Four Wheeled Hero (3 page)

‘Do you think
your Mum and Dad will let us go to see him, it’s almost 30 miles
away’, Tommy asked.

‘Well, No’,
came his reply. ‘They dislike him so much they would never agree
for us to go there, even if they were coming with us’.

‘Then how do we
manage it then’, Tommy asked.

‘We could say
that we are going fishing for the day’, Smithy replied as he jumped
up from his chair and walked over to a shelf to remove a rusty old
tin from behind a stack of old magazines.

He came back to
his seat and fumbled with the lid. ‘This is my secret saving’,
Smithy mumbled as he finally forced open the lid tipping the
contents into his lap. There were six pound coins, a fifty pence
piece and a twenty pence piece with chewing gum stuck around
it.

‘There you
are’, he said, looking quite triumphant in his achievement. ‘£6.70
that should help us on our way’, he added in a pleasing tone. ‘Have
you any money on you’, he asked Tommy.

Tommy searched
through his pockets and came up with £1.25 and two old toffees.

‘I’m afraid
that’s all I have’, Tommy said. ‘Maybe it will be enough to get us
there and back’.

Just then the
door opened and in walked Smithy’s Dad. ‘Are you all right boys’,
he asked with a smile on his face just before noticing his pride
and joy laid on the floor in tatters. His face changed quickly to
one of annoyance. ‘What has happened here’, he asked.

‘I don’t know’,
Smithy replied. ‘We found it like that when we arrived. Maybe the
cat knocked it down’, he added with his fingers crossed tightly
behind his back.

‘I’ll cat him’,
his Dad said as he stormed out of the shed with his backdrop in his
arms. ‘That’s the last time I let that cat in my shed, do you
hear’, he said as he headed towards the house. He suddenly stopped
and headed back to the shed. ‘Hey you two, its time for bed, it’s
just gone nine thirty’.

They locked the
shed and followed Smithy’s Dad back to the house where his Mum had
a hot cup of drinking chocolate ready for them. There was a sudden
squeal as Smithy’s cat shot passed them from the living room
heading for the cat flap and safety, followed by his Dad who now
had a satisfied look on his face.

‘What’s up with
the cat’, asked Smithy’s Mum.

‘Oh, I just
caught him with my foot’, answered Smithy’s Dad as he turned and
headed back into the living room.

‘By the way
Mum, Tommy and me are going fishing tomorrow by the canal if that’s
all right with you’, Smithy asked. ‘We will be out all day and
probably won’t get back until tea time’, he added.

‘That’s fine’,
she replied. ‘Just as long as you take the mobile phone with you
and ring me every two hours so that I know your OK’.

Smithy picked
up his and Tommy’s cups and put them in the sink. ‘We’re off to bed
now’, he told his Mum as he opened the door to allow Tommy to pass
through.

Smithy and
Tommy shared the downstairs bedroom that Smithy’s Dad had modified
to allow Tommy to stay over. It was part of an old Granny Flat that
the previous owners had constructed which included its own bathroom
large enough to take Tommy’s wheelchair. Smithy’s Dad had papered
the walls with Smithy’s favourite super hero ‘Dynamo Man’ and he
peered down on you from every angle. There were posters all over
the walls and shelves with stacks of ‘Dynamo Man’ comics on them
along with plastic toys of equipment used by his super hero.

They changed
into their pyjamas and clambered their way into bed. Smithy’s Mum
popped her head round the door to remind them not to stay awake all
night talking before wishing them ‘God Bless’ instead of the normal
sloppy kiss she would give Smithy before he went to sleep. He was
so relieved that she had not decided to give them both a sloppy
kiss, what would Tommy think. No sooner had she left than the two
friend started to plan the actions for the task ahead.

‘Right’, said
Smithy. ‘I’ll set my alarm for six, no, seven thirty and we’ll get
up and ready ourselves to go fishing as planned. As normal we’ll
tie the basket and rods onto the back of the wheelchair to save us
carrying them’.

‘Right’, said
Tommy. ‘Will we be taking our kit with us to your Uncle’s
house’?

‘Ha’, said
Smithy. ‘That will present us with a problem’.

‘I know’, said
Tommy. ‘Why don’t we hide them behind the old barge hire poster
next to the old canal bridge no one will see them there and we can
collect them on the way back’.

‘Good idea’,
said Smithy seeing the plan starting to pan out. ‘The bus for
Broadacre stops just up the road from there so it will make our
task that much easier’.

‘What about
food’, said Tommy, ‘Do we take our packed lunch with us he
asked’?

‘Yes’, came the
reply. ‘Uncle Frank wouldn’t give us the crumbs off his table, even
if we were starving’, said Smithy.

Tommy yawned
and said that he was tired so the two friends snuggled down in
their beds as Smithy put out the light and within minutes they were
both fast asleep.

In the kitchen
Smithy’s Mum was stood at the back door calling for the cat.

‘I don’t
understand it’, she said. ‘He’s always here as soon as I call’, she
added.

‘Maybe he
fancies a night on the tiles’, said Smithy’s Dad. ‘After all he’s
had a bit of a shock’.

The night
passed almost quietly with only the sound of a howling cat
somewhere in the distance to break the silence. Dawn appeared at
around five thirty and by six thirty the sun was shinning through
the gap in Smithy’s curtains lighting up the room with a warm glow.
The alarm went off and Smithy woke up and turned it off, rubbed his
eyes and turned over to go back to sleep after noticing the time.
Another hour he thought as slumber returned and the bright light
receded to the back of his mind.

‘Are you
awake’, asked Tommy.

‘No’, came the
reply.

‘I’ve been
awake for almost an hour’, said Tommy.

A grunt came
from the bed opposite.

‘I’m wide awake
and can’t wait to get ready to go’, Tommy added.

‘OK, OK’, said
Smithy as he opened his bleary eyes. ‘Just give me a few minute to
come around, I find it difficult to focus first thing in the
morning’, he groaned.

By now Tommy
had swung himself over the edge of the bed and was getting dressed
in his fishing gear so that he looked the part.

‘If we have an
early breakfast we could be on our way by seven thirty’, he said to
Smithy who had now sat bolt upright with his eyes still closed.

‘Right’,
blurted Smithy as he swung himself over the side of his bed with a
great deal of forced effort still with his eyes closed. ‘I’m
coming, I’m coming’.

Smithy was well
trained in dressing with his eyes shut, as he practised every day
of the week. He even on some days managed to eat his breakfast in
the dark of near sleep bliss. He fumbled for his clothes and slowly
put them on.

‘I think your
jumper goes on the other way round’, said Tommy as he watched his
mate wandering around like a blind man.

Finally they
were both ready for breakfast and made their way to the kitchen
where Smithy’s Dad, still in his dressing gown, was filling up the
kettle while yawning.

‘My, you two
are up early’, he said.

‘We’re going
fishing’, replied Smithy.

‘Not until your
mothers up and you’ve got a good breakfast inside you your not’,
said Smithy’s Dad.

Just then his
mother entered the room.

‘You two are
keen this morning’, she said. ‘We normally have to push you out of
the house at ten to go fishing on one of your early trips, so
what’s so special today then’, she asked.

‘Oh, we have a
bet on with Trevor Green that we can catch more fish than him, so
we’re making an early start so we can be sure to win’, Smithy said
in his best lying voice.

‘A fishing
contest’, said his Dad. ‘I may join you later on for a bit of fun.
I’ll be able to advise you so that you can win’, he added. ‘I was
quite a fisherman in my younger days you know’.

The look of
panic shot over Smithy’s face as his brain fumbled for a reply.

‘No, No you
can’t. We agreed that no parents or another relative should be
involved. It must be fair and square. Even if you only stood there
would be enough to loose us the competition’, Smithy pleaded.

‘OK’, said his
Dad. ‘You don’t realise the experience you have just passed over.
I’ll watch the football instead’.

Both Smithy and
Tommy gave a low relieved sigh at how near they had come to
disaster as they moved to seat themselves around the table for
breakfast. Smithy’s Mum handed them their choice of cereals and
they munched their way through two bowls full while Smithy’s Mum
prepared their packed lunches and placed them in the holdall that
stood in the hallway with the remainder of their kit. By seven
thirty they had finished breakfast and had prepared themselves for
leaving.

As they were
having breakfast Smithy’s cat ‘Tiger’ had decided it was safe to
return home and came creeping in through the cat flap. As it did so
Smithy’s Dad opened the kitchen door sending the poor cat into a
panic. Within an instant it dived head first into the open holdall
that contained the boys lunch without being noticed by anyone. In
the darkness the cat curled itself up and fell fast a sleep.

‘Here you are’,
said Smithy’s Mum handing the mobile phone to her cheeky looking
son. ‘Now don’t you forget, call me every two hours or I’ll send
your Dad to fetch you, even if it means you loosing your
competition’. She walked out into the hall and tucked the phone
safely in Smithy’s holdall which contained their lunch and the
sleeping cat, without even disturbing it.

‘Now don’t
loose it’, she said as she kissed Smithy on the cheek which made
him blush a bright red.

‘Don’t worry’,
Smithy said as they made their way to the front door.

‘Don’t forget’,
his Mum said. ‘No later than five thirty, do you hear’.

They both
nodded in agreement as they escaped through the door and headed
down the road in the direction of the canal.

Chapter 3

The One That
Got Away

The canal ran
just five hundred metres from where Tommy and Smithy lived. Its
wide banks complete with tarmac tow paths made it ideal for Tommy’s
wheelchair allowing him to go wherever he wished to fish. Some four
hundred metres along the canal was a wide bridge that swept in a
curve so anyone entering one side, could not see anyone on the tow
path at the other.

The two boys
made their way to the opposite side where the sign ‘BARGES FOR HIRE
AT KEMPLTON JUNCTION’ was situated on the grass embankment. Smithy
climbed up the slight hill to place the fishing kit behind the
sign. With only the holdall on his back which contained their
lunch, and the sleeping cat, Smithy rejoined Tommy on the
footpath.

‘There’, he
said as he inspected his hiding place, walking up and down the tow
path so as to ensure that no one could see the kit. ‘It’ll be as
safe as houses there until we get back’.

With that they
set off with Smithy pushing Tommy up the path which led to the
roadway above to catch the bus which stopped just the other side of
the bridge. They had only minutes to wait before the bus arrived.
It stopped to let off passengers before allowing anyone to get on.
Smithy jumped on and asked the conductor if he would help get Tommy
aboard.

‘You can’t come
on this bus with that’, the conductor said in a nasty tone which
annoyed both of the boys.

‘Why can’t we’,
said Tommy in a voice that showed his anger.

‘Because this
bus has no facilities for the disabled’, the ignorant conductor
said.

‘Lift him on
board and sit him in one of your seats then’, Smithy replied in a
sarcastic tone. ‘You can then fold up the chair and put it in the
baggage area’ he insisted.

‘That’s more
than my jobs worth’, the conductor said as he rang the bell to
start the bus on its way.

The bus left
with the conductor grinning through the back window in a
self-satisfied sort of way.

‘Can you beat
that’, Smithy said still showing his anger.

‘Don’t let it
worry you, I get that type of treatment all of the time from prat’s
like him’, Tommy said looking a little hurt.

‘What do we do
now’, Smithy asked looking a little lost for a suggestion.

‘Well I suppose
I could try out my special powers to see if I can arrange
transport, but we had better get out of sight before I do’, Tommy
replied.

‘What a good
idea’, Smithy said as he grabbed the handle of Tommy’s wheelchair
and started pushing him in the direction of the path that led back
to the canal.

The boys decide
that they should go halfway under the bridge which would put them
out of sight from both sides of the bridge, which would allow them
to hear if anyone approached from either direction.