The Hoarder

Michael was starting to feel unsettled again. To all appearances, Mr. McIntyre seemed like a genuinely sane old man but this talk of survival was like something off Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends. Louis was always finding extremists to interview and a lot of the time, he exposed them as paranoid, scared individuals with narrow views who believed the world was against them. But Mr. McIntyre was a different kettle of fish. Could he actually be coming from a place of knowledge as a result of his previous 'career'? Michael didn't know what to think. What if that was all bullshit? He knew that hoarders were a wily bunch, desperate to hold on to their stuff no matter what. Perhaps Mr. McIntyre, with his super spy story, was just taking this to the next level!

Kendal was watching Michael as he was thinking, wondering what impact his words had made. Even to his ears, he sounded mad but then, not many people had seen what he had seen, done what he had done. Should he go into more detail perhaps? No. Those secrets needed to stay with him and keep him awake at night.

These people in their little lives had no idea. Kendal didn't mean that patronisingly. He had a little life now and it was precious to him. He wanted to help people to secure theirs, for now and into the future. They had no idea that the course of their existence could be changed irrevocably by the whims of men. A decision made in haste. An instruction given without thought. An impulse acted upon without check. A "want" put ahead of a "need". A policy pushed through for personal benefit. It was all happening in the background with only people like him out there to stop it - if they could.

History was illustrating the same lessons over and over again and humans, in his opinion, for all their advancement, seemed to be unable to evolve sufficiently to stop it from happening. The same promises were made into empty air with no substance by leaders who, through invective, created fear and division. Empires had been established on just such a premise all throughout time and so it was now.

The illusion of evolution. This was allegedly apparent in shiny tall buildings and luxury homes and expensive cars, in the stamp that humans had left on the land by their construction and their taming of nature to their design. Gadgets that reduced the outside world to a screen were lauded above engaging in community tasks within that world, causing people to become more closeted and less tolerant.

In Kendal's humble opinion, the world was devolving, and he feared that there were very dark days ahead. Very dark indeed.

He couldn't not be prepared. He wouldn't! He already had the bunker. Perhaps he should show Michael that and his canning station and his generator? No, maybe not. Kendal could let some of the stuff go but not all. Some of it, no, most of it would be useful. That's why he'd collected it! Kendal couldn't bear to think that if the worst happened, that there wasn't something he could do to help. The gathering of stuff was preparation for that. He'd admit that it might have got a little out of hand. He tried to minimise what he salvaged but ultimately, most things had a potential "other" purpose and it was difficult to discard them knowing that. What if? was something that was always going through Kendal's mind. He'd had to deal with a lot of 'what ifs' - incredible 'what ifs'! Hair-raising 'what ifs'! He knew what was possible (even in the realms of the impossible) and that knowledge would not leave him alone.

Michael was unsure what to say. He couldn't reassure the old man - the stuff would be removed. He didn't feel like he could tell him Everything's going to be fine because it sounded condescending and the old man clearly would not believe him. What to say?

Kendal had lived enough years on this earth to know that he wasn't going to win this but that didn't mean he wouldn't give in without a fight. He needed to play for time.

"Michael. May I call you, Michael?" Kendal ventured.

Michael nodded. "Of course."

"Good," Kendal continued. "Look, I can see that I'm not going to persuade you to my way of thinking and I appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to listen to the ramblings of a concerned citizen and explain your position with patience and consideration." Kendal paused, thinking how best to phrase his next proposal, letting Michael relax a little with the compliment of his more than fair attitude to a mad old man.

"I wonder though if a compromise could be reached?"

Kendal raised his eyebrows questioningly and Michael's gut tightened a little at what was to follow. Was he about to be played?

"I propose that I agree to remove the items and clean up the front of my property."

The tension eased once again in Michael's shoulders.

Kendal added: "However, I'm not going to be able to do this quickly" and he waved his hand in the general direction of the front of the house, "because, as you know, I have accumulated a lot and while I am still fit, I am old and tire easily. With no real person to call upon to help me, I will have to do the job myself. Therefore, I will agree to diminish it but I'm going to need time to do this. Is this something to which you can agree?"

Michael thought not but not wanting to aggravate Kendal, he said circumspectly, "I don't know...I'm not sure...I think the date is firm..."

"How about you propose it, what I've suggested? In my experience, if there is a way to save money, and believe me, hiring a contractor to clear this stuff will have an impact on a local council's budget, one that that council might not necessarily want to spend, then we might just reach a compromise that suits us both."

Michael looked skeptical. He wanted to get this sorted today and report back that it had been a successful meeting and the removal of the detritus would be moving forward but...maybe saving the council money would be better received.

"You have to promise me that it will be moved, Mr. McIntyre."

Kendal smiled. "I promise you that."

"And that it has to start immediately."

Kendal nodded but didn't mouth agreement. He would move stuff but he would be discerning in what items they were and he may just move them, just not off his property thereby keeping to the terms of the agreement, albeit tenuously.

"I would need more time though, Michael, than originally proposed. You can see that?" Kendal smiled, encouragingly at Michael.

"Yes..." Michael said hesitantly, "but not an infinite amount of time. I can't let you stay like this indefinitely. I have a duty to your neighbours."

Kendal steepled his fingers to his lips and murmured a low "Mmmm". Michael remembered what he had said about Mrs. Bellingham and wondered if Mr. McIntyre would hold him to his suggestion of talking to her about her slovenly bin keeping.

Kendal interrupted his thoughts with an "Agreed" and made no mention of the neighbour, much to Michael's relief.

"So, you need to leave and find out if what I've proposed is possible, which I can't believe it won't be, and then you can advise me, either by visiting or perhaps just a letter or email or even a phone call as to what the state of play is and what parameters I have to work with and then, we can both move forward with a mutually agreed plan. Yes?"

Michael was trapped in the reasonableness of Kendal's suggestion. If he said "No", he was likely to entice the ire of a potentially difficult man and from the conversations they'd had between themselves today, Michael wouldn't be surprised if there was a pistol of some sort hidden within easy distance of Kendal's armchair, loaded and oiled, ready to use. However, if he agreed, he would have to go back and see if it was possible and if it wasn't, he would then have to return here and go through this whole process again with a more hostile man, more resolute in his determination to hold onto his stuff after having his compromise rejected, plus he would have to get rid of it more quickly because the deadline wouldn't have moved, leading to even more raised emotions.

Not desirable either.

Michael gave a non-committal "I'll try" which caused Kendal to beam.

"Michael, that's all I ask."

This is Part 7 of a serialisation I am writing. For Part 6 if you missed it, head here: