George's Grand Tour by Caroline Vermalle Read Free Book Online Page A

telly.’
    Something wasn’t quite right. Admittedly, Adèle’s phone calls were rare, but normally she could have predicted in advanceexactly what her grandfather would say. The only time it had been different had been when her grandmother had died. Her grandfather didn’t sound natural, and the TV was turned right up. She heard a strange voice in the background: ‘At the roundabout, take the second exit.’
    She double-checked that it was the landline she had called.
    â€˜Are you sure everything’s alright, Grandpa?’
    He took a few moments to reply, and she heard a murmuring sound, almost a hissing.
    â€˜Yes, everything’s fine, nothing to report really. Everything fine with you?’
    â€˜Yes, everything—’
    â€˜Great, well, lots of love!’
    â€˜Grandpa, have you got people round?’
    â€˜No, there’s no one else here, I’m just watching tele—’
    BAM! A deafening sound like a gunshot rang down the line.
    â€˜Grandpa, what’s going on? GRANDPA!’
    The line went dead before Adèle could work out what was happening. She redialled the number frantically. The phone rang and rang, but no answer. She tried the mobile. Same thing. Her heart was racing, and her imagination went into overdrive. Had it really been a gunshot? An explosion? Maybe his stove … That stove was as old as Methuselah. It must have blown up. Or a thief with a gun? Most farmers had a shotgun out there in the sticks. What could she do? Call the police? But what was the number of the French police? At last her grandfather picked up.
    â€˜Grandpa? Grandpa, are you alright? Are you hurt?’
    â€˜Oh sweetheart,’ George replied shakily.
    â€˜What’s going on?’ Adèle asked with panic in her voice.
    â€˜Promise me you won’t tell your mother.’
    Adèle was taken aback but somewhat reassured. If he was hatching secret plans to fool his daughter, things could not be as bad as all that.
    â€˜But Grandpa, what—’
    â€˜Adèle, sweetheart,’ answered her grandfather, sounding a little more stable now. ‘Nothing’s wrong, but you have to promise me not to say anything to your mother, otherwise she’ll get hysterical and that won’t be good for any of us.’
    Adèle reluctantly agreed. And so her grandfather explained that they were in the car, and that Charles had tried to turn off the sound of ‘the nice lady in the GPS’, but that he had got the wrong button, and while he was hurriedly trying all the knobs and buttons in the Scenic, he hadn’t seen the car in front slowing down to turn right.
    â€˜But how come you’re in a car when I’m calling your landline? And where are you anyway?’
    â€˜We’re about thirty kilometres from Brest. We’ve diverted the calls.’
    â€˜From Brest? In Brittany ?’
    â€˜Yes, in Finistère.’
    Her grandfather’s house in Chanteloup. Brest. The two places were at least five hundred kilometres apart.
    â€˜But, Grandpa, what on earth are you doing in Brest?’
    â€˜We’ve decided to do the Tour de France.’
    â€˜Grandpa, don’t tell me—’
    â€˜No, no, not on bikes. We’re only doing it in a car.’
    Just to clarify, Adèle replied, ‘Three thousand kilometres in a car.’
    Her grandfather felt a rush of pride. It was the first time that someone had found it impressive. He couldn’t help adding:
    â€˜Three thousand five hundred, actually.’
    But he instantly regretted saying it.
    â€˜And the doctors, have you seen your doctor, what did he say about it?’
    â€˜Pffff … you know what doctors are like. Damned idiots, the lot of them.’
    â€˜You’re not on your own, though, are you? Have you at least told someone what you’re doing?’
    â€˜Charles is with me, and his whole family knows, they even encouraged us to do it,’ said