Chapter 10

All change.

August came and with it some changes now occurred. Firstly Danny was fed up with his job at the garage, as he still had hardly touched a car with a spanner. All he seemed to do all day was wash and polish cars.

Then one evening Tom’s mum told him of a job that was vacant at the factory where she worked, so the next day he applied for it and to his surprise he got it. This meant starting work the next week at ‘Edward Roses Ltd’ a big factory that made parts for the car industry.

His first day there was a shock to him as he entered what to him seemed a huge factory, the noise of which with press and rivet machines going ten to the dozen, sounded deafening, but he soon found you got used to this. He now earned on average over ten pounds a week, making doors for Ford Cortina’s on an assembly line. It was hard work, but he loved it.

The second change was more of a shock, when he was told that his dad’s new job driving a Rolls Royce for Mr White, meant his Mum and Dad were now soon going to have to move to live in Devon, as his boss was retiring to live there.

Danny was shocked at this news and made it clear to his Mum that he did not wish to move away and leave all his friends. A solution to this problem was finally found to Danny’s relief when his aunt and uncle, these being Tom’s Mum and Dad suggested that he could lodge with them by sharing a room with Tom.

Later that same month Danny found that he had the chance to pay his friend, Sean, back for causing him to fall out with Pam, who now was seeing a boy of eighteen, with a car, from which whenever they drove past Danny, she would smile at him then bob out her tongue.

Sean had at this time a habit of always using lots of Brylcream on his hair, which he then combed back in a D.A. cut. Danny suddenly found amongst some things his mum had thrown out, a tube of Immac hair remover. It was he noticed the same colour and feel as Brylcream, so one day when he found himself alone in Sean’s bedroom, he removed the top layer of hair cream from Sean’s Brylcream jar replacing this with the hair remover.

The only person whom he told of this was Tom, who nearly choked on hearing this. For two days they watched Sean like a hawk to see the result of this trick, but nothing seemed to be happening. Then on the following Saturday night as the four of them Sean, Danny, Flash and Tom went as usual to a dance at the Bloxwich baths, where a live group called the ‘In- Between’s’ were playing, (Years later they would change their name to ‘Slade’ and become world famous), on the way to the dance Sean kept scratching his head, so much so that Flash who was not party to the trick asked him if he had head lice, to which Sean indignantly answered ‘no’, after which he kicked his friend up the arse. Danny and Tom just looked at each other not saying a word.

It was a hot summer evening, with the dance floor packed with dancers, so many that the boards covering the swimming pool beneath them moved up and down in rhythm to the beat. All four of them stood watching the dancing while clutching a pint of mild ale in their hands, courtesy of Sean, him being the only one who looked old enough to get served by the bar man, a pale skinny bloke who also had the misfortune to be as cross eyed as a bull.

Danny could not help but notice that Pam was there with her new boyfriend, he saw that she looked his way several times, but he pretended not to have noticed. He was now more than ever trying to spot four girls dancing on their own whom they could move in on. Though he would not admit it, he would be doing this just to make her jealous.

The four of them saw their chance as a group of four girls suddenly moved onto the dance floor, two were quite good looking but the other two were not so hot, as one was a small fat girl, while the other one had skinny legs and a big nose. Sean was declaring even before they had reached them that his was the blonde, but on joining them Tom and Danny moved in quickly to get the two pretty ones. Flash seemed to fancy the little fat one who looked to be older than the other three, so Sean was left with the skinny one.

The group had now started to play a song by a new group called the Beatles, the song was ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand.’ All the girls in the room started to scream while this played.

This was followed by a smooch record, the girls that Tom and Danny were with seemed quite keen so they got stuck in. Sean left the floor saying that he was going to the Gents, while Flash and the little girl whose name was Sally went off to sit chatting together in a corner of the bar.

Danny slyly looked across to see if Pam was by any chance looking his way. When he noticed that she was, he quickly started to kiss his dance partner. Tom gave him a surprised look, then quickly followed his lead.

The girls both laughed saying, “Slow down boys, the night is still young.”

After another two dances the girls went in search of their skinny friend but promised to return to dance with them again later.

Danny and Tom on finding Flash were surprised when he informed them that he would soon be leaving to walk Sally home, so if they did not see each other later to have a good night.

Though surprised to be told this, on leaving him they now went in search of Sean. They looked everywhere until finally they found him in the men’s toilet, where he was in a cubicle with the door shut.

Tom asked, “What the fuck is the matter with you, have you shit yourself?”

Once they were alone Sean came out of the cubicle. In his hand he held out his comb where, tangled in its teeth, was a large tuft of hair. Looking at them both he said, “Look at this! It is from the front of my fucking hair. What’s more it came out in one great fucking piece.”

The two boys looked mesmerized at the offending object, before Tom suggested that if Sean turned around, he would see if any more had come out.

Sean’s reply was, “See if any more comes out. What are you a fucking imbecile, do you think I want any more to come out? What is happening to me that is what I want to know.”

Both looked at each other not knowing what more to say until Sean finally announced that he had had enough and was going home. They both tried to persuade him to stay, but once more Sean answered in a mixture of Anglo Saxon swear words that he was leaving.

So not knowing whether to laugh or cry, the boys went once more in search of the girls. After dancing once more, the girls asked if they would walk them home.

Tom answered for them both by saying, “Yes, where do you live?”

Danny was dreading their answer so when they said Blakenall, he was not sure if he was pleased or disappointed as Blakenall was indeed on their way home. But having missed the last bus this entailed walking through one of the toughest council housing estates that surrounded Walsall.

So, after leaving the dance and with no sign of Flash or the little fat Sally, the boys together with the skinny girl in tow began to walk them home. Thankfully they soon came to the skinny girl’s house, so with her out of the way they now were able to have a snog when they came to where the other two lived, as it turned out next door to each other.

Tom asked if they were inviting them in for a cup of tea or whatever. The reply though was not encouraging as both said their parents would not approve. Making the best of a bad job they arranged to meet them in the week, when one of them said her parents would both be out all evening. This was music to the boys’ ears, so after another quick snog they said goodnight before setting off towards home.

They were deep in discussion on what they might be able to do, once alone with the girls who they discovered were both called Rita, when they approached a pub called the ‘Harden.’ Outside of which stood a gang of boys, who confronted them with. “What the fuck are you twats doing in our area?”

Tom answered with a sickly grin on his face, “We have just walked some girls home from a dance, so we are heading home, okay mate?”

The leader of the gang looked towards Tom saying, “Mate, who the fuck, are you calling ‘mate’, been shagging the girls off our estate, have you? Why not shag the wenches from your own estate?”

Quick as a flash Danny answered with the first thing that came into his head, “We come from Shelfield, whereas you know, the girls are a bit rough, if you know what I mean.”

This was the best answer in the circumstances that Danny could think of saying. But not being impressed by this Tom looked at his friend shaking his head.

Just then a rough looking bloke came staggering out of the pub, which must have had a lock in, as it was by now well past pub closing time. He seemed to take in the scene before him with glazed eyes before he asked, “What the fuck are you lot up to?”

The leader of the gang told him to mind his own fucking business, to which the bloke who was quite a big guy took immediate offence too, as he then quick as lightning shot out a punch that floored the gobby guy.

Looking at each other Tom and Danny quickly took this opportunity to leave, after walking briskly away until they rounded the first corner, after which they both ran as fast as Danny’s leg would take them. Fear being a great motivator this was quite fast.

The next morning was a Sunday so both lads called to see how Sean was doing, first, though, they made sure that his crazy father was not around. Knocking on the front door, which was answered by a very worried looking Mrs Flynn, they then entered the kitchen where Sean sat with a cup of tea on the table in front of him. They noticed that he was wearing a knitted wool hat even though it was summertime. He looked up at them both and without speaking just shook his head.

Tom plucked up courage as he ventured to ask, “How are you, son, has any more hair fallen out?”

His mother answered for him saying, “Sure, there is not much left to fall out, he had more hair when he was born than he has now.”

Sean sobbed. “For Christ’s sake Ma, I do not want to hear this. What in God’s name can I do?”

Mrs Flynn shook her head. “Now do not be talking like that, it is not the good Lord’s fault is it? Indeed, I shall be asking him to help you, so I will, when I go to church.”

The boys thought, on seeing the mood Sean was in, it was prudent to leave, so bid their friend all the best and left. Once back home in their bedroom they laughed until the tears ran down their faces. Tom’s Mum even came in to ask what was so funny, but they dared not tell her, so they just kept laughing until she left, but not before calling them both ignorant prats. They now made a pact that neither one would ever say a word as to how this happened. The thought of what Sean would do if he found out almost gave Danny a bowel movement.

It was now the beginning of autumn and as the leaves began to fall, so Sean’s hair did begin to grow once more. Every day he looked in the mirror to make sure this was not some false dawn and that his hair was still in evidence. He often asked his friends what they thought had caused it to fall out, but they both just shook their heads and answered with, “Who knows?”

Later that week Danny and Tom returned to Blakenall to see the two Rita’s. True to their word they had one of the girls’ houses to themselves as her Mum and Dad had both gone to play Bingo at the ‘Rosam’ in Leamore. The girls made them mugs of hot chocolate followed by a plate of hot buttered toast. After a quick snog Tom tried in vain to encourage one Rita to show him her bedroom. A little while later after going to the kitchen for a glass of water Tom noticed a girl’s school uniform hanging on the wall. Returning to the other room he asked if Rita had a younger sister by any chance. When she replied ‘no that, she was an only child’ he surprised Danny by saying, “Come on, son, it is time that we made tracks!”

Being halfway through a piece of hot buttered toast his cousin was about to protest when Tom held up his hand “Do you want to meet Rita from outside her school then, because I for one do not?”

Finally getting the message Danny looked towards his Rita, but before he could speak, she turned to her friend, “It’s no good Rita, they know we are still at school.”

Her friend now tried to rescue the situation by adding, “We are to leave school the year after next year when we are fifteen years old.”

Tom now realising they were even younger than he at first thought replied, “For fuck’s sake you are both only thirteen, how did you get served with drinks at the dance, or even get past the doorman?”

The boys after telling them both how lovely they thought they both were and if only they were older than 15 years old, they would have loved to keep seeing them, after a long pause they both quickly left.

Once outside they both agreed that they had thought them to be at least fifteen years old so were both relieved on one hand but pissed off, on the other, to have wasted the night, plus the money on drinks they had spent Saturday night on the girls.

One day in October, Mazza took a B.S.A. 250cc motorcycle back in part exchange on a Tiger 110. It was a model known as a C12, and was a large motorcycle for a 250cc with a big chrome tank and dark red paintwork. Sean who was now just one month away from his 16th birthday, as soon as he set eyes on this bike, wanted it.

On hearing this Mazza asked Danny what price he thought they should ask for it. It would be another six months until Danny would be sixteen, so although he was at this time a little jealous of his friend being able to ride a motorcycle on the road before him, this was not the type of motorcycle that he would have chosen for himself. It was true it looked much bigger than most other 250s, but he knew from Mazza that its engine was one that had first been used in motorcycles way back in the 1940s and did not have enough power to, as they say, to pull you out of bed. £25.00 was the price agreed on, so Sean duly paid a £15.00 deposit. The rest it was arranged he would pay when he took delivery on November the sixth, which was his sixteenth birthday.

Every day he would come into the workshop telling Danny to be careful how they treated his machine, then he would go on to tell his three friends how he would be soon racing around with some of the other boys who had motorcycles on the estate. He also informed them that until they too had their own motorcycles he would not be seeing much of them.

Danny and Tom were getting fed up with hearing this. Only Flash did not seem to care as he was by now seeing his little fat bird from the dance almost every night and had lost interest in what their little gang got up to. Mazza pulled his brother’s leg one night before he went to meet Sally by saying, “Do not forget your Durex, son,” which in turn made Flash blush.

But as November came to an end it seems he had not listened to his brother’s advice, when Flash suddenly announced that Sally was pregnant. Mazza went ballistic calling his younger brother every name under the sun, but to no avail and so a wedding date was set for December just three weeks after Flash was sixteen years old so he could legally marry.

Tom and Danny sat in their bedroom one wet miserable night discussing all that had recently happened, when Tom now asked his cousin, ‘What do you think, our kid, bloody Sean, would not give me a ride back from the youth club last night? All he had to do was take his L plates off for the trip.’

Danny shook his head agreeing with his friend, then changed the subject by revealing that Flash had asked him to be his best man.

Tom grinned. “I bet Sean did not like that, he was certain it would be him whom Flash asked.”

Danny pulled a face before adding, “I wish it was him. Have you seen the state of Sally’s sister who is to be head bridesmaid so that means that I will have to walk down the aisle with her?”

Tom fell back on the bed laughing. “Do not get falling in love again, you have only recently got Pam out of your system.”

Although Danny knew his friend was joking the thought of Pam and how it had ended still touched a sore nerve as he answered, “No worries there, boy. I am saving hard for my Tiger Cub, that is what I want in April, then watch old Sean’s face when I piss all over him.”

Tom looked fed up. It would be nearly a year until he would be sixteen so he wondered what he would do while his friends were off on their bikes.

Danny guessed what he was thinking so cheered him up by saying, “Don’t you worry, son; I will soon whip those L plates off so that you can jump on the back.”

Tom hugged his cousin. “I knew you would not leave me stranded, good on you, our kid.”

That December on what was a cold frosty day Flash married his little Sally, who being over four months pregnant was now fatter than ever. After the wedding it was decided that they were to live with Sally’s gran. Tom, at the reception, could not resist pulling Flash’s leg by saying, “Still coming out with us on a Saturday night, eh son?” But was shocked when in a serious voice his friend replied, “No Tom. I shall be staying home every night from now on.”

Which prompted Tom’s reply, “Fuck me, son, you are only sixteen not bloody sixty.”

Flash smiled at his friend. “You will know when you meet someone like Sally.”

Then turning to his best man Danny, he asked, “Am I not right, Danny? If Bridie’s old man had been different you would have been standing here in my shoes, would you not?”

Danny did not wish to argue with his friend, but the thought of being married plus about to become a father was not what his dreams of the future held for him at sixteen.

Tom, grinning, called Sally’s sister over. After putting his arm around her he commented, ‘I thought what a lovely couple you and our Danny here both made as you walked down the aisle behind the two love birds here.’

Mary who was older and even bigger than her sister smiled and putting her arm around Danny’s shoulder she gave him a squeeze. “He was a proper little gentleman looking after all my needs. Indeed if he was just a little bit older, I would snatch him up, I can tell you.”

By this time Danny was bright red and thinking how he could get away, but Tom was loving it as he added, “Do not be put off by his age, Mary, I can tell you he is a very mature lad for sixteen. In fact, the other night in bed it was quite embarrassing, what’s more he is bound to deny it, but he was talking in his sleep saying, ‘Mary, Mary, please Mary’.”

Danny was for once lost for words but if looks could kill Tom would have died on the spot. Help came however from an unexpected source as Mazza stepped forward. “I may have lost my little brother to Cupid’s arrow, but I will be dammed if I am losing my man here. We have plans for the future, have we not, Danny, and they do not include him getting too thick with a wench again for a while, we shall be too busy making money, eh son?”

Danny was relieved to have the chance to get away, so he agreed with him whole heartedly, and added, “And if I am not mistaken, we must plan some of that right now, do we not, my friend?”

Then turning to his cousin, he placed Tom’s hand on Mary’s arm saying, “So, I will leave you, my darling, here in my cousin’s capable hands. He will I am sure see to your every need for the rest of the evening, how does that sound Mary?”

Mary smiling, now squeezed Tom’s arm, feeling his strong young muscles. She then nodded her head before instructing him to get her a large Gin and tonic, commenting that she felt that she may be needing some Dutch courage.