Big things happened when I was 4 years old, things I can’t forget even though the rest is just a blur. It was the year of the moon landing, something that still excites me today, and the year I got a scar over my eye. But this isn’t about that, this is about my first adventure.
At the time we lived in a shitty flat over a rat-infested flower shop, I saw them in the garden sometimes, from the kitchen window, some looked as big as dogs to me. It was cold at the time, and the electricity was off again as Dad wasn’t paying maintenance. Because of this Mom decided to take action, which resulted on us going on a trip.
Mom packed me up like a parcel into warm clothes, it was cold, late autumn or winter, and then we called in at Aunty Glads to borrow money for the journey, we were going to see Dad I was told, I was excited but Mom wasn’t, she wasn’t upset but something else, angry maybe. From there we headed to ride the bus from Bearwood Bus Station, which was brilliant fun for me, and then to Birmingham to get a train. I’d never been on a train before and it was iconic, noisy, fast and exciting, I still love train rides today. We travelled to Nuneaton, had a taxi ride, another first, and arrived at Dad’s… and he was out.
Mom was banging on the front door of the flat and one of the neighbours came to see what was going on, they talked and she told Mom he didn’t usually get in till late. She also mentioned a window at the back of the flat which was never shut, ground floor luckily! She even loaned Mom a chair but the window was too small for Mom to get through. It was getting cold and dark and I was hungry, mom asked me if I thought I could get in and open the front door and of course I said yes. She lowered me into the room, my feet coming into contact with boxes or various junk and I jumped down onto the floor and then the barking started. I remember starting to cry and hearing my mom panicking outside as a big black lab entering the room I was in. It ran over to me, stopped barking and licked my face, I didn’t remember Sheba but she remembered me thankfully.
Once I was calm Mom told me to walk to the door and go left, which I did, at which time she had moved from the back window and was shouting through the letterbox to guide me to the front door. I found a chair in the hall and climbed up, I knew how the chub lock worked, and twisted the boiled sweet-shaped knob, but it was stiff, difficult to turn, and I couldn’t turn it. I was getting upset and Mom started shouting and rattling the door from outside, she was scared and couldn’t get to me. She pushed her arm through the letterbox, held my hand and got me to try again, she was rattling the door this time and it finally clicked and she was inside.
It was great playing with the dog, the flat was warm, there was a TV and Mom cooked something. It was dark now and Dad still hadn’t come home so Mom put me to bed in his room. I remember waking up later and hearing raised voices in the other room, Sheba was on the bed with me, I just snuggled down and later remember my Dad getting into bed and cuddling up to me.
The next day he took us to the station, he gave Mom an envelope, which contained some cash, and we travelled home, another train/bus ride home.