Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 15:39:30 EDT
From: Djedoric58@aol.com
Subject: THE BULL SINGER CHAPTER NINETEEN.DOC

THE BULL SINGER

CHAPTER NINETEEN

From Chapter eighteen

I really didn't want them to be cheerful just for me. I didn't think I
deserved it and I wished they would leave me at home with my misery, but
there was no talking them out of their plans. They didn't even bother to
shop locally but insisted on going down to Manchester where I was treated
to a whole array of outlets from big stories in the Trafford Centre to
old-fashioned markets. They just couldn't believe I had never been to
places like these. We shopped till the BMW could hold nothing more, and
then they dragged me into a huge Macdonald's where they let me choose
whatever I wanted. I settled for my very first Double Mac with all the
fillings, and a huge portion of chips and salad. Suddenly I was in heaven,
but guilty at the same time that they should spend so much money on me. I
hav hadn't felt the same when Grandpa Chambers had bought me all those
clothes; he was my grandfather, or so I thought, and I had the right to
expect him to clothe me, just as he had always cared for me in the past in
only from a distance. These people were different. Edward said he was my
real grandfather but I only had his word and had seen no real proof. And
Pete was just a friend of Magsy and Edward's new toy boy. My feeling of
euphoria collapsed and with it my appetite. I left half the burger and said
I wasn't used to eating big meals, and shrunk inside myself to where I
normally hid from the world when things went wrong.


We got back to the cottage around seven o'clock, and unloaded the stuff and
put the food away. Then I took an inventory of the clothes Gramps had
bought me, including a new school uniform and spare trousers. Thankfully
the school had done away with the old fashioned blazer in favour of a dark
blue casual zip up.  I thought it was far too much, and I told him so. He
wagged his finger at me and told me off for not allowing him to spoil his
only grandson.  Then we get back in the car and drove up to Top Farm, and
my heart was in my mouth when Edward finally knocked on the front door.
Now read on



The bitch opened the door and scowled at us. "Oh, it's you. I thought it
was my taxi." Behind her, there were three large suitcases by the coat
rack. I hoped she was going for a very long time; in fact I hoped she would
never some back.

"Going somewhere are we?" Gramps indicated the cases.

"That's my business. What do you want?"

Gramps pushed the door wider and stepped forward till he was almost
nose-to-nose with the bitch. "Two things," he said sharply. "One, Joey has
every right to be here, and two," he pulled a long white envelope from his
anorak pocket and thrust it into her hands, "this is an eviction
notice. You have two weeks to move out of this house, and it's all legal."

The bitch tossed the envelope away. "We'll see about it being legal."

"Ask Elias if you don't believe me. You can bleat all you like, Angela; you
broke the tenancy contract yourself. It's a pity you don't like reading
things before you sign them." Gramps moved further into the hall and gently
pushed the bitch to one side. "The contract states a tenant must not do
anything to upset or cause distress to his or her landlord or
neighbours. You've done both." You've upset me, your landlord, and you have
caused distress to our neighbours, namely my sisters and my grandson."

Angela's reply was a snarl. "If you must know I'm going on a business trip
and you can go to hell." Her last words were directed at me.

"Just let us collect Joey's clothes and we'll get out of your way," Gramps
spoke calmly to her and signalled for me to go upstairs. My new clothes
were still in the two cases Benjamin had packed for me. In my room I stared
at the empty space where the cases had been.

As I turned to run down the stairs, I heard the front door slam. "Stop
her!" I screamed, and I tripped and almost fell down the stairs. "The bitch
has dumped my stuff."

Pete caught me and steadied me. "What do you mean, she's dumped your
stuff?"

"My new clothes, my cases." Angry tears stung my eyes. "They're gone."

Gramps flung the front door open but the taxi was already out of
sight. Cursing, Gramps shut the door again and turned to face me. "Don't
worry, Joey; we've bought you enough to see you over Christmas, and there
are plenty more in the shops."

"But they were special," I protested angrily. "They were the first decent
clothes I ever had, and Elias bought them for me." In a whisper, I added,
"They were special."

Gramps took out his mobile phone and hit a speed dial number. "Ben, we've
got a problem. Angela's just left the house in a blue Fast Fleet taxi. I
want her stopped and questioned about the disappearance of the clothes Ly
gave Joey. Call me back, please." Gramps returned the phone to his coat
pocket and smiled at me. "She won't get far, lad. Ly has contacts all over
the place. Meanwhile I suggest you collect what things you need and we'll
head back to the cottage and get you settled in. No need for you to stay
here in this big house on your own while Mags is away. It'll be a lot safer
for you down there as well. Go on and get your stuff. It's getting late and
you have school tomorrow." I insisted on searching the house and the back
yard in case she had just thrown them out somewhere, but there was no sign
of cases or the clothes. I found it hard to stop blubbering like a baby,
and I wished Mags were there.

* * *

Edward's story

It was a good thing Angela wasn't within reach or I don't know what I would
have done to her. Of all the petty things to do, that took the prize. From
what Benjamin had told me, she wasn't short of cash so it wasn't for
monitory gain; I suspected plain spite. There wasn't much in the house that
Joey was interested in so we took him back to the cottage while I waited
for Ben to call me back. We had just unloaded Joey's things and had secured
the cottage for the night when Ben rang me. Apparently his men had stopped
Angela's taxi a few miles south of Fordage on the way to Manchester
Airport. "They detained her and gave her a choice, "Bern said with a
chuckle. "Tell them where the cases were or miss her flight. Angela had
given one of her lackeys the job of dumping the cases. Fortunately, he was
of a more charitable mind than his boss and had dropped them off at the Red
Cross Shop in Fordage. I'll have one of my men pop in first thing in the
morning. I'm sure a donation to their funds will secure their return."  At
least the news was good enough for Joey to relax and go to bed. I noticed
he was having difficulty keeping his eyes open, so Pete made him a mug of
Ovaltine and showed him to Mags's bedroom with strict instructions to come
to us if anything disturbed him in the night.

It wasn't long after that I started to feel the effects of a hectic day,
myself and wondered if I had overdone things a bit with all that whizzing
round the city like a dizzy teenager given a windfall to spend in one day.

Pete wagged a finger at me. "I don't care what you say about kidding your
family how ill you are, there must be some truth in it. I'm calling your GP
in the morning and have him check you over."

"Oy! Don't you start fussing, you sound as bad as my sisters." I couldn't
help chuckling at him. "At least I enjoyed myself, lad. You two young
sprouts have done me the world of good, and I've got fifteen years of
having a grandson to catch up on." I grabbed him and pulled him into bear
hug. "And I've also got a hell of a lot more years of not having someone to
love, to catch up on too."

Pete laughed, planted a warm kiss on my lips. "Someone's still got to make
sure you don't make yourself really ill." He broke free and hauled me to my
feet. "Come one, you old goat, it's time for bed and no arguing."

I grabbed him and pulled him to me. "Who's arguing?" I kissed him and
slapped him on the bottom. "Anytime is bed time as long as you're in the
equation." We secured the cottage and put out the lights as we made our way
to our bedroom, but I insisted we check on Joey before we went to bed
ourselves. I needn't have worried. The boy was curled up on his side, his
eyes tight shut, and a frown on is face. I tucked the duvet closer about
his shoulders and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, my darling baby
boy. You're safe now," I whispered in his ear, and I was rewarded to see
him stir and his features smoothed out into an expression of peace.

Pete must have realised that my thought were on Joey that night, and I must
admit I was glad of Pete's assistance in getting undressed and having a
shower. Afterwards, he cradled me in his arms and offered me his
understanding as I shed silent tears. In return I let him know I understood
his need for someone of my maturity. Pete obviously needed the comfort of
my arms about him because I was the father figure he yearned for. After a
few lingering kisses, we fell asleep content with our company while knowing
we would be good for each other. Unfortunately, our peace was shattered in
the early hours by the screams that came from the room next door.

Peter was out of bed in seconds, switching on the bedside lamp and grabbing
his briefs. He stumbled about, half asleep, trying to put them on. "It's
okay, Pops, I'll go, you stay there. Shit!" He collided with the jar jam as
he stumbled out into the hall.  By the time I had struggled into my
dressing gown and reached Joey's bedroom, Pete had the boy in his arms and
talking softly to him. The boy trembled violently, his sobbing alternating
with mumbled words, which neither of us could understand except for,
"Mummy, no. Please Mummy."

We both realised that the boy was not quite awake. I recalled a similar
incident, many years ago on board ship, when a shipmate had had a
horrendous nightmare; apparently, at the age of ten, he had witnessed the
murder of his parents by intruder. Remembering this I went through the same
procedure I had back then. I got into the bed and sat back against the
headboard; when I was comfortable, Pete eased Joey into my lap. Once the
boy was in my arms, I cradled him as if he was a tot needing his mother's
breast. Shushing him gently, I whispered words of comfort in his ear till I
felt the shudders lessen and the sobbing fade to an occasional
hiccup. Within ten minutes of hearing him scream, Joey's right arm reached
up round my neck. His eyes were open and he stared up at me with tear
filled eyes and a puzzled expression. "It's okay, kiddo, you had a bad
dream." I made to sit him up but he wasn't about to let go of me, so I
tightened my embrace till I was sure he couldn't breathe. Then I planted a
loving kiss on his cheek and had Pete help me move him off my lap and back
into bed.

I wondered what to do next as he grabbed my hand and gripped it
tight. "Don't go, Gramps, please."

Pete said, "Your grandfather is tired, sport. I'll stay with you if you
want me to."

I shook my head as I made a quick decision. "No, we'll both stay."

Pete nodded, and went to switch out the lamp in our bedroom. He came back
carrying my pyjama bottoms. "I don't think Joey would want to wake up in
the morning and find two naked men in his bed."  I got off the bed to
remove my robe and put on my pyjamas then we settled down with Joey in my
arms and Pete cuddling up to him from behind. Joey was asleep in seconds,
and Pete soon after him, but I lay awake for a long time with Angela on my
mind, or rather what I would like to do to that shameful product of my
loins. I reckoned a call to Ly about financing a series of appointments
with a good Psychologist wouldn't go amiss.

When I woke up, my arms were empty of a warm body. I turned over and saw
something that brought tears of joy to my eyes. Joey was asleep in Pete's
arms with his face buried in Pete's neck and his left arm round Pete's
waist. I was loath to disturb them, so I eased my aching body out of bed
and went to use the bathroom. When I returned, I stood for a few moments,
gazing down at these two sleeping angels. Each with a peaceful expression
on their faces, they were so much like, Joey could have been Pete's younger
brother, and I filled up at the joy of having them in my life.  Leaving
them to slumber on, I had a shower and dressed in the better of my two
business suits and went to make breakfast. Mags, in his wisdom, had bought
me a tea trolley, rather an old fashioned idea but handy for me in my old
age I supposed, so I loaded the trolley with breakfast for three, just
cereal and milk, toast and jam, and a large pot of tea, and wheeled it into
the bedroom to find the boys awake and Joey demanding to know the reason
for Pete being in his bed.

"Good morning, boys. Calm down Joey; the least you can do is be grateful
our nearest neighbours are my sisters at Lower Farm. You certainly had a
good pair of lungs on you last night."

"Uh?" Joey frowned at me and Pete said, "That's what I was trying to
explain to you. You had a nightmare last night and needed us to comfort
you. Don't you remember begging your Gramps to stay with you?"  Joey closed
his eyes and sank back against the pillows. "I'm sorry, I don't remember
all of it, but Gramps; you were here too." He opened his eyes to look at
me. Both of you?"

"Yes, son. You were well protected last night. Now, let's have
breakfast. It's seven forty five and we have to be at the school in an
hour. Pete and I are going to have a chat with your head teacher and a
couple of your teachers before school starts. Milk and sugar?"

"Just milk, please."

 * *


The school secretary scowled at Joey, not seeing Pete and I stepping into
the office behind him. "Wha are you doing here? You've been suspended."
Then she spotted me and frowned. "One moment, please while I deal with this
boy." She turned her attention to Joey. "Now, I suggest you leave these
premises immediately or face a visit from security. Do I make myself
clear?"

I stopped beside Joey and fixed her with an angry stare. "This young man is
my grandson and is going nowhere, except to see Mr Mitchell. The name is
Alton."

"Have you an appointment?"

"No, but he said to pop in to see him anytime if Joey had any problems."

"Sorry, the head teacher is busy, this morning." She glanced quickly at the
appointment book open on her desk. "Come back after school closes, I'll see
if he can spare you a few minutes."

Just then, Donald Mitchell came out of his office, a big grin on his
face. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Alton. It's been a long time since we saw
you here. How's Mags doing?"

"Very well, Donald, he's back with the band till after Christmas so I'm
taking care of Joey on his behalf. How's your dad?"

"Not too good at the moment. He's due in hospital next week for a hip
replacement. Come over sometime, I know he'll be pleased to talk about cows
and such with an old farming crony."

The secretary's eyes popped wide open as we pumped hands for a few
seconds. "Mr Mitchell, you have a board meeting in five minutes."

"Tell them they can wait a few minutes. This is the pupil they're going to
be talking about so I'll have that much more information to tell them,
won't I? Come on Joey, let's get you sorted out." We left the secretary
gasping like fish and followed Donald into his office. He grabbed chairs
and pulled them to his file littered desk, and as soon as we were
comfortable, he pulled a file from the pile on his left and opened
it. "I've had a quiet word with Miss Cornish, and she's agreed to think
about retracting her accusation. Primarily because someone called Mr
Chambers contacted me and gave me a bit of background information about
you." He glanced up and looked directly at Joey who reddened with
indignation. "It's all right, lad, he only told me after he extracted a
promise from me that it would go no further than this office. I only wish I
had known what you've been through when this trouble began. As I told Mags
when he came to see me, this file of yours is the best, academically, I've
seen for some time, and I firmly intend to advise the board to wend he
suspension so that you can get back to your classes. Mags told me you have
joined his aunt's theatre group. I'm glad to hear it. Have you started
rehearsals yet?"

"Yes, sir. I went there last week."

"Do you think you will stick at it?"

"Yes, sir."

"And what about school."

"I never wanted to be suspended. I just couldn't take the hassle of being
misunderstood."

"Well, next time you hit a black spot, don't stay in the dark, come and see
me; and tell Miss Walker I said so. Pity I can't get rid of her, she's too
good a secretary to lose and keeps this school running like a well-oiled
engine. Now, I believe your class has a new schedule, starting today."
Donald scanned a chart hung on the wall behind him. "Ah yes. Computers in
classroom three, first period followed by Geography in classroom eight. We
had Mr White leave unexpectedly and his replacement isn't available till
after lunch, so we had to change the schedules round quite a bit. He's a
first class English teacher and I've been after him to join us here for a
year now. Okay, lad; off you go."

As we left the office, Donald shook hands with me and then with Pete. "Are
you related to the lad by any chance? You look a lot like him."

"No, just a friend of the family." We said our goodbyes, smiled sweetly at
Miss Walker and left the building wondering how Donald would fare at the
board meeting.