One What do you think Grandad looked up with a twinkle in his eye Any ideas Bella stared at Grandad’s workbench As usual it was covered in springs and screws and something or others of all shapes and sizes Last week there had been metal pipes and an old lawnmower engine This week there were leather belts and what looked like the remains of a colourful kite Maybe two kites As usual Grandad was working on one of his special and somewhat strange but sure to be spectacular inventions And as even more usual Bella had absolutely no idea what it was She picked up a belt buckle and turned it over as if searching for a clue Then she shook her head You know I can never guess She knew Grandad loved this the mystery of it the surprise on her face when a tangle of pipes turned into a periscope or a pile of plant pots into a water wheel Or even best of all when the wood from an old boat turned into a very special bedroom Ah well I guess you’ll just have to wait and see Grandad tousled her hair How about we have our snack then Bella nodded and they made their way over to the table near the back door She set her school bag down and settled into a chair while Grandad went inside
A few moments later he came out with a glass of milk in one hand and a familiar paper bag dangling from the other Vanilla slice or doughnut he said You choose Bella reached for the doughnut She knew Grandad wanted the vanilla slice He always did and she always let him have it pretending that whatever else he’d bought was what she wanted most in the world She took a quick bite then passed the bag back to Grandad His eyes lit up when he saw the vanilla slice but then he frowned Oops Mustn’t forget the fruit You know what your mum’s like I’ll get it Bella went to stand up but Grandad waved a hand No no You sit She heard the fridge door open and close and then he was back peeling the cover off a small dish of sliced apple and watermelon All done see He smiled You are a guest in my house When I am a guest in your house then you can serve me Bella smiled back All right I will Actually Grandad waggled his eyebrows I think you will be serving me cake Cake Bella was puzzled for a moment but then remembered Grandad’s birthday She hadn’t really forgotten of course How could she when Grandad was just about her favourite person in the world and was coming next week for his special birthday sleepover And also when even though she’d been racking her brains for ages she still had no idea what to get him for a present Maybe even two slices Grandad went on Two Bella pretended to be shocked Do you think you’ll be allowed You know what Mum’s like
It could be carrot cake Grandad winked That’s practically a vegetable He reached for the vanilla slice and as he did something went click in Bella’s brain Hmm she thought Maybe that was a birthday idea Maybe she could buy him a whole tray of vanilla slice Only that wouldn’t be very special would it The shop that made the flakiest and squishiest and absolute best vanilla slice in the world at least according to Grandad was right around the corner from his house Even though Grandad said he only had it when Bella came over after school on Tuesdays she suspected that might not be quite true Bella shook her head and sighed Oh would you rather have this Grandad had noticed her staring at the vanilla slice which was at this very moment halfway to his whiskery mouth Oh no Bella took another quick bite of doughnut I was just thinking Thinking eh That sounds promising Grandad raised his eyebrows Anything I can help with No Bella replied It’s nothing Just stuff Ah Well you know how fond I am of stuff Grandad waved a hand behind him and Bella smiled in spite of herself Grandad’s whole backyard was crammed with stuff odds and ends collected from junk shops and rubbish collections bits of wood and metal and spare parts saved from things he had taken apart You never know he always said when something might turn out to be the absolute exact thing you needed at some particular moment Like a pipe you could mould into the perfect statue for the front of your boat
