His life at school was never dull, far from it, with most fun, If not all, taking place outside the classroom! He had two really good but different friends; C who was a rebel and A, who was also a rebel, but a different type of rebel! C was small, quite cute I suppose in a rebel sort of way and introduced him to skipping lessons, hair gel & fun whilst A brought with him cigarettes, drinking and a bohemian way of life.
A was perhaps the one person who, above all others, he associated with both in reality and philosophically; he was a little bit older, taller and certainly more worldly. His family were a revelation! They were in many ways an archetypal family, Dad who worked in town, Mum who stayed at home and a sister who was older than A and about to get married. However, that’s were the normal ended as far as he was concerned! They introduced him to a whole new life, one of excitement, intrigue and above all freedom.
He & A would be left to their own devices most of the time and as long as they were careful and didn’t cause any problems they were left alone; now nothing is better for two young boys in Liverpool than to be left in peace. It was as if the world was at their feet and they were on the first rung of a ladder that led to Utopia. But more of that later…
For the moment it was the freedom that led to problems, although it is unfair of him to place the blame at anyone’s door but his own, as he was the one who shoplifted! A and him, together with another boy at school and, I suspect most of the other boys at some stage, used to take things every time they went into a shop, whether they needed to or not, just because they could; it could be anything from sweets to pens and from books to diaries or anything else that was in reach. He and A used to agree strategy, who was to steal and who was to casually walk around as if looking for something or even buy something as a decoy and it worked well. Maybe they became complacent, but whatever the reason A and the other boy got caught! Even though this was well before CCTV and other surveillance devices there were some shopkeepers who were more vigilant than others and I guess it was one of the eagle-eyed ones who reported A and his accomplice to the school. Possibly, as it was a fee-paying school, they took reported theft rather seriously and a rigorous investigation ensued!
He was rather worried as he had been involved with the others and, after his cigarette run-in with the school he didn’t need to be implicated in this latest scandal! He took A to one side and asked him not to tell on him and was relieved to be assured that he would not be mentioned. Just as well as it turned out as the other boy was expelled, having been involved in a previous incident, just like him, and A was publicly humiliated in front of the school at a special Assembly. As he stood there with the rest of the school listening to the Head belittle A he knew their friendship would stand anything and if he could, he would repay A for saving him from leaving the school in disgrace.
They went home together, smoked, laughed and looked to the future! What would it hold, as they were about to leave the confines of the Junior section for the uncertainty of the Upper school and all the excitement that implied; and excitement there was....
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