No- Where Man

                   NO- WHERE MAN.

       Linda sat at the coffee table thinking about her life with Barry. Their time together had a been joke? The Beatles song all those years ago related to Barry the no-where man sitting in his own

 little world. She looked at the silver key in her hand soon she would not be needing it any more.

    In the 70s when they had first met Barry, had dark silky hair that shone and brown eyes that lit up his face. He had always dressed in the latest flared trousers with a matching tie. People had said

he looked like Tony Orlando the singer with the pop group Dawn. Barry and Linda had met at a disco held in The Beehive pub. That was the problem Barry had never left The Beehive pub.

    Over the years Barry had promised to do jobs around the house. He had many ideas inspirations, that never amounted to anything. Barry had always said,” Lindy Lou, be patient babe. I do care for you a man’s, got to work and recharge those little brown cells.” Well over the years those little brown cells had died. He had never got around to finishing anything. Linda had usually ended

calling someone else to complete the task, or doing the job herself.

   Barry had rubbed down the windows to paint, but never got around to buying the paint. Other times the lawn mower had been left in the yard to do the lawn. Linda had got fed up of seeing it

there and mowed the lawn herself. Barry would then say, “Lindy Lou don’t be angry the kids we do not won’t to see Mummy wearing a frown.” He would then pull a face to make her laugh. When she had been pregnant with the girls Barry had bought flat pack furniture to assemble. It had gone back to the store with the boxes unopened.

   The garage that was going to be added to the side of the house had never got built. The estate agent had said, “If he isn’t going to build the garage you may as well sell.” Now that the divorce papers

were signed Linda was moving on with her life.

   Life with Barry had been full of disappointments. There was the marathon that Barry was determined to run to raise money for Jean and Stella’s school. This time Linda had thought that Barry would not disappoint the girls. Barry had joined a local gym and he went jogging in a smart blue track suit. On the day of the marathon Linda and the girls had turned up to find that Barry

had let them down again.

   Everyone had thought how lucky she was to have a man with ambition who owned his own business repairing lawn mowers. Now that was a joke! Barry had sold the business when he was fifty stating he had to look after his heart. Linda had gone back to work as a secretary.

Occasionally Barry did odd jobs for people when he wasn’t in The Beehive pub. Linda looked at the pile of boxes in the hallway of their home. Barry had met a widow in The Beehive pub, who was

sending a van to collect his belongings.

 Well good luck to Norma if she was taking Barry on thought Linda. Linda would stay with her sister June. While she waited for a council property to become available. Their house been re mortgaged over years, to keep Barry in his fantasy world. Why had she stayed? Barry had looked at her with those, big brown puppy dog eyes pulling her on to his lap. He had always been sorry for his behaviour, there were the mountain bikes that had to be sold on E Bay at a loss.

   After so many disappointments over the years the final straw had been, when the carburettor on their ten-year-old car packed up. Linda had been on her way to work, when the car spluttered to a halt. The local garage then towed the vehicle away. Linda made a dash for the bus skidding on the icy path, as the bus drove away. She had fractured her ankle. Some of the people at the bus stop,

had come to her aid calling for an ambulance.

  Where was Barry? Sitting at home with his mobile phone switched off waiting for The Beehive pub to open. Linda had seen the pity and contempt in the eyes of her friends and neighbours when

 they had looked at the state of Barry and Linda’s house with the peeling paint and a dilapidated garden. The girls had begged her to leave Barry over the years. She would begin her life free from

Barry.  Linda thought about how happy she had been when Barry had surprized with the key to their house at Maiden Bridge Terrace all those years ago. The hopes and dreams she had of cultured

lawns and a green house full of fresh fruit and flowers, how they would both work together to keep that dream alive.

    She could not live on dreams any more. Linda put the spare key on the table, tears came to her eyes as she shut the door on her life in Maiden Bridge Terrace. Soon the removal men would be

here. She had wished the new owners Johnnie and Jessica the best of luck in their new home. Maybe they would live the dream she had not with Barry. She so hoped so.

Now Linda had to move on with her life and try to cast off the past. It would not be easy? The home where she had so many dreams, the birth of her daughters. Leaving the key behind would mean a new beginning.

Linda looked up and down the road to Maiden Bridge Terrance it was peaceful and quite she felt like running away she had to see this day through. Her family had been great comforting her arranging the removal of her belonging's to her sisters house a few streets away. Maybe things would not be so bad after all. Her sister June would have the kettle boiling. Her two daughters would visit more often.