Chapter 15

Craig got up early despite the minimum amount of sleep he had. His eyes felt like he had been walking through a sandstorm when he got into the shower. There were a few things a hot shower couldn't fix. It could wash away all the tiredness and filth, even sometimes bad nightmares. Craig wanted an early start to his day. The first thing he wanted to tackle was the loose gutter he heard knocking the night before. As the steamy water streamed over his body, his mind drifted towards what had occurred early in the morning hours while he was sitting in the TV room. What was that thing on the TV and how could it have happened? Craig thought but regarded it as being overtired, and the long road trip to Saldanha probably had a lot to do with it. The long hours of concentration on the road can have one's mind coming up with the strangest of things.

Craig got dressed in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Sarah was still in a deep sleep when he got a pair of trainers from the closet. He walked through the dark house and soon he was outside. It was going to be a hot day as the sun was showing a warm crescent over the ocean and dry landscape. Craig walked to the side of the house and looked at the loose gutter. He noticed the screws that were supposed to hold it in place had been corroded. He realised there was not much to do because he had to wait for the hardware store to open before he could buy what he needed for the job. He walked to the boundary wall where he had heard a sound coming from in the early morning hours. He noticed that one of the shrubs had freshly broken tweaks.

As Craig turned towards the front door, he was almost startled when he noticed an old man standing just outside their yard. He had a rough grey beard matching his hair, a big nose and ears with many lines of experience across his face.

'Good morning,' the old man said. He regarded Craig with intense brown eyes from under his bushy eyebrows.

'Morning,' Craig said. He walked towards the old man. He extended his hand which was met by a firm shake. Craig was surprised at how big the old man's hands were.

'Brian Kensington is the name,' the old man said still having a firm grip on Craig's hand. He did not drop his stare.

There was something different about the old man. Although his eyes were intense, Craig could sense loads of wisdom in them with no room for pretension.

Craig introduced himself.

'I'm your neighbour,' Brian said.

'Good to meet you, Brian,' Craig said folding his arms across his chest. 'I wanted to introduce myself, but things have been a little rough around here. We still need to settle in and fix up a few things.'

'Of course,' Brian nodded. 'So, where are you from?'

'We're from Jo' burg, got a job offer over at the Ore refineries.'

'I see. What job would that be?' Brian asked regarding Craig closely.

'I'm an engineer, structural engineer.' Craig said scratching his head. 'So yeah, I hope to stay here until retirement if everything goes well.'

Brian nodded. 'I happen to know quite a few people at the Ore refineries. There's a good crowd of people there. In general, Saldanha is a good place. I think you'll enjoy your stay. Anything is better than the city I suppose.'

'Yeah, most definitely. Who needs that rushed life, anyway? My wife loves it here. We had to move around quite a few times in the past. We had to go where the job took us, but we're done with that life I hope.'

'Well, I hope for your sake everything works out well for you and your family.'

'Thank you, Brian,' Craig said. 'If you need help with anything, please just give us a shout.'

Brian had a hint of a smile on his face. 'Likewise young man. You should come with me one day. I can show you around. There is quite some history in Saldanha you know. I was born and raised here with no desire to go anywhere else. Everything I need is right here. Fish, ocean, and flowers in the winter like snow. Yes, it might be ugly now, but give it some time and you'll see how beautiful this place can be. Usually, we get good rainfall during the winter so I hope for your sake you don't have any roof leaks.'

'As I said, there's still quite a bit to be done here, but I'm sure we'll be ready by wintertime. Thank you for the warning though.'

Brian nodded, 'I'll leave you to settle in then. Whenever you are ready, just let me know. I'll show you some magical places. I think there are places that many of the locals haven't even seen before let alone know to exist.'

'That would be great. I'd really appreciate that,' Craig said. He was stunned by the sincerity of his new neighbour. In the city, people don't even know who they are living with, not to mention who their neighbours were.

'Well, I'll leave you to get on with your business then. It was good meeting you Craig,' Brian said. He turned around and slowly walked towards his house.

'Same here Brian,' Craig said pausing for a moment. 'And thank you once again.' The old man simply lifted his hand a little and let it drop as if it was no great effort. Brian looked up at the sky and regarded everything around him with great appreciation. Craig remembered the strange things he had found in the house and realised that Brian would most probably be the best person to ask.

'Brian,' Craig said instinctively, 'did you know the people who used to live in this house?' Craig felt guilty for the sudden outburst as he watched Brian stop and turn around slowly.

Brian regarded Craig for a moment as if to gather his thoughts. 'Yes, I did. I knew them well. Why do you ask?'

'No. I just wanted to know what they were like. It's a lovely old house, and I was wondering why I got it for such a bargain.' Craig said.

'Do you believe in God young man?' Brian asked.

Craig was taken aback by the question that did not relate to anything he had just asked Brian about. He knew it was a difficult question he never had a straight answer to. Although he was blessed with a sound logical and analytical mind, the downfall to it was that he had to prove the existence of everything he knew with mathematics, but the concept of God was not really one of them. Anyway, all the things he had done in his past could hardly qualify him as a Christian. He noticed Brian staring at him, almost searching his soul. Craig once again saw the age-old wisdom in those eyes as well as purity. He felt guilty for not having a straight answer to such a direct yet complicated question. 'I went off the tracks a few times in my life, but I suppose that I'm sort of a believer.'

Brian smiled. 'When you have nowhere to go and nowhere to turn, turn to God young man. Start believing,' Brain said. He stared at Craig for a moment before he finally turned around and disappeared around the corner of his house.

Craig stood there in disbelief. He was struck by Brian's openness and straight-to-the-point, don't beat around the bush attitude. He imagined him to be quite a respectable old man in the area. Craig could not help to wonder what God had to do with their new home and why Brian did not tell him about the house. Did something happen here? Is that why they picked it up for such a bargain?