Five go on a Binge

Five Go on a Binge

NOTE: MAY GIVE OFFENCE: This is the world of Empire and British
supremacy, where 'foreign johnnys' and the working class are frowned
upon!

Part 1 -

Dick, Richard and Ritchie stood with their bicycles.

"Hurry up Angie!" ordered Dick, in quite a bossy way.

Richard guessed he was jealous, but would never criticise his pal by
saying so. Ritchie simply thought 'he's a prick!'

Angie was saying goodbye to Helmuth, her German pen-pal, who was
lifting Tinny into the basket on her front handlebars. She was a
forgiving and pleasant girl, who wished that the 'whole world could be
friends'. Richard secretly doubted that her aspiration could be
achieved but would never have told her. Ritchie thought she was 'effin'
stupid'.

Dick had strictly forbidden Angie to bring Helmuth with them. "I bet
the fat little Kraut can't even pedal a bike!" He'd said, quite
rudely.

Angie had informed Dick that, far from being a novice, Helmuth had won
the under 14's Rhine cycle race from K?ln to Koblenz the previous year.
In his cycling lederhosen, he cut a striking figure, and Angie had felt
strangely moved when he'd shown her photos of his 'big event'.

Dick had been adamant. "Look chaps - we've had this outing planned for
quite a time now, it's just for us - the 'fabulous five'. I know it's a
bit rude for Angie to leave a guest, but really, we're not having some
foreign oik butting in on our fun! I'm sorry but that's that!" He had
stamped his sandal on the ground, quite hard, which had frightened
Angie and made her shiver a little bit. Richard silently questioned
Dick's right to speak on behalf of all of them but Ritchie couldn't be
buggered!

Angie bade farewell to her German guest. After all, she thought, he's
staying two weeks, and Mum's taking him to Wandley Cross on the train
to see the belisha beacons.

"Ya! Angie, das ist gut!" The heavy, guttural accent rang round the
pleasant, English town square in a most unpleasant way. A man stopped
to peer over his spectacles at the unfortunate boy. "It's all right
sir!" Ritchie said in his most polite voice "we've disarmed him!" The
man couldn't work out if Ritchie was being cheeky or not, so after a
warning frown, moved on.

"Zo! Sie gehen auf eine Fahrradfahrt?"

You could have heard a pin drop. Angie blushed beetroot-red. Dick,
momentarily flabbergasted, dashed forward protectively and faced the
foreign intruder. "D?ddd? damn you!" Dick was quivering "Damn you, you
dirty little oik! Take your filthy language and go back where you came.
We don't like your sort of dirty talk here! Goddit!" Dick squared up to
the German boy, who was half his size, and pushed him in the chest,
quite firmly. Helmuth looked amazed, burst into tears and ran back to
Angie's house, where her mother locked him in his room and told him not
to be emotional. "I don't know why Angie ever wrote to one of those
Krauts!" Her kindly mother said. "Got me!" answered George, Angie's
father, as he sat with his pipe and paper, wearing a sports jacket and
carpet slippers. "Damn boy's overstressed! - give him some prunes!"
This was George's remedy for everything. But as a good wife, Mariette
smoothed her pinny, stood up, and with a bright "Yes,dear!" went off to
the kitchen to do as he had said.

Back at the square, the five had hurried away from the accusing stares.
"God, that'll teach us never to trust a foreigner" ventured
Richard.

"Quite right!" Dick barked, raising an approving eyebrow. "Quite right,
young Richard - you're learning!" Richard glowed with pride.

"What a creep!" Ritchie thought.

Although Angie was a bit upset, she admired Dick for his strength and
purpose. 'He may be a bit fierce' she thought 'but that's what men are
like!" Her head swirled with a new feeling, and she felt weak at the
knees. 'Can't have that' she thought 'I've got to keep up and show them
that some girls can ride nearly as well as boys, so Dick will like
me!'

Plucking up all her courage, she blurted out "Let's go then!"

Dick was momentarily taken aback. If either of the other two boys had
behaved n such a way, he would have hauled them in immediately. But
this was a girl. What to do? Dick smiled. She was a plucky girl "Ok,"
he said "let's go then chaps!"

They set off on their bikes down the lane towards Nethermold.

*

"Time for a break" barked Dick, as they approached a gateway to a
pleasant meadow. They stopped here often on their rides.

Very soon they were scoffing buns and pop, and Tinny was racing around
yapping at the birds. How they laughed!

As they were clearing up, a man approached from the roadway. Richard
spotted him first. He wore tattered clothes and carried a knapsack on a
stick on his shoulder. "I say chaps, there's a bally tramp coming this
way!"

Dick was immediately alert. Casting his gaze around, he spotted a large
tree branch, which he picked up and hid behind his back. "What do you
want?" He demanded of the man.

"Jist summat tae eat" the man spoke gruffly.

"That's begging!" exclaimed Angie "that is wrong you know!" she wagged
her finger at the man. Her kindly nature meant that she was deeply
upset by poor people and resented them.

"Yes" chimed in Richard "why don't you get an honest job and buy your
own food!"

The man leered at them, remarking "right little ladies an' gents,
aren't we? Well, youse better gi' me some food - and any coppers you
got in those prissy pockets o' yours"

"I say!" Richard exclaimed "he's got a funny accent! Are you
Irish?"

This was too much for Dick "right! That's enough now! Just bally well
go away!"

"Or whit, young surr?" the man turned towards Dick, who stood his
ground bravely. Angie screamed, and the other boys were rooted to the
spot.

Then Tinny darted in and nipped the man's leg. The tramp shouted a foul
word that shocked Angie to the core.

"God!" Dick was livid "in front of a lady, too!" he could contain his
anger no longer. Dick rushed forward as the nasty man was trying to
pull Tinny off his leg, and with a mighty effort, brought the heavy
branch crashing down on the fellow's head.

They stood around the figure slumped on the grass.

"There's blood coming out of his head!" Ritchie breathed.

"Oh, he'll be fine! Bit of a headache, but nothing more!" said Dick,
whose father was a Doctor.

"Phew!" Angie breathed a sigh of relief "that's all right then! Come
on, let's go!"

Her bright, cheery tone lifted their mood again, and they set off
happily. Richard thought that Dick had overreacted, but said nothing.
Ritchie thought 'he's killed the bastard!"

"Right!" Dick shouted "on to Nethermold!"

Happily, the 'fabulous five' cycled off.

TBC