Cat O'Nine Tales: And Other Stories Read Online Free

this
occasion, as such a large sum is involved, we would want to take a charge over
the property.”
    “At what
percentage?” demanded Chris.
    “Eight and a
half percent, with added penalties should increments not be paid on time. ”
    “We’ll need to
consider your offer carefully,” said Sue, “and we’ll let you know once we’ve
made our decision.”
    Mr. Tremaine stifled a smile.
    “What was all
that about category A status?” asked Sue as they walked quickly back toward the
seafront, still hoping to open the shop in time for their first customer.
    “Category A is
where all the profits are,” said Chris. “Savings accounts, pensions, postal
orders, vehicle road tax and even premium bonds all guarantee you a handsome
profit. Without them, you have to rely on TV licenses, stamps, electricity
bills, and perhaps a little extra income if they allow you to run a shop on the
side. If that was all Mr. Quenton had to offer, we’d
be better off continuing to run the fish-and-chip shop.”
    “And is there
any risk of us losing our category A status?” asked Sue.
    “None
whatsoever,” said Chris, “or that’s what the area manager assured me, and he’s
a fellow member of Rotary.
    He told me that
the matter has never even come up for discussion at headquarters, and you can
be pretty confident that Britannia will also have checked that out long before
they would be willing to part with a hundred thousand.”
    “So you still
think we should go ahead?”
    “With a few
refinements to their terms,” said Chris.
    “Like what?”
    “Well, to start
with, I’ve no doubt that Mr. Tremaine will come down
to eight percent, now that the High Street banks have also begun investing in
business ventures, and don’t forget, this time he will have a charge over the
property.”
    The Haskins
sold their fish-and-chip shop for £112,000 and were able to add a further
£38,000 from their credit account. Britannia topped it up with a loan of
£100,000 at 8 percent. A check for £250,000 was sent to Post Office
headquarters in London.
    “Time to
celebrate,” declared Chris.
    “What do you
have in mind?” asked Sue. “Because we can’t afford to spend
any more money.”
    “Let’s drive
down to Ashford and spend the weekend with our daughter...” he paused...”and on
the way back...”
    “And on the way
back?” repeated Sue.
    “Let’s drop
into Battersea Dogs’ Home.”
    A month later,
Mr. and Mrs. Haskins and Stamps, another Labrador, this time black, moved from
their fish-and-chip shop on Beach Street to a category A post office in Victoria Crescent.
    Chris and Sue
quickly returned to working hours that they hadn’t experienced since they first
opened the fish-and-chip shop. For the next five years they cut down on any
little extras, and even went without holidays, although they often thought
about another trip to Portugal, but that had to be put on hold until they
completed their quarterly payments to Britannia. Chris continued to carry out
his Rotary Club duties, while Sue became chairman of the Cleethorpes branch of the Mothers’ Union.
    Tracey was
promoted to sites manager, and Stamps ate more food than the three of them put
together.
    In their fourth
year, Mr. and Mrs. Haskins won the “Area Post Office of the Year” award, and
nine months later paid off the final instalment to
Britannia.
    The board of
Britannia invited Chris and Sue to join them for lunch at the Royal Hotel to
celebrate the fact that they now owned the post office without a penny of debt
to their name.
    “We still have
to earn back our original investment,” Chris reminded them.
    “A mere matter of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds.”
    “If you keep
going at your present rate,” suggested the chairman of Britannia, “it should
only take you another five years to achieve and then you could be sitting on a
business worth over a million.”
    “Does that mean
I’m a millionaire?” asked Chris.
    “No, it does
not,” butted in