On The Road - Part 1

It was in late 1970s, I was 15 years old when I secured a job working on the roads. I say secured but it was more of a drunk conversation on a Saturday night with an Irish friend who introduced me to an older stocky irish guy who overheard me saying I need a job. There was no interview just an order to be outside The Swan pub at 5am on Monday morning and bring enough clothes for a week.  Winter was upon us, and I stood freezing at the pick up point with a suitcase. A white van pulled up and the man who offered me the job ‘call me Kelly’ laughed at my suitcase and said are you Paddington bear? His equally stocky companion in the passenger seat joined in and said ‘more like Winnie the shite’ they both laughed as I climbed into the back of the van that had a single mattress that was surprisingly clean.

I had no idea where we were going but the drive seemed to go on forever. There was little conversation, and I was too timid to ask any questions. After 3 hours of rattling my bones in the back of the van we arrived just north of Preston and parked on the hard shoulder of the M6.  I was starving and thirsty and asked if there was a shop nearby. ‘no time for shopping young buck, did ye not bring any food wit ya?’ said Kelly. No, was my weak answer ‘I left it at home on the kitchen table’ . Well, that was awful stupid wasn’t it’ he replied. ‘Anyway you’ll get some food at lunchtime ‘ . I was freeing and wanted to go home. I climbed out of the van and was handed a concrete breaker that was heavy and awkward and it looked like I was wrestling with it, which made my two cohorts laugh ’Right young buck you start on the inside lane breaking up the old tarmac, and stay within the cones’.

It took me 20 minutes to rig the breaker up to the compressor, mainly because I didn’t know what a compressor was or how it worked. I connected the hose, grabbed the throttle and was about to start the thing up but was distracted by the stares from Kelly and his sidekick, whose name I had yet to discover. ’What?’ I asked, ‘we’re just waiting for you to start young Buck’ said Kelly. I griped the handles tightly and pulled the throttle and was dragged about five feet along the road by the breaker without making a scratch in the tarmac. Kelly and co were pissing themselves with laughter. ‘jaysus bucky you’re like a mouse trying to hold on to the tail of a runaway elephhant’. I gradually got the hang of operating the breaker and got stuck into the job and suppressed my hunger pains. A couple of hours went by then Kelly switched the compressor of and called me over for a brew. ‘are ye enjoying yesrself bucky boy’ My hands were shaking from the vibrations of the breaker ‘I am’ I replied not wanting to admit defeat so soon. Lunch came and ‘Michael, (finally I knew the name of Kelly’s sidekick!) had kindly offered me a cheese sandwich with bread the as thick as a brick and a block of cheese in between, it was delicious.

The day went by so fast and I was knackered but pleased with my work. We got into the van and drove to the next junction. After about 2 miles we arrived at a pub called the Red Lion. ‘Right Bucky boy’ said Kelly we’re gong for a couple of pints and then getting some tea so get a move on’ I was aching all over and desperate for a shower but too shy to say so. Within 30 minutes of being in the pub Kelly and Michael had drunk 3 pints of Guinness. I was still sipping my pint of pissy lager. Tea was fish and chips which went down well, and I was looking forward to getting to my room in the pub. ‘we’re not staying in the Pub Bucky, we’re staying in the Caravan at the back of the pub’. I walked round to the garden and there it was a small caravan that would probably shit itself if a light wind approached it.  ‘How will three people sleep in that I asked?’ Kelly looked at me and said ‘There won’t be three people in the caravan Bucky boy because you’re sleeping in the van’ I thought they were joking but it was true. ‘You’ll find a sleeping bag under the passenger seat, so we’ll see you in the morning’. I was too tired to argue.

To be continued.

(C)JMN2022