Chapter 6

The Summer of 1960.

It was a Sunday morning in early June, one of those rare summer days without even a breeze, when the sun shone without a cloud to be seen in a pale blue sky. Danny sat in the kitchen with his Mum and Dad eating their traditional Sunday morning fried breakfast. Suddenly his dad announced that he would soon be changing his job. All Danny had known him ever do for a living was to be a lorry driver, so he was shocked as he asked, “What are you going to do now, Dad?”

His Dad smiled then proudly revealed that he was going to be a chauffeur and drive a Rolls Royce for Mr White.

Danny was shocked. “A Rolls Royce, wow.” He was so pleased for him. Mr White he knew was the man who owned the transport firm that he drove a lorry for. “That is great Dad, does that mean Mum and I can have a ride in the Rolls, like we sometimes do in your lorry?”

His Dad laughed. “No, you cheeky sod, I do not think Mr White would approve, do you?”

Danny’s Mum added that it would be lighter work for him and that sometimes he would have to drive Mr White and his family down to Devon in the summer, where they had a boat moored in Dartmouth.

Danny was happy for him as he had always had to work so hard. Sometimes in the winter months this meant getting up at five o clock to drive to places like Newcastle or the docks at Liverpool. After which he would unload tons of goods sometimes even by hand.

Suddenly a knock came at the door. This was followed by a growl from Scamp their old Jack Russell terrier. Danny’s Mum opened the door and stepped back to let Danny’s friend Sean enter, who in his Irish accent called out, “God bless all in this house and all bookmakers?”

Danny’s Mum enquired, “Would you be on your way to Mass then, Sean, or the bookies? I just wondered with you’re giving us such a greeting.”

Sean smiled before he answered, “No, not at all Mrs Steel, I was just calling to see if the boy wonder here was coming out or if he was needed today by his Lordship Mazza.”

Danny gave his friend a look that told him he wished he had not mentioned Mazza.

His Mother, her face now serious, turned towards her son. “I hope he is not spending too much time with him, for he knows full well what I think of Mr Ray Mazzon.”

Danny hastily stuffed the remains of his bacon and egg into his mouth, and after grabbing his coat pushed his friend out of the door before calling out, “See you later, Mum.”

As he left his Mum turned, looking directly at his Dad, “I am worried, Stan, he is spending too much time with that Ray. He is too old to be Danny’s friend and I am sure he is up to no good. How else does he afford to run that big car and all those motorcycles?”

Her husband answered as she expected, “Do not worry Mother, Danny is a smart kid. He knows what he is doing.”

His Mum shook her head. “Why did I expect you to answer like that? Danny could stab someone, but you would swear that they had jumped on to the knife.”

Stan shook his head knowing he could never win an argument with his wife, so he buried his head in the sports section of the News of the World newspaper and continued reading.

Once outside Danny slapped his friend’s arm saying, “Thanks a bunch, big gob, you know full well that my Mum does not like me hanging around with him. You have dropped me right in the shit.”

Sean just grinned, as usual nothing seemed to bother him. As they moved along the road, they saw Mr Wall was cutting his hedge. He spent hours doing this and it was always pristine, that is, until Sean picked up his little friend, after which he dumped him in the middle of the hedge, before shouting as he ran off, “What are you doing Danny, jumping in Mr Wall’s hedge like an idiot?”

Danny half fell, then half pushed himself out of the hedge as Mr Wall who had by now seen this, cursed him, shouting that he would be having words with his father about him.

When Danny finally caught up with Sean, he was red faced and angry calling his friend a fucking lunatic. Just then Tom and Flash joined them. They too burst into a fit of laughter when told what had happened. Eventually Danny also saw the funny side of this, so all four boys walked off laughing. They had by now reached the block of flats that stood in the centre of the estate. Beneath these there were several shops including a sweet shop that also sold cigarettes and newspapers.

Flash asked how much money they had among them. This princely sum amounted to one shilling and two pence. “Let’s buy five fags,” Flash suggested.

Tom hesitated before asking the question, “But who will serve us?”

Sean grinned. He was the tallest and he certainly looked the oldest of the boys, so grinning he held out his hand. “Give me the money, five Anchor tipped, is that what we want?”

“And a box of matches,” Flash piped up.

Sean entered the shop as the others all watched in anticipation through the window, commenting, “He has got some nerve.”

Flash agreed as they saw a young girl assistant move to serve Sean.

As he asked for the cigarettes, they could see she was indeed hesitating. But then Sean suddenly reached across the counter and held her hand. What he then said they could not tell but she took his money and passed him the matches and cigarettes. He came out of the shop with a triumphant grin on his face saying, “O ye, of little faith.”

Now the problem they faced was as to where they could smoke them, as P.C. Jorden the village copper lived nearby and was always on the lookout for kids smoking or doing almost anything. So much so that they often wondered if he had ever been a child himself.

The little gang now wandered down towards the seemingly deserted railway sidings that stood on the edge of the estate. This being a Sunday there were lots of empty coal trucks standing, waiting to be picked up by the morning train. One of these had a steel ladder up one side. Taking advantage of this they all climbed up into the truck. Once inside where they were sheltered from the wind and any prying eyes, they saw there were several small lumps of coal left on the floor, these they piled together with some small twigs then lit a small fire. All four of them puffed on a cigarette as they sat contentedly around the small fire.

Suddenly there was a clunk which brought their contented gathering to a sudden end, after which they all felt that the truck had indeed moved. The four boys looked at each other until suddenly Flash announced, “Fuck me they’re coupling up to a train, let’s get out of here or we could end up in Scotland.”

This was a slight exaggeration as these trucks only ever travelled as far as Aldridge coal pit some two miles away. But none the less these words had the desired effect as all four boys rushed to climb out of the truck.

This is where Danny with his weak leg was at a distinct disadvantage. The other three boys were now all out of the truck and standing on the trackside as the train did indeed begin to move off, with Danny still only halfway down the ladder. The three boys all called out words of encouragement to their friend such as, “Jump for fuck’s sake, Danny.”

This advice Danny did eventually take and in doing so fell out of sight down a steep railway bank that the truck had by now reached. As their friend disappeared, they ran towards the spot where he had last been seen. Looking down the bank they were greeted by the sight of Danny holding on for grim life to a small bush while below him there was a drop of at least twenty feet.

Looking up to his friends he desperately called out, “For God’s sake do something, before I break my bloody neck.”

Tom though the youngest of the group now took charge, as he was very fond of his cousin. He called out his orders, ‘Sean, you hold on to the rail, then I will hold on to your legs, you Flash being the smallest climb down by holding on to my legs, so Danny can then climb up over us to safety.’

Putting this idea to the test, meant Danny indeed climbing up over his friends, first his feet pressed on Flash’s head, then grasping Tom’s trousers to heave himself up, one of Tom’s pockets ripped, so after he had finally made it to safety his friends were by now all cursing him. Until, that is, Danny showed them his badly cut and bruised knee, also the hole that he had torn in his new pair of blue jeans.

After this episode the boys were feeling a little dejected. Tom was cursing Flash who in the panic had lost the remaining cigarettes and the box of matches, so thinking to put his friends in a better mood, Sean suggested that they all should go to the local Youth Club on the coming Monday evening. His friends did not seem too keen, that was until, surprisingly, Sean offered to pay the six pence admission for them all.

So that Monday evening on entering the youth club, they all thought themselves to be the height of fashion in their light blue jeans and with their hair styled with the help of a large dollop of Brylcream, trying, though in some cases not too successfully, to imitate the Tony Curtis look.

The boys stood near the juke box as they watched a group of girls on the floor dancing. The Youth Club catered for kids aged fourteen to eighteen years old, but mostly it was under eighteens as these were the ones who could not get served alcohol in a pub, so with nowhere else in the evenings to go they came here.

Sean looked at the songs on the juke box, then commented on what a crap selection it was. Flash and Tom agreed, but Danny was staring at the group of girls dancing, his eyes though seemed to be on one particular girl.

Sean noticed this as he commented to his friend, “Nice arse and legs, eh son. But you will have no chance there, take it from me.”

By this time Flash and Tom were also looking across in the same direction. Tom asked his friend, “Who are you talking about Sean, Bridie O Shea? She is in my class at school and she is the best-looking girl in it by a country mile.”

Danny blushed slightly and tried to deny that he was indeed looking in her direction.

Sean though persisted, “You must be a Roman Catholic to even speak to her. Take it from me, son, her old man is a bloody nutter, so is her brother. They would cut your balls off if you went near her.”

Danny felt a fool so looking directly at Sean, answered with, “Then the way is open for you Sean, you can both go to mass together.”

Sean was good at dishing it out but not so good at taking any fun aimed at him, so being lost for an answer he announced that he was going outside for a fag. Flash and Tom decided that they too needed some fresh air, leaving Danny on his own by the juke box.

After a while he was suddenly aware of someone standing next to him when a voice said, “What do you think I should put on, Danny?”

Pam Arnold stood looking at him while waiting for an answer, so for a moment he was stuck for words, something that was quite a rare event for Danny, but he soon recovered,

Answering, “I like Elvis, so anything by him is good, do you like him?”

Pam smiled, then slipping six pence in the machine, she selected Elvis singing, ‘Love me Tender.’

Looking at Danny she said, “This is just for you Danny, okay.”

After which she walked back to join her friends who started giggling, as they all suddenly looked over towards him. Then as the record started to play, one of them, a small girl named Bridie, gave him a nice smile which although he felt embarrassed, made Danny feel great.

The moment though was broken as his three friends returned with Tom walking across the dance floor doing his impression of Elvis on stage, by swinging his hips in a provocative manner, then pretending to sing into a microphone.

Later in the evening as the four boys made their way home, they stopped at ‘Aggies’ fish and chip shop, to buy two 6d bags of chips among the four of them, 1 shilling being all the money they had left.

As they walked along eating these, they laughed and joked in that carefree manner that only young folk without the worries that come with age can have. Just ahead of them they could see the group of girls from the youth club were also walking home.

Sean led the discussion on the various good or poor points that the girls had. He started by announcing that in his opinion Pam Arnold had by far the best pair of Tits.

Flash and Tom both agreed on this, Danny though said nothing. Next he asked which of the girls had the best arse and legs. This took some time; the consensus was that Bridie and Pat both had the best legs, but that Denise Gibbs was by far the sexiest girl of the group.

Sean now noticed that his friend Danny had not contributed to this discussion so asked,

“What is the matter, Danny boy, are you not interested in such matters?”

Danny was about to answer when much to his relief, Tom changed the subject by suggesting. “Let’s chase those wenches home.”

Sean left Danny to follow Tom and Flash, who had run on towards the girls shouting,

“Come on if we catch you, then you have to give us a snog.”

The group of girls on hearing this squealed and ran on ahead, all that is except Bridie, she slowed up until finally Danny had caught up with her, then turning to him she said,

“I thought you would have tried to catch up with Pam, she will be disappointed.”

Danny grinned. “I am quite happy walking home with you Bridie, that is if you do not mind?”

Bridie smiled, “I do not mind at all, but if you are walking me home, shouldn’t you at least hold my hand?”

Danny moved closer, then held her hand which felt warm and soft in his. They had by now stopped walking to listen to their friends, who they could hear were a long way in front. On impulse Danny leaned closer and kissed her softly on the lips. Bridie did not pull back but returned the kiss before suggesting, ‘Come on, we had better walk on.’

They chatted about all sorts as they walked through the deserted streets until they came to a large block of flats that stood in the centre of the estate, the shops standing beneath them were now all locked and in darkness. As they reached the last doorway Bridie stopped and pulled a more than willing Danny into the cover of the doorway saying, “If you want to kiss me goodnight, you had better do it in here out of sight, because if my father or my brother see us, all hell will break out. So, do you or not, Danny?”

Danny’s answer was to take her in his arms and standing on tip toes as she wore high heeled shoes, he kissed her once more. To say he had fallen instantly in love was somewhat of an understatement, just the smell of her and the feel of her in his arms was like nothing he had ever experienced before in his life.

Bridie asked if he would like to see her again to which he replied, “You try to stop me. I do not care about your old man or your brother, I must see you again.”

They now quickly planned a strategy where Bridie would give Tom who was in the same class at school, a letter for Danny, as to where and when they could meet. Then suddenly after a further quick kiss, Bridie was gone leaving Danny alone, wondering if he had been dreaming or was this for real?

On reaching his house Danny had just started up the path when his cousin Tom jumped out on him, “For God’s sake Tom, I almost shit myself then, why have you not gone home?”

Tom grinned. “Because I want to know how you got on with your little Irish filly. I saw you hang back then slip into that shop doorway, you, crafty little bugger.”

Danny grasped his friend’s arm, “I like her our kid, I mean I really like her and what’s more I need your help in seeing her again.”

Tom now thinking of her brother all six foot of him answered with a note of caution in his voice, “What do you need me for? Her brother Liam is a right bastard at the best of times, so if you drop his sister in the club, he will kill us both.’

Danny was shocked at him saying this, ‘What are you talking about Tom, dropping her in the club? I am just going to see her; you know to go for a walk or to take her to the pictures. Any how all I need you to do is to keep your gob shut and sometimes pass on a letter to her at school as you are both in the same class.”

Tom was now relieved that this was all he had to do so he agreed, but still warned his little cousin that he thought he was mad to get involved.

All through that following summer, Danny managed to meet Bridie almost every week sometimes even twice. She would give the excuse to her parents that she was seeing her friend, Molly, who also came along sometimes to convince her parents that this was the truth.

Other times they would separately catch a big blue Walsall bus, meet in the town centre, where they would then go to the Saturday morning kids’ cinema together, or other times walk around Walsall Park with its large lake in the centre. Danny did not mind what they did if he could get to see Bridie.

One Monday, Danny came home from school to find his Mum sat alone in the kitchen. This was unusual as she normally did not get home from work until much later. He knew instinctively that something dreadful had happened, so he hesitated before asking, “What’s wrong, Mum, are you ill?”

His Mum looked up to him and he could see she had been crying. Panic now set in as he could not remember the last time that he had seen his Mum cry.

She held out her hand to him and grasping it tightly said, “It’s your Gran, she has died this morning son.”

Danny remembered later that this was the greatest shock that he had ever received up to that point in his life. His Gran had always been there and up to the last few years he had seen her every day of his life. It was so sudden, she had not seemed to be ill in any way but had died, his Mum told him, from a sudden heart attack.

He did not know what to say to his Mum, so he just went up to his bedroom to be alone. He felt he should be crying but his eyes stayed dry as he lay on his bed, while trying to get his head around the fact that he would never see his Nan, as he called her, again. It was weeks after the funeral before he could finally let his feelings out and cry, he was given a photograph that his Gran had left just for him. It was of his Mum and her brother, Tom’s Dad as young kids sitting in front of a much younger looking Nan and Grandad that had been taken in some studio.

He sat alone in his room looking at this old photo when the flood gates opened as he sobbed for the dear old lady that he had lost and would never ever see in this life again.

It was now September and Danny had been seeing Bridie twice sometimes three times every week, when one Saturday morning as he was working on an old B.S.A. motorcycle in Mazza’s workshop, also as he was due to see Bridie later that day, he was in a happy frame of mind. He was joking with Mazza about some stupid thing when Sean came bursting into the workshop red faced and panting. Mazza looked up saying, “Who the fuck is chasing you, son, the devil himself?”

Sean shook his head trying to get his breath back before he blurted out, “Not me he is chasing, but they soon will be chasing lover boy, here.”

Alarm bells now rung in Danny’s head as he asked, “What has happened, Sean?”

His friend explained, “What has happened, my old son, is that Bridie’s old man and brother know that you two have been seeing each other, what’s more they are at this moment out looking for you. She meanwhile has had a bloody thrashing and has been sent to her room.”

Danny did not know what, if anything, to do as he looked towards his friend, Mazza, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Danny was dismayed. “I am glad you find this funny, son, what the fuck am I to do?”

Sean now having finally got his breath back advised his friend, “Fuck off as far as you can go, that is my advice.”

Mazza took control of the situation as always. Looking towards Sean he said,

“Do not talk such crap Sean, he is fourteen years old where the fuck can he go. Any how I ask you, what in God’s name has he done wrong, he has only taken a young girl to the pictures or gone for a walk with her.”

Just then from somewhere nearby the sound of Irish voices came towards them, followed a few seconds later by the sight of Mr O Shea and his son Liam striding across the yard towards Mazza’s workshop, where as luck would have it, Liam’s motorcycle stood in the workshop waiting to be repaired.

Mazza stood up, then moved to the workshop entrance to meet them, while Sean stood next to his friend Danny, to whom he gave a sly wink.

As the angry Father and son reached the workshop door, Mazza greeted them with.

“Good morning gentlemen and what can I do for you two on this glorious September morning?”

Mr O’Shea looked first at his son, Liam, then back to Mazza, his mouth moved but no sound came out as if he was unsure as to how to answer this.

So Mazza looked towards Liam asking, “I am sorry if you have come for your bike, son, but it is not quite ready just yet.”

Mr O Shea having regained his composure looked towards Mazza as if he was stark raving mad, as he then pointing in Danny’s direction announced, “Come for the fecking bike, no sir, we have come for one thing only and that is to kick the shite out of that little Yid, for what he has done to my girl.’

Liam, looking at his father added, “And my sister, you little twat.”

Danny was by now desperately hoping against hope that his sphincter muscle would not give way, as he stood wondering how this was all going to end.

Mazza slowly shook his head then looked directly at them both, “Well, I am sorry to disappoint you my friends, but that is not what is going to happen.”

Old man O Shea’s face had now turned the colour of a ripe Victoria plum as he seemed to gasp for breath when he made to move past Mazza, who placed one hand on his chest before continuing, “Will you both just calm down and listen to what I have to say?

Danny here, who by the way is not a Yid, has, I am given to understand been seeing your daughter Bridie and a lovely looking girl she is, I might add.”

This caused both father and son to now give Mazza a look that had so far been reserved for Danny. Unfazed by this Mazza continued, “Nothing more than that two young people seeing each other, but as I am given to understand against your will, is that correct?”

Both men nodded, with Liam adding, “Fucking right it is against our will.”

Mazza showing the patience of a saint continued once more, “So, if no harm has been done then you have every right to instruct young Danny here that you wish him to stop seeing your daughter. After which there should be an end to the matter. However if you insist on your present course of action, I shall have no option but to intervene and kick the shit out of you both. Until that is, you do see sense and decide to, after all take the course of action that I have recommended, so what do you both say?”

Neither father or son relished the thought of taking Mazza on, so both looked to each other and were once more about to speak, when Mazza turned to Danny and bid him come forward to face them. As did this, he gave him a sharp dig in the ribs before asking him,

“Now on your life Danny boy, did you at any time take advantage of young Bridie in a carnal way.”

Turning to his son old man O Shea asked, “What the fuck is carnal?”

Liam whispered, “Like sex Da, I think.”

Danny looked affronted to be asked this by protesting, “No, nothing did happen like that, Bridie is not like that she is a good decent girl.”

This answer went some way to calming the two men down, even if Liam did call out, “You had better believe she is a decent girl! Because I will kill any bastard that says different.”

Mazza grinned, knowing that he had now succeeded in defusing the situation, asked them both, “So, if you both believe this to be true and Danny here confirms it, then there is no reason for you both to be here threatening my young friend is there?”

Both men now shuffled on their feet then fired a parting shot by saying, “As long as the boy here keeps away from Bridie that is fine with us.”

All faces now turned towards Danny who looked from one to the other before finally asking, “What do you want me to say? If Bridie tells me she does not want to see me anymore then I will not argue with that.”

Liam now replied, “She will tell you, old son, do not fear.”

And with that they turned to walk away. After they had taken a few steps Mazza called after them, “Remember boys, do not touch the boy here or I will come after you both.”

And with that whilst still chuntering to themselves the two of them left.

Sean was now the first to speak. ‘Well Danny perhaps we can now have some fun once more without you moping after your little Bridie.”

But Danny was in no mood for such things as he shook his head and with tears in his eyes he answered, “You would never understand in a million years what I thought of her.”

Danny did not see or hear from Bridie for the remaining weeks of the school summer holiday, until that is Tom handed him a letter from her on the first day they were back at school. Tom knew, but did not understand his cousin’s feelings for her, even so he was glad in a way to have him back in the gang with no girls to stop their fun.

Danny that evening sat in his room alone, staring for what seemed like an age at the letter, until at last he plucked up the courage to open it.

Danny,

I am sorry if you were in trouble, I know my dad and Liam came to see you. We must stop seeing each other my love.It is not what I want, do not think that for one minute, butfor us to carry on would be impossible. Danny, my little darling, for that is what you will be to me forever, I promise. So please take care my love.

Bridie. xxx

Tears ran down his face after reading this, he then carefully folded the letter and locked it away in his private box. His mum called up to say his tea was ready, so he quickly washed his face in the bathroom, then went downstairs, but without any appetite.