Barefoot and Lost (38 page)

     In desperation I walk into Plummer’s, maybe I could get
June
scent, but it looks expensive. Standing there looking lost, a lady says, ‘Can I help you sir?’ I take no notice, she can’t be speak
ing to me, looking around
I
see there is no one else she could be speaking to.

     ‘Sorry, I didn’t think you were speaking to me.’

     ‘That’s alright, are you looking for something in particular?’

     ‘No, not really,
I want to buy a present for my—e
rr – Mum and Dad.’

     ‘You don’t seem very sure, is it for your girlfriend?’ I laugh,

     ‘I would if I knew where she was, no, this is for my foster parents who might be my mum and dad one day.’

     ‘I see, that’s thoughtful of you, are they nice,
and would
you like them to be your mum and dad?’

     ‘I think so, I’m not sure if they want me.’

     ‘I’m sure they do; so, how much money do you have to spend?’

     ‘One pound, seven, and six.’

     ‘My goodness me, such a lot what did you do, rob a bank.” she says with a smile.

     ‘No, I’ve saved my pocket money.’

     ‘Well, I think I have the very thing; two handkerchiefs in a box, with an initial in the corner of e
ach hanky and we stock
them from A to Z. What are you mum and dad’s names?’

     ‘
June
and
Reginald
.’

     ‘There you are, a J and an R, the J in pink and the R in blue, what more could you want, and only fifteen shillings for the lot, that leaves you twelve and six to spend on yourself, what do you think
,
is it a sale?’

     ‘Yes, thank you very much, I would never have thought of that.’

     ‘Always pleased to help, would you like me to wrap them for you sir?’

     ‘Yes please.’ I walk out of Plummer’s two feet off the ground, my Christmas shopping is done, and I wonder what I could buy for twelve shillings and sixpence.

     Calling into the police station, on my way home; Constable Harper is behind the counter, ‘Hello Mr. Harper, do you have that address for me?’

     ‘I certainly do young Milligan, but you would not be able to go there from this address, it is a post office box in Ilford London, but then, you don’t intend visiting, do you?’

     ‘No, I just want to write, that’s all.’

     ‘Well then perfect. Here you are good luck.’ Typed on an envelope is,
Dr.
Barnardos
Village
Home
, PO Box Ilford London., I hope my letter will get to
Rachel
. Oh hell I don’t remember her surname, I’m sure she has told me, but what is it? There could be more than one
Rachel
, may be I will get a reply from more than one but, then again
, I may not get any at all. I
have to
try;
I want her to know I’m okay.   

     The panto people do not have a show on Christmas day so everyone is having dinner here. We haven’t enough tables for thirty seven, so Reg has borrowed two from the cricket ground. It was quite easy getting them, the grounds man passed them up to us onto the pavilion roof and
Fred
and
Charlie
carried them inside. The food is being supplied by
Florence
and the co
mpany, June and Reg are cooking the meal
with the help
of a new lady called Connie, she is now working here every day and
June has given up her job at the clothes shop.

    
Connie
has a son,
Alan
, who is ten. His dad was killed in the war so there is just him and his mum; at least he has his mum, I wish I had mine.
Alan
is so timid he acts like a five year old.
June
has told me I must be nice to him, that I will do, but don’t ask me to be his friend, I just couldn’t. I suppose he is the way he is because his mum is so protective. ‘No
Alan
you wouldn’t want to do that would you? You might get hurt, stay with mummy she’ll look after you.’ The poor boy doesn’t have a chance; I wonder if I would have been like he is if my mum and Gran were still alive, would they have been over protective like his mum?

     Father Christmas has been good to me, wrapped in news paper; sitting in the kitchen is a bike.
June
and Reg are beaming, waiting for my reaction. ‘I wonder what this is.’ I say as I finger the paper. Reg says with a puzzled look ‘Goodness knows how the old fellow in red, got that down the chimney.’ I rip off the paper to reveal a
Raleigh
, it is not new, but it has been painted dark green and looks new.

     ‘After breakfast, can I go out for a ride?’

     ‘Well that presents a problem, you can’t get it up the steps on your own and Reg can’t help you, so Reg and I have decided you will keep it under the stairs in the hall, where you can easily get it out of the front door, but you must make sure it can’t fall over and that no one can trip over it, okay?’

     ‘Will you help me please
June
, to get it up stairs?’

     ‘Better than that, after we have eaten ask
Charlie
or
Fred
, they will be good at it having had the experience, that is how it got down here. Oh me and my big mouth’

     ‘June you haven’t given anything away, I’m twelve I do know the truth about Father Christmas.
’

     My first ride is a bit wobbly; I have never ridden a bike as big as this. I ride down to Pop to show him, ‘Well isn’t that grand the whole world is in your grasp now all you have to do is keep peddling’

     ‘I’m not likely to get far before dark Pop, there are no lights on my bike, and constable Harper would arrest me before I had got very far.’

     ‘I am very pleased for you’ Pop gives me a present ‘This is from
Tess
and me’ I feel terrible I haven’t bought them anything. Opening it I find it is my very own copy of The Talisman. ‘It is not new but I thought it would be better for you not to be caught with stolen goods in your possession, Merry Christmas.’

     ‘Thank you Pop,
Tess
, I don’t have anything for you, I’m sorry.’

     ‘Why are you sorry, I’m sure you remember we don’t celebrate Christmas?’

      Christmas dinner was fantastic, with a lot of food, mostly vegetables from
June
’s garden. There was no goose like last year, but
Florence
managed to get six chickens, which
Connie
roasted two at a time. There was also no Christmas pudding like last year,  but June made some jelly and trifle, it was very nice but not as good as Christmas Pudding.
Everything has been cleared away the table has been pulled back against the wall and the spare food has been put on it for us to help ourselves. I’ve already had three helpings of jelly.

     The
party
is in full swing
we are having
such a good time, singing, along with the band
Jim Cutler is playing the piano, a bald headed man is playing
the
saxophone, another is playing trumpet and a man called Clive is playing drums. Well, not really, he has drum sticks and is playing
June
’s washboard a metal tea pot on a stick and a cardboard box.
Julia and two other ladies
are
si
ng
ing
, ‘Don’t fence me in’
  

    
‘Co
me on girls give us ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
’ somebody calls out. With out stopping
,
they
start to sing it is amazing, they sound
just like the Andrew sisters. Fred and Charlie
have grabbed two girls and are jitter bugging.
Reg
is looking very worried as they throw the girls over their shoulders. I’m sure he is thinking that the furniture will be
broken.

     I think that some of them are drunk. A lady and a man were sitting in a corner, kissing and cuddling; they had been doing it for ages somebody called out ‘Hey Doreen, why don’t you two go somewhere where you can get serious.’ I thought they looked pretty serious where they were but they still got up and went.

      Clive gives a roll on the drums and
Florence
shouts
, ‘Listen up folks, matinee tomorrow, everybody ready for a ten o cl
ock start.’ One by one they leave
to go upstairs, leaving June, Reg, Connie, Alan, and
me to look at the mess they
have
left behind.

     ‘
Connie
, I think we will just clear any food and leave the rest till tomorrow.’                     

     ‘That sounds like a good idea
June
, I’m too tired and have had too much to drink to do anymore.’

     ‘Me too, and you three boys, d
on’t thi
nk you are getting off S
cot free, you can help.’

     ‘I’ll be back in a minute, forgot to ask
Florence
something.’ I manage to catch her on the stairs, ‘
Florence
could I go to the Panto tomorrow to see it again?’

     ‘Yes
Phillip
, I think I can arrange that, why don’t you bring
Connie
and
Alan
with you, they haven’t seen it? Come early to make sure I can get you seats.’

     ‘Okay Florence
I’ll tell Connie’ I called her missus Rhodes once and she nearly bit my head off ‘Call me Miss, Florence, or Flo even fat bitch but never missus okay’ I wonder how she would react if I did call her fat bitch? I race back downstairs,

     ‘
Connie
and
Alan
; you’re coming with me tomorrow, to see the panto.’

     ‘Oh
Phillip
, I don’t think so, we can’t afford it.’

     ‘You don’t have to pay; we can go for free, you will love it.

     Our seats are in a box at the side, we are looking right down onto the stage. During the interval a man taps me on the shoulder and says, Phillip will you come with me Florence wants to see you back stage.’

     ‘I’m not coming with you; I don’t know who you are.’

     ‘I told you,
Florence
sent me.’
     ‘I’m sorry, I’m not coming.’

     ‘Okay, please yourself, I’ll tell her you won’t come.’

     ‘Why not
Phillip
, it seemed a reasonable request?’

     ‘It probably was Connie but I can’t take the risk; it’s a long story, maybe
I’ll
tell you about it one day.’

     ‘
Phillip
Snell
, I have more to do than run around after you, I need you back stage.’
Florence
grabs my hand and drags me down the stairs, through a small door that looks like a curtain, into an area where people are rushing about pulling ropes, moving scenery; the actors are standing in a group ready to go on stage. ‘Can you do anything like dance, juggle, do somersaults, anything like that?’

     ‘I can swim and skip, why?’

     ‘Excellent, swimming is out, no bloody water.’ She turns to a man, ‘Do we have a skipping rope?’

     ‘Soon find one miss.’

     ‘Why do I need a skipping rope?’

     ‘So you can show me how well you skip and if you are good enough, you are going on stage with the other kids, in the village square scene.’ A rope arrives, after a couple of false starts I’m able to do the fancy
foot work that I learnt for
boxing
training
.
‘Excellent this is what you do: when the other kids run onto the stage you fo
llow, skipping, they will sit and
watch
while
you do some of that fancy stuff, doesn’t matter if you mess it up, just try again until the girl on the hay bale holds out her hand to you, then you sit beside her, that’s it, stay there till the curtain closes and you’re finished, simple as that.’