41 End of the Third Year

Out of school… William ‘Bimbo’ Hollands and I went to see Shenandoah at the Plaza. A brilliant film, we agreed, when his mum picked us up later. I liked Bim’s mum, a lovely lady with smiling eyes. I liked riding in her car too, an old Austin A40 with indicators that flipped out at the sides. 

In class…

Linda Barnes’s popularity soared when she brought wad after wad of photographic card into the 3/2 classroom and freely gave it to anyone who wanted it. Until a little accident earned her a scolding from Miss Rusted that drew our attention to a pool of piss under Linda’s chair, which killed her popularity stone dead, poor girl.

Also in class, a minor disagreement between Lynn Hopkins and Bimbo Hollands led to Lynn poking Bimbo where she shouldn’t. To my great surprise (and Lynn’s) Bimbo – sitting next to her – retaliated by poking Lynn where he shouldn’t.

That was typical of Bimbo, who could be quite direct when he needed to be. His solution to a nagging from Linda Varnum was to punch her.

On the field…

Danny Tully, a fourth year, lived on Sturry Way and went home for dinner. Others went home for dinner too but nobody caused the stir Danny did when he returned, one lunch time, with a huge confederate flag on a pole. Kids rallied to the flag from all directions as Danny – also wearing a confederate hat – ran around the field. The harder he ran the more the flag billowed, and the more the flag billowed, the bigger the thrill for the hordes of kids running behind it. One of those kids was me. This was one of life’s perfect moments and in my excitement, I couldn’t help the little squirt of piss that escaped as I ran.

In the playground…

I heard someone singing Ticket to Ride. I also heard someone singing ‘My Mama told me that she would buy me a rubber Johnny.’ The singer seemed amused. Me, I was just puzzled.

School sports…

On a lovely summer afternoon on the field, I captained Seagull to second place in the third year boy’s tunnel ball competition. Later, shortly after the final race, I was one of half a dozen stragglers collared by Mister Turner to carry chairs back to the classrooms; three boys and three girls, each of us miffed at the inevitable delay we faced in getting out of school. But our resentment vanished when, on completion of the task, Mister Turner tossed us half a crown to buy ourselves a treat. Good old Sir! A sixpenny mousse was favoured by all until it was pointed out we didn’t have enough money. But the Gods of Sports Day were smiling upon us, it seemed, for upon entering the shop on the corner of Romany Road and Twydall Lane, we discovered lemon mousses were on special offer at a penny off. Hooray, lemon mousses for all!

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There was more good news when school broke up for the summer: Miss Rusted announced she’d be teaching us, again, in the fourth year. Hooray!

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At home: my heart sank when Granny said she was going back to Bolton. She’d only come to visit, she explained. But I could go with her, if I wanted, and stay with her during the long school holiday. I jumped at the chance.