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It was nice to hear such good things about Dennis, Len and Jean thought the world of him and became good friends they were very uset about his relapse and the subsequent outcome. He had been a great help to them in the day to day running of the house. They had certainly made us very welcome.All too soon it was time to get the train home, Len was going to take us to the Railway Station. The train would take us to Waterloo Station then we had to get to Euston and get a train to Hemel Hempstead then I had to pick up my car and drive home,such a long tiring day.
I felt so sad I had lost Dennis, my daughter Sheila and my Mum and Dad, what a sad day it was. Although , I know for Dennis it was a good way to go in his sleep he had been fighting a losing battle against the drugs from the age of 16 yrs and he was 49 yrs old now. Many times he had said if it wasn't against all he believed in he would have ended his life years ago. Most of his adult life had been spent begging,stealing or borrowing for his next fix or in prison, what a tortuous life he lived but I loved him so much.
Life carried on, back to work the next morning to have to put up with the two morons in my office. If it hadn't been for Mark and the lads who worked in the warehouse I think I would have gone insane with their inane humour. It was like being in a school playground. Roll on January 1999 when I was due to retire, only 18months to go, only!
I was driving home from work one day when suddenly on a country road out in the sticks my car just came to a stop , the engine made a clunking noise and cut out. I tried to restart it but no luck. I left it for about ten minutes and tried again in case I had flooded it but still nothing.
Thank goodness I had got a mobile phone, I rang the AA and they were there in about 30 minutes because I was a woman on my own in the middle of nowhere, well Leighton Buzzard.
The guy had a look and said my timing belt had snapped and he couldn't do anything it needed major surgery . He proceeded to load it on his breakdown truck and I got in the cab with him and he took us to my local garage in Bletchley. This gave me a real problem as I would have no way to get to work. I spoke to the mechanic and he said he would have a look the next day and ring me but he was sure it was going to be expensive.
I was miles away from home but not far from Lel, so I walked to their house I was hoping Jim would be in to give me a lift home. Luckily he was and said I could borrow his car until mine was fixed. It was a monster of a car a Maestro Diesel , that was like a tank to drive but beggars can't be choosers and it was really good of him and got me out of a really big hole.
John the mechanic rang me the next day and said it was really a big job as the timing chain had smashed the valves and other things, he estimated it would cost about £500 than goodness I was sitting down but had no choice so I gave him the go ahead and he said he should have it done by Friday which was two days away.