Bo-Bo And The Orphans

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Not that long ago on a cold winters night a small wooden fruit box
was left outside an orphans home . Inside the box was a baby wrapped in
a woollen rug with a note was attached to it .
The message on a scrap of paper read,
This baby is the last thing I need right now . Please be kind to him
.
The unwanted baby was brought up for a number of years by those who ran
the orphanage . He was pet named baby beau and later on he became known
as Bo-Bo the name that stuck with him .
When he was ten years old he was given a job as Stoker for the local
primary school . It was his job to keep the boilers going and doing
some other jobs in the privacy of the boiler room. All day he shovelled
coal into the large burners that kept the huge radiator system working
. During some free periods a couple of teachers tried to give Bo-Bo and
education .
Mr Brannigan often called in with pencils that needed sharpened and
taught Bo-Bo to read and write . Mr Boyd helped Bo-Bo with adding and
subtraction and in return Bo-Bo did small repairs around the school
yard . Mr Mulvena the PE teacher taught Bo-Bo some boxing and Judo and
eventually Bo-Bo was taken up by the local boxing club . It didn't take
long for Bo-Bo to make his mark in the ring . Although he still was
living at the orphanage the day had come for Bo-Bo to make his way out
in the world . So to help him get started Bo-Bo was given a judo mat to
sleep on in the corner of Boscos Boxing Club and in return Bo-Bo did
some sweeping up for the club . When Bo-Bo started to fight as a pro he
made a small wage in prize fights . He earned enough to buy clothes and
food and rent a flat nearby .
He took on some of the older lads in the ring at Boscos . A local
trainer began to manage Bo-Bo and pushed him hard because of his raw
talent . There was something about the way he moved around the ring .
There was a venom in his punch . As a boxer Bo-Bo had a killer instinct
.It was clear that Bo-Bo was a natural . Some said it was because he
had a good reason to fight for his life that earned him his junior
world middle weight title . When he entered his early teens Bo-Bo had
become smarter than most and walked away from a future in the ring . He
had already proved himself to be a great boxer and left undefeated in
the ring .
Outside the boxing ring he was the gentlest and kindest person you
would ever hope to meet . Now with a reputation and a lot of friends
Bo-Bo felt at ease with life . Although he was settled there were other
issues that he was concerned about . One of these was the growing
number of children in the orphanage and the lack of people to care for
them .

Because Bo-Bo had earned the respect of certain influential people in
the town and was in a position where he could maybe make them aware of
the great need that was within the walls of the orphanage he was now a
man with a mission . The best friends Bo-Bo had were those involved
with Boscos and one evening Bo-Bo called a meeting .At the meeting it
was decided that a small handful of the Bosco Boys would get on push
bikes and ride all over the land making people aware of the poor
orphans plight and what ever money they could raise would go to the
orphans .
The bike ride began with flags and banners carried by the six riders
.
Some sponsors had promised a pound for each mile that each of the Bosco
Boys could do .
So Bo-Bo , Charlie, Lefty, Spider, Sketer and Mo began their ride
.
They all pedalled off from Boscos to hand claps and cheers from the
local council and members of the business club .
Some local media were there with their cameras .
Bo-Bo was up front and took off at pace with the fiver other riders
behind .
Charlie was so busy waving and watching all the on lookers that he ran
straight into a lamp post almost knocking himself out .
Bo-Bo stopped riding and jumped from his bike and ran over and lifted
Charlie from the road and placed him on the pavement . Charlie was
wriggling and trying to get up but Bo-Bo restrained him .
"Easy on "
Bo=Bo whispered into Charlies ear .

"I'm all right "
Charlie said with blood running all down his face .
Bo-Bo wiped the blood away and said ,
"Steady on Charlie . Make it look good for the cameras . We need the
publicity so pretend you're out for the count . Lie still and wait for
the bell ."
Cameras were flashing as Bo-Bo went over and took a drink fron his
water bottle and checked his tyres and then rang the bell several times
on his bike . Charlie slowly stirred into life and Bo-Bo rushed over to
his side .

How many fingers have I put up ?
Bo_Bo said .

Charlie took a long look because Bo-Bo kept changing the number of
fingers he had .
"Six ,one ah three am I mean four . Awh stop it Bo-Bo you're cheating
."
Everyone was laughing as Charlie got to his feet and back on to his
bike .
Charlie was an innocent big lad and loved to capture each moment
.
Noticing the cameras were on him he started to do some bike tricks for
the crowd . He briefly stood up and balanced himself with one leg on
the saddle
and the other in the air then he sat back down and rode around in a
circle with the front wheel in the air . Bo-Bo and the rest of the lads
sat and waited until Charlie had finished his show .
"Are we ready then Charlie "
Bo-Bo said .
Charlie apologised and asked if they could wait a moment longer as he
needed to go to the toilet .
"Sure thing Charlie . We'll just wait here don't mind us ."
Lefty said .
While he was away Spider and Sketer took his bike and hid it behind a
parked car . The growing audience were now caught up in the antics
between the lads who tried to stop laughing as Charlie returned .
"Welcome back Charlie, now lets go lads. "
Bo-Bo said .

Charlie had a very worried look on his face as he rushed about here and
there frantically trying to locate his bike .
"Hurry up Charlie . Its getting dark and we have a hundred miles to go
."
Lefty said .
"My bloody bikes gone . Where's my bloody bike? "
Charlie screamed .
"What are you talking about ?"
Bo-Bo- said .
"My bloody blue bike is gone ."
Charlie said .
"Then you'll just have to stay home Charlie ."
Bo-Bo said .
Behind Charlies back Spider and Sketer quietly returned Charlie's bike
.
Everyone except Charlie mounted their bikes and couldn't keep a
straight face
As Charlie's lips were all quivering . All the lads gave Charlie a wave
who turned his back on them and in doing so saw his bike .
All the audience burst into fits of laughter as Charlie turned around
and grabbed his blue bike . He jumped straight on and began shouting
.
"Yes my bloody bike . My bloody blue bike come back boys ."
he said .
Eventually all the lads were on their bikes and making their way up to
the Black Mountain way . It was all up hill and the going was tough
.
Up the mountain the bikes made their way as twilight crept in .
As night fell the six riders stopped at a farmhouse and asked the
farmer
at Horseshoe corner if they could spend the night in the barn . Once
the farmer realised who they were and the mission they were on he not
only gave them his barn but he cooked them up a dinner as well .

That night Bo-Bo and the boys lay there they all shared a few jokes and
stories . There was a bit of clowning around before going to sleep
.
Charlie did some shadow boxing in the corner and as always went too far
and snapped a left cross too hard and much too close . The result was a
large hole in the barn wall . Bo-Bo wasn't happy with Charlie .
"That's just great . Instead of boxing you're shadow you've gone and
knocked it out and just about demolished the farmers barn ."
Bo-Bo inspected the hole and found there was another wall there behind
the hole . The hole that Charlie had punched was just a boast wall
.
"Charlie bring me a torch will you ."
Bo-Bo said .
Charlie said .
"What colour do you want .I've got a blue one and Lefty's got a yellow
one . Spiders is green".
Bo-Bo interrupted .
"Just bring me one that works ".
They all gathered around B0-Bo as he shone the torch into the hole
.
"There's something down here . Hold my legs while I see if I can grab
it ."
Bo-Bo was half suspended in the air as he squeezed himself down inside
the gap between the two walls . He pulled out a leather bag covered in
dust . It looked as if the bag had been there for a long time . Once
the lads pulled him back out he opened the bag . Inside it was a bundle
of money and some small gold ingots .
Charlie started dancing around the barn singing ,
"We're rich ! We're rich ! "
Bo-Bo stood looking long and hard at Charlie before shouting .
"Right then follow me. "
With the bag tightly in his hand Bo-Bo led the way up to the farmhouse
door where he knocked loudly until it was opened by the old man who
looked half asleep and stunned .
" What's the matter ?"
he said .
"Can we come in ?"
Bo-Bo said .
"All right I guess so ."
The farmer looked on as Bo-Bo emptied the contents of the bag on the
floor .
It was quiet as a church until Bo-Bo broke the silence .
He said ,
" One of the lads was shaping up and when he threw a haymaker at his
own Shadow and smashed a hole through the wall in your barn . But if he
hadn't done so we wouldn't have discovered what was behind it . This
bag looks to me like it was stashed there by somebody . Now it belongs
to you old man ."
The old farmer rushed away and a short time later he returned pushing a
wheelchair with an woman who smiled and waved at the lads ."
"This is my wife Ethel . I've just told her what you've found ."
The farmer said .
Bo-Bo reached out his hand gently and said
"Pleased to meet you Ethel ."
She replied in a soft but clear voice ,
"This farm has been in my family for three generations .There has
always been a story about a treasure buried on the farm somewhere but
no one had ever been able to find it . The story goes that during the
war my father had hid all his life savings somewhere on the property
because he feared that it would be discovered and stolen by some enemy
forces . We all thought it was just a story because no one had ever
found the money until now . It seems that you have brought back my
fathers treasure untouched . Lets have a drink ."
The old man went and brought over a bottle of Irish whisky and placed
eight crystal glasses on the table . With a slow and steady hand he
poured a good measure into each glass and lifting his glass he proposed
a toast to the six honest boxers who had returned their family treasure
.

After counting out the money a large slice was donated by the farmer
and his wife to the orphans and what was left over was more than enough
to see the old couple through in the days that remained .
The next morning the six bike riders made their way back over the Black
Mountain and on down through Glens .
After the farmer and his wife had spread the story about the lads who
found the lost treasure, newspapers and TV all over the country took it
up and the response was instant .
Large donations for the orphan children began to pour in .
Within that year a trust fund was set up for every orphan child that
would guarantee a better future for them .
Some of the children were brought in to families and given good homes
.
Some of the orphan boys joined up at Boscos and Bo-Bo took on managing
the club . Although he hang hung up his gloves Bo-Bo had managed to put
Boscos boxing club back on top of the ladder as the leading club in the
land .

By Paul McCann

The End