Drake’s Pride

    The assistant looked at the woman then shook his head as if to clear it. In view of what was to happen next he would have been better advised trying to retain what was in his mind rather than try to shake it out. “So I’ll have the personal inserts then,” continued the woman.
     The assistant was all business again. “As good as done. Initials or Christian name?”
     “Christian name.”
     “And your name is?”
     “Mary.”
     “Mary. Won’t be a jiffy.” The assistant disappeared into the back with the bowls and returned two minutes later. “One set of Thomas Taylor Express with Mary on the inserts,” he said, placing the bowls on the counter, the newly inscribed inserts facing the woman.
     The woman looked puzzled. “Why have you put Mary on them?”
     “What? You said that’s what your name was.”
     “They’re not for me, they’re for my husband.”
     Four minutes later, the inscription Mary on the bowls having been replaced with the name Alf, the woman was on her way and the assistant finally turned his attention to Bond.
     Bond was a man who could eavesdrop for England, in fact as a spy he did eavesdrop for England on occasions, so he had not let the time the assistant had spent serving Mary go to waste. Thanks to this he now knew that although wooden bowls were still used by a few diehards, plastic was the modern bowl of choice, and that of the six main manufacturers of plastic bowls three were outstanding, Thomas Taylor, Drake’s Pride and Henselite. Of the three Thomas Taylor shaded it in popularity and within the Thomas Taylor marque their Taylor Express was the most popular, used by many leading tournament bowlers. So when the assistant asked Bond what he could do for him he said, without hesitation: “A set of Taylor Express bowls, please.” Then added, with the hint of a mischievous smile, “Without Mary on them.”