A Coventry Kid's Tale

Chapter 13: 15 years old

The child enjoyed his uniform. On one rainy night returning home from the A.T.C. with his greatcoat on, he was accosted at the top of Vine Street by a man in a car. Now this man thought the child was a "lady of the night". "How much?" said the man to the child's back. The child turning around and sticking his head in the open passenger's window said "how much for what, mate?". The look on the man's face was a picture, even though it was raining, smoke could be seen coming off the screaming tyres as he shot off down the road. The child knew how to have fun, for he was in the red light district just by The Leopard pub.

The show was over, so almost was school. The child, being a prefect, had to ring the school bell for the changing of classrooms. This he did by running around the school with a hand-bell, ringing it as he went. Down at the back of the school were the pre-fab classrooms with two classrooms, cloakrooms and toilets. Passing one of these he was grabbed by one of the girls who was leaving school that day. Dragged off into the cloakroom the girl gave him a leaving gift. This leaving gift lasted quite a while and the child was sorry when it ended. Also the rest of the school never got to hear the bell. Babs Barthorpe was the first girl to leave from our year.
The child had already secured his employment with the Coventry City Council as a "painter and decorator" but had mixed feelings about leaving school for he had never disliked it.

Also, after school it was a meeting place for the boys and girls. Margaret Adams for one, head prefect for the girls school, bit straight laced but very teaseable, Doreen Turner, always good for a laugh, and many more, but all for good fun. Although the child did not know it then, this meeting up would continue even after he had left the school.

The last day at school arrived. It was very uneventful. He just walked out of school but was met at the gates by Diane Carey who must have run very fast to get to the boys' gate in time. A friend who said "cheerio" to the child, and then they walked away in opposite directions. School days were now over. And so is this book?