Dominic’s tractor and the Christmas geese – part 2
DOMINIC switched on an industrial strength lamp, revealing a mud covered red tractor.
‘Kin you hop on the tow bar dare, and hould de light out so I kin see what’s in front of me?’
I looked at where he wanted me to stand, and wasn’t sure it was possible. It was one of them metal yokes that stick out the back of a tractors with a knob on it for hauling trailers, or eejits like us that were stuck in the sand.
‘Just hang on to me shoulders, and hould the lamp out.’
I did the arithmetic in my head, one hand to hould on to his shoulder and one to hould the lamp, seemed to me like one hand too few houlding on to his shoulder! But up I got on the slippery bar, and before I could think, Dominic had the engine running and we were out the lane and bouncing along the beach towards our sinking car.
Desperation is a great leveler, I found the perseverance to stick myself to the round bar, a nearly impossible feat, and I was practically having a romance with Dominic with my left arm now wrapped ’round his neck.
It was hard to believe that just twenty minutes ago we had been sitting in our warm car listening to Pink Floyd through a super hi fi stereo, cooing at the view. Now here I was with the wind and rain blowing through my hair hanging on the back of a tractor like a chariot, one arm around a strange man and providing his light by holding a heavy lamp up above his head!
Dominic was well used to the routine, in no time he had the rope in under the car where it was secure, and that tractor effortlessly hauled the Renault 5 back to solid ground. I drove behind him back to the house, where Clare was now drinking tea by the fire.
We pulled out on to the main road laughing at our ordeal, and were at the precipice of the humped back railway bridge when Clare announced: ‘Sh** we have to go back, I just realised, I left my handbag in the bloody chair.’
‘Are you joking me?’
The laughter subsided as we did a U-ee and headed back. Clare sat in the car as I fumbled my way in the dark towards the distant light.
I sensed a strange presence, an odd animal sound was coming towards me. I quickened my pace towards the house, disregarding my unsure footing, A honk honk, sound drew me to look left. Coming in my direction with their necks stretched towards me in extreme enthusiasm was a gaggle of angry white geese. I ran at full pelt for the door of the farmhouse with them after me. Fortunately Dominic’s mother was expecting me and opened the door before I touched it. She went over and got the purse from a chair by the fire, where the old man still sat pulling on his pipe.
Dominic came out and waved a backward hand at the geese. ‘Gi way outta dat.’
They ran away, chasing there extended heads. Honk, honk.
After being in Wexford for a few days, we gave up telling the story. Everyone was sure that we had gone to that dark spot for a bit of nooky, like all the other couples that had been stranded there.
‘Ah yeah, Dominic! ah shur everyone knows him, he’s pulled us all out, one time or anudder! And dem feckin geese are like guard dogs shur. Happy Christmas be de way.’
I was practically having a romance with Dominic with my left arm now wrapped ’round his neck