Chapter 8

Christmas 1961.

The donkey jacket that Sean wore was covered in snowflakes as he came into the workshop, after which he left the door wide open which let in a raw Easterly wind.

“For fuck’s sake, were you born in a barn?” Mazza shouted, as the wind blew out the pathetic small flame that he had been nurturing in the old cast iron stove that stood at one end of the workshop.

Danny, Tom and Flash also looked daggers at him, as they were frozen and had been looking forward to warmth by the glowing fire that Mazza had promised them over ten minutes ago.

Sean looked on with interest as Mazza once more tried to light the stove, then after a few more minutes he could not stay silent any longer, so he suggested, “Why don’t you just sprinkle some petrol on the pieces of wood, it would soon light, I bet.”

Mazza looked up at Sean as if he was someone who had just been released from a mental institution before answering, “Do you want me to blow the whole fucking workshop to kingdom come and all of us with it. Petrol for your information is highly explosive, you, thick Irish twat.”

Sean looked somewhat affronted at this, so he just shrugged his shoulders and pulled a face at the other three. Flash who had by now finished picking his nose, was the next one brave enough to offer some advice, though the look on Mazza’s face almost deterred him, but the freezing cold added to his brother’s poor efforts so far in producing a fire, spurred him on. “What about a small amount of paraffin mixed with some old engine oil, that may work?”

Mazza was about to give him a similar reply as he had given Sean, but then surprised them all as he suddenly smiled before saying, “Good idea, our kid, have we any paraffin about?”

Ten minutes later a blazing fire was now warming them all as Mazza looked at them before exclaiming, “I told you lot it would light, did I not?”

As they sat around chatting about one thing or another, Sean bragged that he had earned over £8.00 that week. This was because as he had now left school, him being fifteen years old, was able to start work on a council building site as a hod carrier.

This was heavy work which consisted of filling a hod with house bricks, before climbing a ladder with this balanced on your shoulder in order to keep the bricklayers supplied with bricks. The evidence of this heavy work would soon be there for all to see as Sean’s arm muscles developed.

Danny could not leave school until April, so had to wait for another four months before he could start work. This was something that narked him. Meanwhile poor Tom piped up that he would have to attend school for another eighteen months so what the hell were Danny and Flash moaning about. Mazza asked Danny what he wanted to do on leaving school, ‘a motor mechanic’ was his answer right away.

At this Sean commented, “I thought you might like to come to work on the building site with me, son, we could I am sure, get you a special little hod made.”

After this he burst out laughing, but although he was much bigger and stronger than Danny, in a verbal contest he was no match for his little friend, who answered him without any hesitation, “Tell me Sean, do you have to wear wellington boots on the site?”

Sean looked surprised so grinning said, “Sure, we do, what would you have us wear, ballet shoes?”

Danny once more looked towards his friend and asked, “And is it true that they write left and right in each boot, so that you Micks know which foot to put in each one? Also does your hod hold more than ten bricks by any chance, because how then do you count past ten? No, don’t tell me, I know, that is why you wear wellington boots because they are easy to take off so you can then count past ten on your toes and fingers.”

He had gone too far this time. He knew as Sean’s face went plum red, before he reached across grabbing the front of Danny’s jumper ripping it in the process as he pulled him towards himself and was just about to plant a punch on him, when Mazza’s hand suddenly wrapped around Sean’s wrist holding it in a vice-like grip, stopping it from connecting with Danny’s nose.

Sean looked at Mazza saying, “Why did you do that? He asked for it, the little shit?”

Turning to face Sean, Mazza held up his hand to stop his friend from saying any more.

“I agree, but we are friends, are we not? And sometimes friends say things they do not really mean and after all you did take the piss first, so if you cannot take it, do not dish it out.”

Danny was by now both relieved and sorry that he had answered Sean quite so acidly, so looking towards his friend he said, “I am sorry Sean, I should not have said what I did.”

He then held out his hand towards his friend. All eyes were now on Sean who for a moment looked as if he was going to snub him, but then a grin appeared on his face as he shook his friend’s hand before warning him, ‘But you try that again you little shit and I will give you a slap, understood?”

Danny grinned but could not help himself from having the last word, “I never make the same mistake twice. You should know that, son.”

The tension in the room disappeared as the subject now turned to women, mainly as to who on the estate was worth a good shagging. Considering that three out of the five of them were definitely virgins, most of their opinions were therefore based on what they had heard other virgins say, so fact rarely came into it.

As school resumed in January, the gang of four, with Sean now at work, became the gang of three as they walked to school on a snowy first day, only to be greeted on their arrival with the news that the school boiler had broken down, so to their delight they were all sent home again.

On the way home Danny let his two friends go on ahead as he decided to go to the local sweet shop. Once inside he noticed Pam Arnold was there buying some sweets. Looking around he also noticed that she was not with any of her friends, so moving next to her he asked, “Hello, are you on your own then?”

She turned around to him then smiled. “Yes, I am, what about you or is your little gang waiting for you outside?”

Danny thought he saw a sly look in her eyes that somehow was mocking him, so he pushed his luck a little further. “No, I am quite alone and at your service. So, is there anything that you would like me to do for you?”

Pam turned around grinning as she answered, “I will think about it while I wait for you outside, okay.”

Danny came out of the shop to find her standing still waiting for him. The snow was by now falling quite fast. He seemed to take her by surprise as he stepped forward to brush some flakes from her hair before he asked, “Where are you going now?’

Pam smiled before answering, “Home, to my house, why would you like to come with me?”

Danny now asked the main question that was on his mind, “Is your Mum home?”

Once more, smiling, Pam answered him, “No Danny, both my Mum and Dad are at work all day, so we would be quite alone if that is what is worrying you.”

Danny grabbed hold of her hand and led the way to her house hoping against hope that his friends had not seen him. Once inside the house Pam led him into the front room where she lit the gas fire, then, after taking his coat she sat down and patted the seat beside her. “Come, sit next to me, I will not bite you or are you still thinking about Bridie?”

The mention of Bridie’s name threw Danny for just a moment, as he wondered why she had mentioned her. “Why do you say that Pam?”

She looked down at the floor as she answered, “Well, I do know that you did not wish to finish with her, and she is one of my best friends after all.”

Danny found he was for once stuck for words. What she had said was true, but he was a realist and knew that life goes on, so he did not intend to just sit around waiting for Bridie’s family to finally accept him. He now reached across to take Pam’s hand in his before answering, “Bridie is in the past, and I am after all here now with you, if that is what you want.”

Pam squeezed his hand then pulled him towards her, kissing him as she did so, then afterwards she shyly asked, “Would you like to see around the rest of the house?”

Danny now began to feel excited as they ignored the downstairs rooms and headed upstairs. Opening her bedroom door Pam blushed a little before saying, “This is my room, Danny; do you like it?”

He looked around at the photos of Cliff Richard and Adam Faith that covered the walls. Then his eyes took in the double bed with its white candlewick cover. He pressed down on this before commenting, “This looks comfortable and warm, is it I wonder?”

Pam still with a slight blush on her face answered, “Why not try it Danny, I expect you have been in a few girls’ beds, have you not?”

Danny was shocked at this so answered her truthfully, “You could not be more wrong, Pam. I have never been to bed with a girl in my life, so if you are after someone experienced you have picked the wrong guy.”

She came across to him pushing him back on to the bed, then after kissing him once more she surprised him by saying, “I am so glad you said that, Danny. I was just worried that you would find me a boring little virgin and not want me.”

He grinned as he then started to undo her school blouse. “Let us just see where this leads us, shall we?”

So, Danny now had a new girl was in his life. She was pretty and as most of the guys in his year at school fancied her, so this did his ego a power of good, and what is more he fancied her himself.