business
this man? He could be a dangerous rolling with exasperation, “Gerald might Sheridan took the bait. “Who is He must be maniac.” He suddenly had a horrible have lived in England for years without Gerald?” he demanded. It turned into farming thought. “Or after our money,” he being domiciled. It really could be quite out that Mrs Rock had been because he important.” He knew that his mother was using her new tablet to log on added. “My money, dear,” Mrs Rock says he’s confusing “domicile” with the Spanish word to a seniors dating site and this corrected him. “And no, I think he’s “domicilio”. Gerald had got in touch. Not just going to put rather sweet and we haven’t really talked about finances. Yet.” That last that. They had taken to speaking one of his word worried Sheridan. every day by Skype and he was Mrs Rock was enjoying this. She might be pensions flying in to Gibraltar from London in her twilight years but she could read into crops. for Christmas. Depending on “Well, where’s he from? Sheridan like that Mills & Boon Could this how they got on, Mrs Rock on her bedside table. And she How old is he? What does “silver surfer” knew all about Sitges – Gibraltar conjectured, Gerald was considering a he do? I mean … ” Sheridan saw permanent move to the Rock. only trouble ahead. “For one thing, be the same really is a very small place and is he UK domiciled?” “Of course you could find out anything on lady who Sheridan was nonplussed. “You didn’t tell he is,” said Mrs Rock firmly. “That’s once put the these new computermabobs. She where he lives.” Sheridan could me you were buying an iPad,” he splutTV remote in thought it was time to put him out of his misery. After all, lunch tered, rather missing the more important be very silly at times, she thought. the freezer? point. “I mean, what do you know about “Mother,” said Sheridan, his eyes was going cold. Well, gazpacho does that! She smiled at her own Mrs Rock and Gerald enjoying retirement in Commonwealth Park little joke. It was time for her “prepared statement”, a phrase she had read on the BBC website that morning. “Calm down, dear,” she said, echoing David Cameron on one of his better YouTube performances. “Let me tell you all about Gerald. First of all, he arrives tomorrow”. Sheridan gulped, but kept shtum. “He’s quite well off, I think. He must be into farming because he says he’s going to put one of his pensions into crops. And he must have a large wine collection because he tells me he also needs to be careful about his sips.” In fact, Gerald had actually spelt these as “qrops” and “sipps” on Skype text and Mrs Rock made a mental note to have a word with him about his typing. Sheridan couldn’t help being distracted by the thought of his mother having an online relationship. Could this “silver surfer” 22
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2016