Downshire is a relatively small English county but like a pocket battleship it packs a lot in, a short but beautiful coastline, a channel port, the Ancient forests of Dancingdean and Pepperstock, the craggy ridges and manmade lakes of the Pepperstock Hills National Park, the rolling hills of the Downshire Downs, the beautiful Finchbottom Vale and farm land as far as the eye can see from the Trotwood’s and the Grace’s in the south to the home of the Downshire Light infantry, Nettlefield, and their affluent neighbour’s, Roespring and Tipton in the north but our story takes place in the southern town off Abbottsford which was the biggest in Downshire, its administrative capital and the seat of the Downshire government.
It was also a place of
learning thanks to the Downshire University, a Cathedral City and was home to Abbottsford Town football club.
It was a cold and bitter winter in 1962, and one of the
hardest Downshire winters in living memory and eighteen year old Luke Osbourne found
himself far from home in Abbottsford that Christmas, a trainee in the
restaurant at the Regents Hotel, and he was penniless and alone.
He had spent most of his money on presents for his family
in Northchapel and the remainder on postage to have them delivered in time for
Christmas.
But on the day before Christmas Eve, he got paid and the restaurant
manager, Stefanos Calavittis, told him
“Take the rest of the evening off, we are booked solid
tomorrow and Christmas Day and we are very busy so there will be no time off
for the next two day”
He was a very strict manager but his bark was worse than
his bite and he treated all the staff firmly yet fairly.
“So go home and get some rest” He added.
Luke trudged home through the winding streets of the town
towards his digs, where he had a room on the top floor of a Victorian terraced
house in Castleview Road, but he decided to spend an hour at the Castle Pub.
It was run by Bob Dalimore, ex Abbottsford Town center
forward, and he would regularly regale die-hard fans like Luke with stories of
his glory days in the black and white quarters, he also overlooked the fact he
was under age.
The Castle soon became his local as it was on his way home
and the stocky, bald former football hero always made him and fellow Knights
fans welcome.
After nursing his pint for an hour he wandered through
the deserted winding back streets of the Castle district, slipping and
slithering on the icy pavements and his breath rose in dense clouds in the
sub-zero temperatures.
But suddenly two menacing figures appeared out of the
darkness and he was knocked violently to the floor and after a sustained
beating they left him bruised, bloody, cold and wet, minus his watch, his
signet ring and his pay packet.
After an indeterminate period of time he struggled to his
feet, brushing melted snow from his sodden clothes and groggily set off to
complete his journey home.
He could have gone back to the pub where everyone would
have rallied round but he was too ashamed.
His head ached from the beating and his hands had lost
all sensation but he rubbed them vigorously together to restore circulation
regardless.
As he stumbled along he peered through the frosted dimly lit
windows and saw families, gaily preparing for the upcoming celebrations and he
found himself wondering how things were at home.
He had received a letter from his mother only that
morning and though it was intended to cheer him up it had the opposite effect because
in truth it held sadness between every line.
“We will miss you, on your first Christmas away from home”
she wrote and he missed home even more.
Luke ached from the cold and huddled deeper into his
duffel coat as a black cab sped by, full of drunken revelers, its windows steamed
up.
The Christmas lights twinkled from the windows in Castle
View Road, and he looked up to his own darkened window of his tiny attic
apartment high above.
“Not far to go now” he said to himself as number 85 Castle
View Road was in view.
He struggled up the narrow staircases up to his tiny
attic apartment on the fourth floor of the old Victorian building.
Once he got into his room he spread his soaked clothing
on the lukewarm radiator and crawled into bed as outside the snow began to fall
heavily and little drops of moisture trickled down the frozen windowpane.
When he arrived downstairs for breakfast the next
morning, his landlady, Mrs. Oliver, took one look at him and ordered him back
to bed.
Fortunately he was not the only member of the Regents
Hotel staff to have rooms at Mrs. Oliver’s, so they were able to let Mr. Calavittis
what had happened to Luke and to testify that he wasn’t malingering.
He spent much of the day in his room under the covers
until he suddenly heard a chorus of voices as they wafted up on the crisp afternoon
air.
So he crawled out of his bed and wrenched the dormer window
open and he saw far below in their back garden his next door neighbours children running around
and having fun in the snow, his first reaction to the view of the Cooper family
enjoying the weather was one of sadness, but he quickly shook off those
feelings and leant far out and scooped up handfuls of snow from the slates and
the Cooper children shrieked and ran for cover as his snowballs found their
mark.
“Merry Christmas Luke” Sally Cooper called up to him and
smiled “Come down and join us”
He liked Sally, she was a few months younger than him and
he had a crush on her.
“Yes please come” her younger siblings chorused
Luke donned his duffel coat and woolen hat and went
downstairs and via the back garden of 85 and joined the Coopers and was greeted
by a volley of snowballs.
But when Sally saw the cuts and abrasions on his face she
was shocked by their severity and called off her siblings attack.
“My goodness” she said “Mrs. O said you were robbed, but
I didn’t know they hurt you so badly”
And then to her brother John she said
“Go and get mum”
When Mrs. Cooper appeared and saw his injuries she went
all mother hen over him
“You poor boy, look what they did to you, you’re spending
Christmas with us” she announced “and I want no argument”
“I’m working all day tomorrow” he said meekly
“Well you’re not working tonight” Mrs. Cooper said “so you’re
staying for dinner, George has made Punch and we are having roast Goose
tonight”
“He’d love to” Sally said “Wouldn’t you?”
“Yes very much, thank you” he said and Sally took his arm
“Come into the warm then” Mrs. Cooper said “it’s getting
chilly”
“We don’t just have Punch and Goose this evening” Sally
said as they followed the other inside
“What else could there be?” he asked
“Mistletoe” Sally replied and smiled so despite
everything it turned out to be a wonderful Christmas in 1962 after all.
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