Chalk and Cheese

‘Would you like breakfast in bed, my dear? I feel like spoiling you. You have been working so hard in the garden lately – it looks lovely. Mrs Partridge, the old bag, will be so jealous.’

‘Oh yes, that would be lovely.’ Granddad put down the paper. ‘Do you know President Kennedy’s been shot?’

Granny didn’t care about that. She got up and noticed a dog and a cat at the bedroom door. ‘Shoo those wretched animals out. I’ve said before, they are not to come in the bedroom. Shouldn’t even be in the house, noisy smelly things, leaving hairs and dirty footprints on my polished floors. Shoo off.’

Chalk the dog barked and leapt out of Granny’s way. Granny was liable to boot him. Cheese meowed hoping to get some canned fish. Granny grumbled, and went to mop the polished floor

After breakfast Granddad went outside with the pets.

‘Now you keep out of the way’ he said. ‘I have to fix some tiles.’

Granny spied him. ‘You be careful with that ladder, it’s windy today.’

Chalk danced about the lawn. Cheese commenced licking herself. Granddad having carefully placed the ladder, climbed up to the roof. Suddenly there was a thud and a groan.

Granddad lay prostrate on the roof a collapsed powerline near to him. Granny didn’t hear anything, her hearing was poor. But not so Cheese. She was fond of Granddad. She stopped licking herself and climbed up to the roof via the veranda and the grevillea. She kept away from the horrible powerline, nestling up to granddad licking his face, and meowing.

Chalk knew his little friend’s meow; it was a distress call. He immediately began barking right against the fly-wire of the back door. Granny heard and shuffled out to investigate. Chalk ran up the sloping back garden from where you could see to the roof. Granny trundled after him and gasped with despair as she saw her husband lying prone on the roof.

‘What to do?’ she cried. ‘Go and get Tom.’ Tom was their grandson and lived down the street. Chalk went racing off. He loved to go down to Tom’s place. On arrival he barked like mad.

‘What’s up, boy?’ Tom demanded guessing something was wrong. He followed Chalk, jogging back to Granny’s house

Granny was shivering. She pointed to Granddad with Cheese nestled into him still meowing and giving Granddad licks on the chin. Poor Granny slumped on the garden chair fraught with worry.

Tom turned to Chalk. ‘I have to go down to the corner phone box to get emergency services. Someone needs to look after Granny. Go and get Mrs Partridge – Mrs Partridge.’

Chalk didn’t understand.

‘Go get the old bag, the old bag.’

Chalk instantly understood and went racing down the lane to get the neighbour.

Having scurried up the lane, Mrs Partridge took care of Granny until the emergency services arrived and rescued Granddad.

‘Cheese kept me going,’ said granddad lying in bed that night. ‘I kept slipping in and out of consciousness. I may have gone forever but for her; her licking me with her rough tongue and meowing.

‘And Chalk barking to alert me of your danger and racing to Tom and Mrs Partridge get help,’ said Granny.

She lay in bed alongside her husband patting Cheese who lay curled up between them. Granddad put his hand down and stroked Chalk his head resting on the bed.

Granny smiled. ‘Don’t let anybody speak against our lovely pets. They can come in the bedroom anytime. I like Chalk and Cheese.