Bo-Bo Found A Life -Chapter 9

 Bo-Bo Found A Life 

A Novel

By Paul McCann

Chapter 9

 

On The Job

Business was slow in the village from time to time and in the quite times there were always sales and giveaway prizes to help business along .

Some shop owners hired men and women dressed up in strange outfits and some others placed flashing signs and window dressers . 

Bo- Bo was one of those people who could turn his hand to anything and could see the need out there and a possibility of making some money in the process . So he proposed to a few of the shop owners in town that their  business could use some signs out the front . The idea was to use the element of surprise tactics . Bo-Bo explained that placing a sign on their front windows might pay dividends . He made the point that there was always a regular passing parade and that he could design and paint some interesting messages on the window it may just attract the custom they needed .

So because Bo-Bo worked at a very modest fee he got the job as the community sign-writer and advertising specialist  .

With six shops to do immediately Bo-Bo was going to need some help .

Bo-Bo went to look for Charlie who was always glad to help Bo-Bo .

It didn’t take that long to find him . There was Charlie walking like a cat along the top of the school wall .

Bo-Bo crept up quietly without Charlie seeing him and said in a strange errie voice   .

“Ooohh Charlie please don’t fall . I’m the ghost of the old school wall .“

Charlie screamed and leapt about three feet into the air and down on to the ground right in front of Bo-Bo who grabbed him tightly and said  .

“Now I’ve got you Charlie. “

“Aahh Jeazus Bo-Bo you scared the blinking daylights out of me !“

Charlie screamed .

 Bo-Bo said ,

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those who believe all those stories about the ghost of the old school wall are you Charlie ?”

Charlie went white and his bottom lip began to quiver . He looked into Bo-Bo’s face and said ,

“What ghost ?”

Bo-Bo tried to keep a straight face and said ,

“You mean you don’t know about the ghost of the old school wall .”

Charlie was really worried now and said . “Na na na ah no .“

Bo-Bo gave him a slap on the back and laughed and said ,

“Charlie come on and wise up . We’ve got some painting to do .“

 They made their way to Christies hardware shop and picked up some painting supplies .

Then Bo-Bo put Charlie to work cleaning each of the shop windows while he put together some signs with a set of colour arrangements for each of the six shops on the front of the road .

The opticians, The Bakers , The photographers, The bank , the tackle and bait shop and the music store all wanted something to attract some custom .

The first thing to be done was to clean all the shop windows .

Charlie continued to rant and rave as usual , talking a mile a minute about  things that had nothing to do with the job at hand .

“Do you think Mrs Fagan has a problem Bo-Bo . She always tells me to stop picking the leaves off her tree . Its not even me who does it and its not her tree anyway . It used to belong to Micky who lives next door to Sketer’s uncle Micky . I remember the night Spider dug that tree out one night when Micky was asleep and planted it in Mrs Fagan’s garden . When Mrs Fagan got up the next morning she told everybody it had always been there .“

Bo-Bo just smiled and said .

“Don’t worry Charlie next time you see her tell her you’ll stick the leaves back on for her in the spring ok ?”

Charlie seemed happy with that and taking a deep breath he said .

“Ok . Right then . Here I’ll tell you another thing Bo-Bo . Do you know Tiddles, the milk mans cat ? Well she got killed crossing the road the other day . It got hit by the milk truck and when he tried to stop hundreds of milk bottles fell off the truck and smashed all over the street .“

“Well there’s no use crying over spilt milk Charlie. “

said Bo-Bo who stopped and asked for a bucket of soapy water from Mrs Muldoon who lived in the corner house of the street they were on . Bo-Bo turned to Charlie and handed over the bucket and chamois and said .

“ Charlie take this and clean all the glass windows of ht shops on this list . Then dry them with the chamois cloth ok . I’ll be back as soon as I have written all the ideas for the signs “.

Before Charlie had the chance to ask and questions Bo-Bo was off like a flash towards the club .

After a while Bo-Bo returned to the front of the road to find Charlie washing every single shop window .  Bo-Bo stood there for a moment an d watched Charlie furiously at work . Inspecting the glass up and down then side to side and wiping the chamois now and then .

“What the heck are you doing Charlie ?”

asked Bo-Bo .

“Cleaning the shop windows like you asked me “

Charlie replied .

“That’s very good Charlie but I never asked you to do the entire road .” Bo-Bo said .

“Oh I know but when I cleaned the ones you asked me to do all the others looked so dirty I had to clean them . Don’t you think its looks good ?” Said Charlie .

“Sure Charlie they look great .“  Bo-Bo said not wanting to say the wrong thing .

Then he handed Charlie three pieces of cardboard with the signs for the Opticians job , the bakers and the tackle and bait shop and the he slowly said 

“Charlie copy what I have written on these bits of cardboard on to the front window of each shop . Use these colours I’ve set out . I’m going off to begin painting the windows of the Music Store , the photographers and the bank . If you have any problem just come and see me . Ok Charlie ? “

Charlie nodded his head and started to look at each of the job cards one after the other . Charlies signs were small and simple .

All he had to do was use the stencil and write down the three messages on three windows .  Bo-Bo had put a lot of thought into the signs .

The photographers sign said 

 

“ Have your families and loved ones shot and hung by a professional  “

The bank sign read ,

High-Ho-Silver

Some will. Some won’t . Some do. Some don’t. We might . It won’t hurt to ask the man with the mask . See the Loan arranger .

The novelty sign for the music store said ,

 

If you have come and I was gone then I may have gone Chopin

but I’ll be Bach In A Minute

 

Bo-Bo sign for the opticians would cover the entire window . In giant letters would be one word Optometrists , then underneath that big word in very small letters would be a message that said

Special Notice

If you have stopped and took notice of this notice then you will probably notice that this notice isn’t worth noticing . But if you do notice the small print here on this notice then don’t take any notice of this notice . Otherwise  come inside and have your eyes checked for free .  

The bakers sign would simply read ,

Did you smell our lovely buns . 

The last shop window sign out the front of the bait and tackle shop said .

Our worms are so alive they’ll make you wriggle .  

 

Eventually Bo-Bo had finished his three jobs and took and step back to have a look . People gathered around and took notice of the new signs . The sho keepers were very pleased with the work and paid Bo-Bo for his time .

Further on up the road there was a large crowd around the shops that Charlie had done .  Bo-Bo could hardly believe his eyes when he looked at the three shop[ windows .

Instead of writing   Optometrists Charlie had put Optimists .

No wonder the sign was drawing in peoples attention . Not only did he get the opticians sign wrong but somehow Charlie had got the other two shops mixed up . The Bait and Tackle shop had  Did you smell our lovely bums .

and the Bakers had   Our worms are so alive they’ll make you wriggle .

Bo-Bo looked at Charlie who stood posing for some photos .

He looked over and caught his eye and motioned him to come over .  

Charlie looked so proud  and said ,

“Isn’t it great Bo-Bo . Those nice people wanted to take a picture of me in front of all the signs I did “. 

“Jeazus Charlie what have you’ve done .“  Said Bo-Bo .

“Yea I know . Aren’t they great Bo-Bo”. Replied Charlie .

“Charlie . You’re missing the point . Its all a big blinking mess . You’ve got the bakers sign on the bait and tackle shop and you’ve misspelt buns . Its not bums Charlie its lovely buns Charlie . Not bloody bums Charlie .

Its bloody buns . “

Charlie smiled for a minute and then the smile ran away from his face  .

 His bottom lip started to quiver and he went red in the face . Almost lost for words Charlie said softly ,“Do you think people will notice ?”

Bo-Bo said ,

“ Oh no Charlie no one will notice . That’s if they’re blind . Only if they’re

blind and half as daft as you . Charlie look at the bakers window . If people see that we’re dead meat . Look at it Charlie .  Our worms are so alive they’ll make you wriggle .   Good God Charlie quick clean everything you did off .“

“Clean it all off Bo-Bo.“ Replied Charlie .

“Every last word Charlie “ said Bo-Bo .

“With what.” Said Charlie .

“Pink paint Charlie “ Bo-Bo said .

“Ok I’ll just go and get some Bo-Bo .“

Bo-Bo was stunned that Charlie was as thick as that but then thought that he was inspired by what he had just said . If he painted pink paint over what Charlie had done it might be a nice background to his message that he could scroll over the top of the pink  .

In the end it all worked like magic .

Everyone was happy .Bo-Bo and Charlie got paid and with the success of new custom all the other shopkeepers wanted their windows done as well .

 

End Of Chapter 9

 

Bo-Bo Found A Life 

 

Link to chapter 10

https://www.abctales.com/story/mcscraic/bo-bo-found-life-chapter-10

By Paul McCann