Tristan's last day

Chapter 1: The Phone

James hated it when the phone rang at four thirty in the morning. In the summer it wasn't as bad but in the winter it was horrid. James would have got up but it was Tristan's turn to answer the phone. James was thinking about getting up and answering it but as he was about to place his toast like feet in his slippers he heard a loud bang and the usually shouting began as it did every time Tristan didn't do as told.

"I'm warning you Tristan!" Shouted Siegfried from hid bedroom "You better be up!" Inside James head he knew that Tristan wasn't up. In fact everybody in Darrowby knew that the young Tristan Farnon wouldn't be up until later that morning.

"Leave me alone Siegfried" mumbled the voice from under the cover "Some of us are trying to sleep"

"Get up this instance brother or I will shake you up!" Screamed Siegfried. James had been and answered the phone and was for once delighted that he had to go out to Mr Biggins. James headed out to the stone cold surgery and packed the things he would need for the job and went up stairs to quickly get dressed. As James left Skeldale house the shouting was still echoing all around it.

Chapter 2: Breakfast

It was eight thirty when James arrived back at Skeldale. He had only had to deal with a cow that had a serious cut on its leg but with the timings of Mr Biggins and the usually "I'm not paying this" routine and the heavy snow that had fell his journey had been extended by around two hours. James thought that the whole phone incident would have passed and the topic would have been about sport or the Drovers but he was wrong. Very wrong.

"Nah then Mr Herriot I wouldn't go in there if I had the choice." Warned Mrs Hall, the house keeper. "Mr Farnon has been shouting and screaming at Mr Tristan all morning." James then stood there for around twenty seconds deciding whether or not to enter the dining room but the deciding factor came when his stomach rumbled.

James wandered through to the Dining Room still thinking if he had made the right decision or not but as soon as he walked in the two brothers stopped arguing and sat down without even talking to each other. The brother to talk was Siegfried.

"James I am so sorry you had to deal with the call in the middle in the night I can promise you that Tristan will answer the calls for the rest of the week." Siegfried said this in the lowest and most sincere tone that James had ever heard him say.

"Honestly Siegfried it was not a problem," James replied "In fact I got a cheque out of Biggins." Usually this would make Siegfried smile but today he just sat there reading the paper. Now James tried to talk to Tristan but he got the same response. He decide that once he had finished his breakfast he would leave the dining room.

James left his breakfast and walked out of the door . He wandered how long this would go on for but as soon as he had shut the door the voices exploded and so did the screaming. As James was walking back to the surgery Mrs Hall came out of the kitchen and grabbed James by the sleeve.

"Mr Herriot is there anything you can do to calm them down."

"Mrs Hall if it was only that easy, Mr Farnon won't back down and neither will Tristan." replied James "But if it hasn't stopped by surgery then I will say something. It got to half past nine and the arguing was worse than ever. James had made up his mind. He was going to tell them. James walked up to the dining room door. As he went to open the door his hand was shaking. He was just about to turn the back but Mrs Hall was stood behind and the look on her face pushed him through the door.

"Siegfried surgery is starting in half an hour." James spoke at his normal volume. James stood there for around thirty seconds. Every second James was getting angrier and angrier and as the thirty seconds finished he screamed out

" SIEGFRIED SURGERY IS STARTING IN THIRTY MINUTES AND YOU TO BETTER STOP ARGUING NOW!" James stood there in shock as both men turned round to face him. Siegfried walked away from Tristan and walked into James eyes.

"James I am sorry that you have seen this show of utter stupidity. I can confirm that my younger brother will be leaving the practise with immediate effect." and with that Siegfried left and went to start surgery. James was in shock. He had seen then argue before but nothing on this scale. James walked up to Tristan and he didn't know what to say.

"Look James I knew it was going to happen and I will stay at the Reniston for a few days and I will make a choice later." Tristan said it with tears in his eyes and as he walked up stairs James could here the tears coming.

Four weeks had passed since Tristan left. After spending a week at the Reniston he left to go to London. James had kept in regular contact with him but Siegfried had not spoken to him since. Tristan had told James that he was stupid to have kept the argument going. After James had last spoke to him Tristan came back to Yorkshire and started working for Granville Bennet, one of Siegfried's most loyal friends. He said he would get his revenge and he did.