Fat John and his push bike

[Henry100]

He was just a young Lad born into a slum area we're you hardly ever would see grass, The street was long and terrace housing on both sides  except the two detached ones with wall paper on the outside's "Thanks to Hitler and his bombs that went astray from 

 The   "Target" (The Docks) It was mainly Irish folk who lived in the area and was known as PaddyVill , The doom and Glume  were only added to from the constant smell of smoking chimney's stinking the place out, You did not see grass except on the old railway embankments

At the end of our street we're the old steam train's once went by, It was not strange to hear a frustrated mum telling her brood to go and play on the railway,

Daniel's dad was fully Irish and a very hard man, he worked on the Docks and his thought on life & women we're women we're here to have kids and cook He, Drank like a fish from Friday night until Sunday mid day, He  had only time for Catholic folk and he did not smile very often,

We kids did not venture very far "only our street and the boys played footy at the end of the street, here we had the old corner dairy shop large sliding doors as our goal area, Or if we needed two goal area's someones jumper came of to mark the post's area's or a pair of tiny brother or sisters would be told to stand there and if the Ball comes towards you ???? Close in (this made the area shorted and harder for the other side to score,

The Girls played daft games, Like Film Stars And hopscotch  And the Lamp post had a rope for skipping "Often the odd adult Mum would show us how it should be done,

Not many car's in the street "people just did not have the money and as it was mainly a catholic area most families had gangs of kids in spite of the houses being Two up & Two down,

My Mum's best friend Lived in the house Opposite to us  "Agi **** GRAVE"  Irish to the core and 7 kids to prove it, Her husband worked as a coal man And he'd arrive home each evening in His CO-OP Coal wagon, On a Saturday he would take Agi to the shops in Liverpool city center in the Coal Wagon with the kids sitting on the back,

Me Mum would stand outside our house waving to Agi and saying "She has it made that girl, Transport to the shops, We would watch the wagon smoking like hell and the scales going up and down as Billy **** grave drove out of the street,

                                                                                     Do you know this Woman

We did not have Holidays and things like that, But one Sunday morning as we came down the stairs to the lounge we saw this very Strange long haired old woman sitting on the settee smoking a pipe !!!!!

My Dad asked Do you know who this woman is ???

My brother Looked as i also did, and we both replied No Dad,

Me mum walked in with the breakfast for adults (Ulster fry ) and she said "Well say hello to your Granny from IRELAND"

She is staying with us for a week or so,

Granny looked at us and said "come and give yer Gran a Big Kiss,  I looked at her very Brown face and a mole with Hair growing outside it, And thought i did not want to kiss that side of her face "But my younger brother had already got the other side and giving this strange Granny kiss after kiss and asking why her teeth we're made of Brass?

Granny fell in love with Robby  and it was not long before he was sharing her breakfast,

As the week went by Granny would tell us about Ireland and the horses out side her house on the common and tales of countryside,

Then came the day she was to return to Ireland, I was playing in the street and me mum said  yer Grans returning to Ireland early in the morning so you can say goodby before you go to bed, It was about 5pm and going dark,

I was looking at me Gran's Mole as Robby sat on her lap telling how much he loved her, When a KNOCK came on the front door,

Me Dad was having a shave before all the adults went to the Irish house Pub, I went to the door and on opening it saw Fat John our local Police man and his push bike, No one had ever seen Fat John ride this bike "he just pushed it"

He asked in his broad Irish Voice   " Is yer father in? "  I was scared of the Police and did not know what to say,

I am in what do you want" Me Dad asked,

Than van of yours has no night light on "AGAIN"  

Daniel, my Dad shouted, Come her Now, I walked to the front door, I told you to put that lamp out an hour ago "he shouted at me"

Did I not????   Err Err Yes Dad,   A clout across the head and i was then rushing out with the old street paraffin lamp painted pink,

It had the letters L. C. C.  pressed into the metal sides,  (LIVERPOOL COUNTY COUNCIL)  But no Inside's so it would not work any way,

This van A "standard Atlas" had no Tax disc No Insurance and me Dad could not drive anyway, Big John said to me "You better do as you are told or when your older you and me will get to know each other better????  And then he got his cycle that was leaning on the lamp post and continued to walk to the COCKGRAVES For the same Warning.

When i came into house me dad said Big John was a ****,

They went off to the Pub with Agi and Billy and our Granny,

The next morning Robby came rushing into our shared bed and said Granny got into one of those posh cars and has gone But she gave me this for you, It was  TEN SHILLING NOTE? it was a fortune for any kid and as we did not get pocket money it was even more of a fortune,

I told all the kids in our street about my fortune and the kids in school, But some of the school mates did not believe me and said show us then?

The next day i got up for school and me Dad was in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea, "The ship had not docked and he was laid off until it could dock, It was over the Dock workers driving a new machine into the Dock waters, because they did not want it on the docks because it did the work of ten men in an hour, A fork lift, machine and until the docks and Harbour bourd COMMITTEE

We're informed who drove that machine into the Dock ? No work,

Me Dad said to me It is your mothers birthday today and all women like gifts for their birthday Like flowers , And now you have money ????

I knew what he was saying, But granny had left a note with the ten shilling note and me mum read it to me, it said as long as you do not spend this, you will always have money in your pocket,

I went to school and proved to one and all I was rich and showed them my Ten BOB  Note.

All day it kept ringing around my head what me Dad said about me Mum's birthday And Flowers, As i walked home a little later than usual because i was on detention  "again"   I took a short cut through the cemetery And Like God had heard my prayer,

God How do I keep my fortune, And sent an Answer, in the waste basket was not one but lots of chucked away flower's and all free!!!!!!

I sat on the bench with my duffel coat hood up deciding what bunch was the best one, having decided the biggest one was i started to head for home, It was going dark and i wanted out of this spooky place, As i got near to the gates i could see a huge Lock and chain on the closed gates, I passed the flowers through the bars of the gate and remembering my commando comic I climbed the high gates and got my leg over the top (Thinking i  was nearly over) I just let go of the bars and then i found my duffel coat hood had caught on the top of the railings, I tried to call God for Help (after all i was a catholic ) But he must have been having his dinner because i was stuck good and proper,

The a sight i did not want to seen came into my eye sight, Pushing his bike and saying " What do we have here then?"

He lifted me off the railings and i picked the flowers up from the floor,

What are these then  Big John Asked ????

It is me Mum's Birthday and all women like flowers and so i got these for her, I 'll go now she will wonder where I am,

"Well I  am going that way so we will walk together,"

As we walked down our street I said a silent prayer "Please dear Lord help me "Please,

We arrived and as it was a Monday The front door step had been carinald (cleaned with a grit polish stuff)

Big John banged on the front door,   As the door swung open and me Mum screamed i have told you to use the back door, How many more times   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And then she saw Big John;      OH. I thought it was Daniel!

Big John said He is fine and I have walked him home because he got stuck on the gates of the cemetery But he has something for you, 

I handed the flowers to her and she began to cry, She said I was worried sick when you did not come home by 4-30,

And then it happen !!!! A card fell out of the flowers as mum bent over to kiss her wonderful son,

She picked the card up and it said,                    " We will see each other one day in heaven,"

Her tears dried up quick and she started to hit me in a timing as she said with each slap "HOW MANY MORE TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO BE GOOD.

It was one of the only times i had heard her in tune,

Big John said, I told you one day you and i will be getting to know each other, ?

I never saw anything of that 10 shilling note, Me Dad said something about money being the cause of all evil,

 

Good Night folks,

Do not let the bed bugs bite