Barefoot and Lost

by Brian Francis Cox

  When you have packed you will then come back to your coach, where the driver will load them. You are responsible to see that your case goes onto the coach. When you are satisfied get on the coach, all this will be done under the supervision of a police constable who has been instructed to tolerate no messing about, this has to be done in an orderly fashion.

  This lady constable will go in this van with those who live at Saint Gabriel’s, to supervise. When you get there the same procedure will take place you will return here and get onto coach ‘A’ along with the others.

  Now to answer that question you are all going to Dr Barnardos Village Home at Bramble Side that will be your new home.

  ‘But why Miss, why do we have to leave here?’ asks the girl sitting in front of Enid.

  ‘As I said, it is a police investigation I am unable to tell you more; come on, get a move on we are wasting time, be back as quick as you can.’

  ‘I’d better go, see you on the coach.’

  ‘Okay Phil can you save me a seat? Won’t it be great, we will be living in the same house?’

  A sergeant leads us, in crocodile file, to the back of the house and up the rear stairs, my suitcase is on my bed, inside is Ted all safe, and sound. I have so little to pack I only take a minute. I remove Lions bed from the loose floorboard and scoop up what is in there, I then remember The Talisman; I make a dash to the library but only get as far as the constable guarding the door, ‘Whoa, where do you think you’re going in such a rush?’

  ‘I’m only going to the library to get my book.’

  ‘Sorry son, it will have to stay there nothing is to be removed from the building.’

  ‘But I’m halfway through it, I--.’ He cuts me off,

  ‘No buts son, it stays where it is.’

  At the foot of the stairs, as we file down, I can see John Langdon talking to Mr. Simmons. As I get alongside the Captain he takes hold of my shoulder, ‘Wait here with me Phillip, I have something to say to you.’ Then, turning back to Mr. Simmons, he says ‘Thanks for all your help Bill, you’ve done a grand job, it must have been difficult at times.

  ‘A little Super, you just have to stay focused’

  ‘I will be in touch, give me a few days, we can then set up that meeting; do you have a problem in getting to Hastings?’

  ‘No John I have my own car; how will you contact me?’

  ‘Through your normal channel, or failing that, a telegram, don’t, worry leave, that to me.

  ‘Now young man, how are you?’

  ‘I’m okay thank you Captain, just wish I knew what was happening.’

  ‘Whilst I’m wearing this uniform you had better call me Superintendent, I can’t tell you anymore than you already know, this is part of an investigation into child abuse. You are not going with the other kids to Barnardos. Because you are my chief witness, you are going somewhere where I can keep an eye on you, that is all you need to know so be a good lad and wait inside the dining room until the coach has left.’

  ‘But I want to say goodbye to my friends, where am I going, are you putting me in jail?’

  ‘My, what a vivid imagination you have, no, you are being fostered to someone June and Reg Milligan have arranged. But it is most important you stay out of sight now, you will be able to contact your friends later.’

  ‘Where am I going?’

  ‘Please Phil, I don’t have time right now, I do not know the details just wait until you get there, I’m sure it will be fine.’ A policewoman walks in through the door, and says ‘The car is ready Sir.’

  ‘Thank you constable, Phil, this is your transport go with this officer, take your case, she will take you to your new foster home, I will see you in a couple of days. Now be a good lad and ask no more questions.’

  The policewomen picks up my suitcase and I follow her outside to where a black Wolsley police car is waiting, behind the wheel is a uniformed policeman wearing a peaked cap. The WPC puts my case in the boot, opens the rear passenger door, ‘Get in Phillip; I want you to lay down on the back seat until we get off the premises, so you can’t be seen, I’ll tell you when you can sit up, it is most important, please cooperate.’

  The crunch of the gravel stops, there’s a slight bump as we hit the pothole in the gateway, the car turns left towards Tonbridge, but, when we come to the main road, instead of turning right, the car turns left. ‘Phillip you can sit up now.’ Looking out of the window I do not recognize anywhere.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘Sorry son can’t say, the Super said its hush, hush we are to keep it secret until we get there, even the WPC doesn’t know, do you Maisy?’

  ‘No Jack, haven’t got a clue.’ Gran told me once that it was easy to get around England because all the roads and towns had signs but, during the war, they were all removed to confuse the Germans if they invaded, well I’m confused now.

  ‘Where are we now, are we nearly there?’

  ‘It will take about an hour, so sit back, and enjoy the ride. We are just passing Scotney Castle, over there on the left; you can just see the roof through the trees.’

  ‘Phillip, how long have you been at Saint Stephens?’

  ‘Not long Miss since my Gran died in July, I came here the last day of July.’

  ‘Not long at all, what, about six weeks?’

  ‘Yeah, but it seems a lot longer.’

  ‘Did you like it?’

  ‘No I hated it, but I made some very good friends, I will miss them. The Superintendent said I was being fostered, I’m not sure I want to; I won’t know anyone and will have to start all over again. It’s just not fair, it’s not my fault that my entire family are dead, I sometimes wish I was dead too.’

  ‘I’m sure you don’t, look upon it as something new and then you can judge whether you like it, you never know, it could end up being the best place in the whole world.’

  ‘Yeah, maybe, where are we now?’

  ‘Saint Johns Cross, we’re about halfway.’ I feel a bit sleepy and am having trouble keeping my eyes open, I mustn’t go to sleep, Lion did that, and he died. Have they kidnapped me, are they going to get rid of me, are these really police officers. The super said, wait until after the coach leaves, but we left before, where are they taking me, why won’t they tell where?

  I wake with a start as the car comes to a stop. We are behind a motorbike at a set of traffic lights, they look familiar, yes, ahead of me is Alexandra Park, it still hasn’t got any gates, we’re in Hastings. The motorbike moves off very slowly, I think he knows he has a police car behind him. We follow him along Queens road until we turn up South Terrace, I know we are going to June’s, I want to shout but can’t I have a lump in my throat, I think I am going to cry.

  We pull up outside number twelve, June is standing in the doorway, Mr. M is looking over her shoulder, and both have huge smiles. As I clamber out June attempts to scoop me off my feet, both of us falling to the ground where we sit and hug, my tears have stopped. I can’t stop laughing. The WPC hands a paper to Mr. M which he signs, she tears off the bottom piece, and hands it to him, they then shakes hands. ‘All yours Sir look after him.’

  ‘We will certainly do that, thank you officer.’ With a wave they drive away.

  Mr M helps June up, I scramble to my feet, he hugs me, and he has never done that before.

  ‘Where are your things Phillip?’ I look around me

  ‘They forgot to leave my suitcase.’

  ‘I’ll telephone the police station- no need, here they come.’ PC Jack pulls the car over to the kerb on the wrong side; WPC Maisy leaps out and opens the boot, PC Jack winds down his window,

  ‘Sorry, forget me head if it wasn’t screwed on.’ June lifts my suitcase,

  ‘It’s very light Phillip, are you sure you packed everything?’

  ‘I don’t have much; the only thing I left behind was that horrible blazer.’

  ‘Thank God for that, it made you look like Dracula.’

  ‘That’s unfair June, he
couldn’t have looked that bad.’

  ‘Want to bet Reg, you never saw him in it.’

  Jet barks as we come down the back stairs, but when he sees me, he leaps from the chair by the fire, skidding on the tiled floor, his claws screeching as he tries to get a grip. Jumping up at me, his whole body is wagging, his tongue licking me all over my face.

  ‘Well, that makes three of us pleased to see you.’

  ‘You must be starving when did you last eat?’

  ‘I had a cold, school dinner at half past twelve, I am a bit hungry.’

  ‘I’ll knock up something for you, when did you last have a bath?’

  ‘Friday, I am supposed to have one tonight.’

  ‘Okay, that is not going to change; go up to your bathroom at the top, you are sleeping in the attic, have a bath put on your pyjamas and dressing gown, then come back down for something to eat.’

  ‘June, am I going to live with you, are you my new mum?’

  ‘Yes and no, when you come down, we will explain what has been agreed.’

  I pass a lady in a dressing gown, I have never seen before, she has a towel wrapped around her head, ‘Hello, you must be Phillip I’m Rita pleased to meet you.’

  “Hello Rita, nice to meet you too.’ Climbing two more flights of stairs, I open my bedroom door, I can’t believe my eyes, the ceiling has been painted to look like sky, with clouds and a bit of a sunset. About a foot down from the ceiling, there is a painting of trees and farms, there is also an airfield, this painting continues right around the room. Hanging from the ceiling is a model of a Spitfire and a B52 bomber, on the walls are photos of aeroplanes. Gran’s bed has been removed in its place is a photo of her taken at the V.E day party. Alongside is a photo of Mum and Dad taken on their wedding day, below them is a picture of HMS Repulse. It is the most beautiful bedroom I have ever seen and it is mine, I don’t have to share it with anyone.

  I’m going to clear the table, and then we are going to discuss your future.’ Jet starts to bark at the clatter of footsteps on the metal stairs and goes to the back door, Mr. M opens it, ‘Sam, Tessa, thank you for coming.’

  ‘Believe me Reg, it is our pleasure, we are so grateful you want to involve us.’ Pop gives me a hug, and Tess kisses me, she hasn’t given me time to wipe my mouth, now I think she is sharing my scrambled egg.

  ‘Come, hurry up Phillip, we want to get started on your future.’

  ‘Goodness me Reg, I have never seen you so excited, but let him finish his egg first.’

  The table is cleared away, we are all seated around it, and Jet is sat on his haunches beside me, his chin on my lap as if to stop me going away again.

  Mr. M pushes back his chair and stands, ‘Sit down Reg, you are not an after dinner speaker at a regimental dinner, sit down.

  ‘You’re right June, sorry, I got, a bit carried away, I’ll sit down then.’

  ‘For goodness sake Reg, get on with it,’ Mr. M clears his throat,

  ‘Phillip, we welcome you to your new home. ‘We-----’

  ‘Are you my foster parents?’

  ‘–--- hold on old chap, hear me out then we can all discuss your future.’

  ‘As you all know, there have been serious allegations about child abuse at the children’s home, culminating in the closure of three, the two in Kent and one in London. We, that is June and I have been desperately trying to foster this young man here, since he was taken from us over a month ago.’ June is looking very impatient,

  ‘For God sake Reg, don’t make a meal of it just tell Phillip why he is here and the conditions of our fostering.’

  ‘I’m sure Reg means well, it is important to know the background.’

  ‘But Sam, we all know the bloody background, we have spent the last six weeks living the bloody background, so, Reg, just get on with it or I will take over.’

  ‘Sorry June, please don’t get upset, I didn’t want to upset anyone, to me this is a very special occasion and I just wanted to do it right.’

  ‘Sorry Reg, all of you, I’m sorry Phillip I swore, I’m just a bit on edge I’ve been keyed up all day for this moment.’

  ‘Phillip, because the home has closed, John Langdon thought that, because of your involvement in his investigation, you would be better away from a similar establishment. He feels that you need to be close to him, somewhere that he has easy access to you without having to go through the rigmarole of the welfare office. We have been as you know trying to persuade the authorities to let us foster you. They have agreed, under pressure from John, for you to be fostered by us for six months, to be reviewed every six months for the next two years, so, in theory, as from today we are a family what do you think of that?’

  Everyone is looking at me, waiting for me to speak, I’m so happy, loads of things to say are rushing through my head, and I blurt out,

  ‘That is bloody fantastic.’ There is a moment of shocked reaction, and then Mr. M says,

  ‘I’ll drink to that.’ He goes to the Welsh dresser, removes five glasses and a bottle of whisky, places a glass in front of each one of us, and pours a small tot in each one.

  ‘Reg, Phillip can’t have whisky.’

  ‘He can if we fill the glass with water; he has to toast his own future.’ Sam and Tess put a drop of water in theirs.

  ‘Let us be upstanding and drink a toast to Phillip Snell’s Future.’ Everyone stands, I don’t know if I am supposed to or not but Mr. M pulls me up.

  ‘To Phillip; bloody fantastic.’ Every one repeats the toast then we all burst out laughing.

  ‘By the way Phil, I’m going to call you Phil from now on, and you will stop calling me Mr. M, I am Reg to you, is that agreed?’

  ‘Agreed.’ I take a sip of my whisky, the smell is horrible, how anyone can drink that I do not know.

  “I can see you don’t like it and it is too good to waste,’ Reg puts another tot into my glass and swallows it in one gulp

  ‘Anyone fancy a cuppa, I know I do?’

  ‘That would be very nice June, Sam and I would love one; wouldn’t you Sam?’

  ‘If you say so Tess this is a very nice drop of scotch Reg.’

  ‘All the way from America, it was a gift from one of our guests; what a strange world we live in, this bottle comes from three hundred miles up the road, but has to travel three thousand to get here, another one Sam?’

  ‘Yes, thanks Reg, it does seems a shame not to, considering all the trouble it has gone through just to get here, a small one please, just to supplement my tea, you understand.’

  ‘I understand you perfectly Sam, a man after my own heart; cheers.’

  ‘Cheers Reg, may the Milligan family survive and be happy ever after.’ Tess joins in with a

  ‘Here, here.’

  ‘Who painted my bedroom; it is the best bedroom I have ever seen?’

  ‘Glad you like it, it, was a joint effort by Reg and me, with a little help from Orville and Olive.’

  ‘Is Olive still here, you must have known for weeks I was coming?’

  ‘No, we didn’t know until two thirty this afternoon when we got a phone call from John Langdon.’

  ‘Olive has gone, we think to Portsmouth she left yesterday, and Orville is on standby to go to Berlin, maybe this week.’

  ‘I don’t understand, when did you paint the bedroom?’

  ‘Last week, we had an inspection by Miss Penelope Peabody. We knew she was coming three weeks ago so we put on a show for her; she was very impressed, pompous bitc---- woman. You will be seeing a lot of her, probably every couple of weeks. She has been over-ridden by John Langdon so she will look for every excuse to get control of you again so be nice to her. I won’t be telling you to do many things but that is an order, I want nothing to jeopardize your being part of our family, is that understood?’

  ‘Yes June, I want to be here as well, so I will be nicer than nice, to her, after all there is a lot to be nice to.’

  ‘Phillip! Watch it.’

  ‘Only joking.
’

  ‘Phil, I hope we can take up where we left off; with you, resuming your visits to the Cohen household?’

  ‘Yes Pop, I certainly will, I can’t wait.’

  ‘I’ll make some of those biscuits that Michael and you liked so much.’ I can see a tear in Tessa’s eye as she mentions his name, it won’t be the same without him I don’t know what to say so change the subject.

  ‘What about school, will I be going to H.S.M.S?’

  ‘Probably not, your eleven plus results were very good, enough for a place at the Grammar School. We can afford it and are thinking about getting you into private school, but that may not be this term, we will just have to see how things go.’

  ‘I’m not sure that I will like that all the kids will be posh and speak all la di da.’

  ‘There is nothing wrong in speaking correctly, when you go on to university you will be mixing with so called posh, so you may as well get used to it.’

  ‘June let’s not get carried away, university is at least eight years away even if Phillip wins a place.’

  ‘Suppose I am jumping the gun a bit, but there is nothing wrong in being ambitious, is there?’

  ‘No June, aim high that’s my motto.’

  ‘Thanks for your support Sam.’

  ‘When can I go swimming again, I’ve not been since the gala, I think I have forgotten how to do it?’

  ‘Well, not tomorrow, we have to get you kitted out with new clothes. Did you bring your ration book or has the home still got it?’

  ‘I haven’t got it, I think the police may have it, they were clearing everything out of the office and putting it in the back of a van.’

  ‘Reg, will you call John, I can’t get clothes without coupons?’

  ‘Can’t do that now June, its nine -o – clock.’

  ‘Doesn’t time fly; Phil, you had better go to bed, you can go swimming in the morning, you won’t need clothes for that.’