Circumstances Unforeseen - Softcover

Springall, Alan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 145254395X ISBN 13: 9781452543956

Publisher: BalboaPress, 2012

Synopsis

This is based on a true story from a journal I wrote in 1976. I had been offered a job to drive across Europe. This was a planned trip which would terminate in Singapore and included camping across Europe and traveling in a 1966 Ford Comet. The car and the camping became quite a journey. The man I was driving for was wanted by the police and was actually on the run-not that I was aware of any of these things until I arrived back in the UK. There was a third party, who came as a paying passenger. The journey was terminated in Athens due to the fact that the man I was driving for had been fraudulently drawing money from banks as we crossed Europe. I considered it to dangerous to go into the Middle East. The third party and I went to the Greek islands and then traveled back home by ferry and bus.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Circumstances Unforeseen

By Alan Springall

BALBOA PRESS

Copyright © 2012 Alan Springall
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-4395-6

Chapter One

After losing my fiancée to another man, I was very depressed and did not have much interest in anything. My life insurance business was not enough to keep me occupied. My doctor prescribed some anti depressants, this was okay, but I could not seem to get my life back on track.

Then one very hot day feeling low and depressed, I took a couple of pills and tried to go to sleep. This did not work, so I proceeded to work in my parents' garden thinking this would expend some energy and make me tired so I could relax and maybe go to sleep later in the afternoon.

My neighbour saw me and wondered what I was doing, working at such an alarming rate, in the crazy heat of the day.

After doing a huge amount of work, I became very thirsty, and went into the house for a drink. I was unaware that the heat exhaustion and dehydration had taken effect. The telephone rang and I answered it. But whoever it was, were unable to understand me because my speech had become very slurred.

My parents were visiting at their friend's house, and for some reason, my dad decided to come home instead of staying late for a drink. This was a very unusual decision for him to make as he never refused a drink with his old school pal, Gordon.

They arrived at our door just as I was trying to answer the phone but I was on the floor and it was very difficult for them to get in. Dad took the phone from me and spoke to whoever it was on the other end. He then called my mother's brother from next door to carry me into the front room, and to help put me on the couch.

They called an ambulance not knowing what the problem was. Mom came in the ambulance with me and the attendant quizzed her to find out all he could so as to relate to the emergency staff what action to take. I was not coherent during all this and was rolling the attendant's sleeve up and down as he was carefully restraining me. I have no recollection of the events that followed, only what my mother told me at a later date ...

It was quite a night in the hospital, and it seemed that I was not allowed to go to sleep for a very long time. The nurse kept waking me up and asking my name and where I came from. It was not until morning that I was left alone to sleep in peace. When I awoke later that evening, there was a gentleman sitting by my bed, and he asked me how I was feeling and he told me he had to ask me a lot of questions.

The long sleep had brought me back to the reality of what had happened to me. I told him that I felt fine and he proceeded to tell me that it was very dangerous to take any drugs of this nature and work in the heat.

My cheating ex-fiancée came to see me. This was a real surprise as we had broken up some weeks before. I thanked her for thinking of me but said "I do not want to see you again". Being a nurse in the hospital, she probably found out that I was there

Later that evening, my dad came to take me home. My father, as strict as he was, did not ask any questions about the incident. It was tough but I persuaded Dad to come with me to the nurse's quarters to retrieve my engagement ring,

My ex fiancée was not surprised, especially since I had already told her that I did not want to see her again. She gave the ring up without any fuss. We left the hospital and all Dad would talk about was business. He was very sure that with my carpentry skills, there would be many things I could turn my hand to. It was great to get back home and was as if a huge weight had been lifted I had listened very intently to my father all the way home and decided that he was. Very right, and I should venture back into carpentry.

I looked in the paper every day but did not see any jobs that was of interest to me as a carpenter However, what I did see was, a driver was wanted to drive an artist to Singapore. This was a very appealing premise, as I loved adventure and travel.

When I spoke to mother about it, she said, "Apply if you think you would like to do that. You have nothing to lose, many people will apply but someone has to get the job".

The advertisement only gave a post office box number to apply. After writing a long letter explaining why it would be the perfect job for me, I drove to Southampton to take my application directly to the newspaper. I drove home confident that my chance of getting this job was good and it cheered me up. Having gone through such turmoil over the past few weeks, my spirits were now very high and more positive ...

Chapter Two

Five days after posting my letter, the phone rang and it was the man who had placed the advertisement. All this time, my mom said "don't worry he probably has many replies and was taking his time going through them".

The man's name was Brian Turner. He told me that 126 men had applied for the position. He told me that he was going to read and re-read all the letters then phone all those who he thought would be most suitable for the job. After doing this, he would make a short list of 26 and interview all of them. Should he decide to add my name to the list, he would call me again for a meeting. A week went by, and then I got a call asking me to see him at his house. It began to get interesting, because I now had a very good chance of getting the job.

He lived in a small council apartment (rented government accommodation), not the sort of place you would imagine someone would live in, when you think of the expense he was going to incur going to Singapore by car.

When Brian answered the door, I was even more surprised: He was average looking with very thick glasses and stocky build. He was and in his sixties, had grey curly hair, very bushy eyebrows and looked unshaven.

His place was unclean and untidy with and all kinds of books and magazines and paintings scattered around ... "Come in", he said, "Be careful of the paintings". Before he asked about me, he was telling me how he was an artist and that was how he makes his living.

He mentioned that his eyesight was failing and that this was going to be his last big trip, one final fling while he could still have fun and enjoy it. "This was the grand final of trips for me," he said.

"I have wanted to do this for many years and now this will be my last big one". Do you mind camping so we will have to travel as inexpensively as we can? I told him that was Ok with me. Then he asked. "For such a long trip do you have a working knowledge of cars? I assured him that I did. He went on and said, "I would be more comfortable knowing that minor problems could be fixed on route. I would like to carry a small amount of items to make small repairs if needed".

During the interview, Brian made me a cup of tea which was not very good. So it would appear that from what I observed, his vision and coordination were very bad. Considering that, I imagined how he could produce such beautiful paintings. At least that was my opinion. However I am not a very good judge, of art anyway.

One week later he called and was got right to the point, saying "do I want the job?" Without hesitation, I said "yes". We made arrangements to meet this time to discuss the trip and when we would be leaving plus all the things we would need for the long trip. The adventure was now a reality and my mind was very focused on the trip. Between our meetings to finalize the details, I had to think about what to take. I would not need warm clothes, as we would be in a warm climate for the duration of our journey.

Back in his apartment again, the first thing on his agenda was a car. There were two cars his friend had offered him for us to take a look at; one British car and one American, the latter a being left-hand drive with an automatic transmission. We drove straight to the garage to see both cars side by side. The British car was an Austin Westminster which looked to be the appealing of the two. It looked a lot sturdier than the American Ford. The Ford Comet did not look very good; my first thought was, would it survive the long trip to Singapore? The Austin drove very well, but needed new brakes and tires. The Ford drove okay. However I was not impressed the automatic and a left-hand drive as European cars had right hand drive. The mileage was lower on the Ford than on the Austin. The Ford definitely needed a paint job, some new tires, brakes, a new muffler, a power steering unit and a new heavy-duty battery (This was my idea because automatics use more power and you cannot just roll down a hill and bump start them). So in my opinion, I suggested that the better car was the Austin.

The drive back with Brian was quiet. All he would say was my fact—finding about the cars was very good. Back at the apartment, he said, "I do not have a lot of time. We are leaving in a week. "There were no other cars for me to look at that were big enough to make the trip. You go home we will talk. Tomorrow, come over at about nine thirty in the morning".

The next morning I was up very early. I was very keen to know what his decision would be after remembering his look when he saw the Ford. On arriving at Brian's, he surprised me and said, "Let's go out to breakfast, my treat." We headed to the little nearby town of Woolston and sat down in a little café. It was a place I knew well and likedWe ordered our meals, and then he said. "Well good news: all that you wanted completed on the Ford has been achieved. So what do you think?" To myself I thought what a trip this was going to be, in a car that in my opinion will give us trouble. This was not my idea of a good mechanical choice! But how could I counter my new boss's choice, especially at this stage? So I answered, "Well that's great, what colour are you going to have it painted"?

"White top and red bottom, so it should help to keep us cool in the hot days ahead". He then went on to say that he had quite a time on the phone with his friend trying to persuade him to find a power steering unit and a muffler. Those items he has to get from London and I don't think he thought anyone would notice by just having a drive around the block. I have struck a deal with him and provided he can get it ready in time for us we will take it. I assured him he made a good decision (that made him happy even though I would much rather have had the Austin). This was a Wednesday and the car was to be ready on the following Monday morning.

On Monday morning next, we sat in his apartment, confident the car would arrive ready and on time. This was when he told me there was going to be a third person coming along with us as paying passenger. His name was Tony and he really wanted to make the trip. Brian said, "This fellow was a chef and could be useful helping with some of our meals".

We were going into town as soon as the car arrived to purchase some sleeping bags, cooking utensils, a tent, some lidos (blow up air beds) and huge amount of canned food. We had filled two shopping carts and so the weight was going to be of great concern to me: would the cars suspension be okay? How would the engine run under such a load? Would the brakes last? All of these mechanical things I am sure Brian did not consider. This was going to be one hell of a challenge for me, but on the bright side, the long journey was sure going to be a lot of fun.

Chapter Three

The car arrived from the shop at 11:00 am. It looked very good, albeit it had a very poor paint job. The paint was merely a cover up job and provided it didn't take too long to get to Singapore, the rust would hopefully not come through.

We get in the car and head for another friend of Brian's to get the car insurance for the trip, all in my name. The car title was also registered in my name. To my surprise Brian then went to just about every bank that I knew existed. Each time he left a bank we drove to another one, his confidence and the look of satisfaction increased on his face. This was very amusing. He had achieved what ever he planned in each bank.

The car seemed to run very well and I was getting very accustomed to the left-hand drive and automatic transmission. Buying parts for the car was a concern, not only the cost of them but where would we locate other parts for a North American car during That evening I started to work on my parts list for the car, knowing it might be difficult getting all the things I needed as we travelled. The most essential parts would be a muffler repair kit, a brake master cylinder repair kit, a brake slave cylinder kit, a set of points, spare set of plugs, booster cables, fuses, a radiator repair kit and a small amount of the essential fluids. This was vital and I hoped I could persuade Brian to get it all. To be confident of getting to our destination we would also need brake pads and shoes, due to the excessive weight and extreme heat conditions we would be encountering.

The problem with all of this was not so much the cost as the weight.

The actual cost would be a concern for Brian, as his budget was very tight. Even though I knew it would be a concern in my own mind to keep a car running over such a long journey, Brian seemed to think I was being overly cautious in my demands for the car.

The passenger that Brian decided to take with us was another factor with a two door car. Since he had to climb in the back and with his backpack, space was another problem.

I could not understand why Brian wanted to take a paying passenger.

Later this proved to be good for me because Brian was not a good traveller. Tony and I became good friends and it was interesting to travel with him.

Tony was a chef, and later this proved to be a real bonus. He was to bring his own self-contained sleeping arrangement or his own tent, sleeping bag, and cooking equipment, should he decide to go his own way at any time. The best thing about Tony was, I now had a real good travelling companion around my own age.

The shopping trip was an adventure on its own. I knew Brian was planning on buying non perishable goods so we would not have to do too much shopping en route. The amount Brian purchased was very alarming: We had two shopping carts, overloaded with practically 90% tinned food consisting of soups, pasta, vegetables, meats and fruits.

My mind was working overtime trying to imagine where we were going to store all this in the car to get an even weight distribution.

With this much weight in the trunk, and passenger with luggage, the painting equipment, and camping gear. I had visions of the car's suspension not lasting the journey.

Brian said, "Don't worry, we will reorganize things and distribute it around the inside of the car. We will be fine I have confidence in you and I know you will make it safe." The car was only designed to take five people with their luggage, not huge amounts of canned food plus camping equipment, pots, pans, camp stoves, bedding, and tent. The plan now was to pack the car on Saturday and leave on the Sunday morning ferry from Southampton. It was a trip I had made many times, but never with a car. "So off you go and are sure to lock the car up at night. That's our, food for the trip, we don't want to have to buy too much food on the way, it's extremely expensive down there, and I need the funds for the gas". Driving the car for the first time on my own was fun; I could hit the gas and see how she performed. The 3-mile road home was a good chance, if it was clear, to have a go and wind her up, as they say. Not too much traffic, so when I could see it was clear, I floored it and it kicked down so it picked up speed very well. I took it up to 75 mph. But I did not feel overly confident in such a big car, as all I had ever driven was a small 4 cylinder car with right-hand drive. Being such a big car it would not fit on the drive between my parent's home and our neighbour, so I had to park it nearby at my grandmother's house.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Circumstances Unforeseenby Alan Springall Copyright © 2012 by Alan Springall. Excerpted by permission of BALBOA PRESS. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: BalboaPress
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 145254395X
• ISBN 13: 9781452543956
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 216