Hope you enjoy this chapter. Black Books time :). And thank you to my reviewer! Your comments are much appreciated :). As George would say, tally-ho!
Bernard Black stumbled down the stairs, clutching his head.
"Manny!" he called from the bottom of the stairs. "Manny! Man- Oh!" he stumbled back slightly as he turned and found Manny just inches away from him. "Don't sneak up on me! Where's the aspirin?"
"We haven't got any." Manny sniffed, tone sulky.
"What?" Bernard demanded, sitting at the dining table.
"I said we're out. I was going to do the shopping last night, before you threw that potato at me."
"Oh yes." Bernard mumbled.
"I told you I didn't want to join in. I spent all night washing potato out of my beard. And there's nothing to eat tonight now. All the shops shut on a Sunday."
"Bernard? What's all this shouting?" Fran's voice floated from the shop.
"Jesus. Who let her in?" Bernard asked, half-ducking under the table. Not only was he hung over, but he was sporting a nasty bruise on the side of his head from where Fran had ignored the rules of a potato fight and thrown a rather large rock at him instead. Admittedly it had been an easy mistake to make- Manny had created a sort of Zen garden on the kitchen side, and a few of the rocks could be confused with potatoes to the very drunken mind.
"I've got some great news." Fran said proudly, bursting through the curtain that separated the living quarters from the bookshop. "Why are you under the table?"
Bernard straightened up and flattened his hair slightly. "It doesn't matter. Go on."
"Do you remember what I was saying last night?"
"No."
"About the holiday?"
"Oh no! We're not going away again. No. Absolutely not."
"Manny, you remember don't you?"
"Yeah. You agreed Bernard. You said it was a good idea."
"I did nothing of the sort!"
Fran sighed impatiently. "Anyway, I found this in a magazine. It's a voucher. For a hotel in Torquay."
Bernard reached up and snatched the paper she was holding off her.
"Is this it?" he asked rudely, making to rip it in two, but Fran took it back before he could.
"We wont have to pay a penny. It offers free bed and breakfast for three."
Manny rushed forward eagerly. "It sounds great! I'll go and pack shall I?"
"Yes." Fran said firmly.
"No!" Bernard insisted at the same time. "I'm not going." he took the voucher back and shoved it into his mouth. He began to chew.
"Bernard!" Fran cried indignantly.
"Ha." he mumbled through a mouthful of paper. "Now you'll have to pay. And you wont because you're as broke as the rest of us."
"It's all right." she said complacently. "That was just an old business card. The voucher's here." she held it up happily. Bernard spat out the card disgustedly.
"Fine then. We'll go. But when the holiday's a miserable disaster don't come moaning to me about it- I'll be killing myself the moment we arrive. Sooner, if I can find something sharp enough."
With that, Bernard stormed off in search of some wine.
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Up next… Fawlty Towers!
