character, and Brody knew him well, having visited The Old Elm ever since he was little. As Brody turned back, to continue with their conversation, he noticed that Patrick had finished his third gin since they arrived!

~

As the day went on, and night began to fall, many guests gave their further condolences and final farewells to Aaron and Brody before leaving; but there was no sign of Katisha. One guest swore that they saw her quickly walking away strait after her reunion with Aaron. With the possibility that he may have lost all contact with his daughter yet again, Aaron half-heartedly continued chatting to the leaving guests, and remaining locals, as the clock kept on ticking.