Ellie Elmore A Life Touched by Gods & Men

Episode 1 … First Encounter First Impression-2

Eddie finds his way out of the old engine plant and heads back to his car across the dusty grounds of the old factory. He fills his car boot with the music gear before driving off to his mother’s house in Wheeler Drive.

‘I need to find those guys. I’ve just got to find those guys,’ mutters Eddie, gripping his steering wheel ever more tightly as he drives.

The further Eddie drives, the more the teenagers music bounces around inside his head, bouncing off each eardrum in perfect rhythm until he reaches his mother’s house, where Madge is ready and waiting for him on her front doorstep.

How does she do that? She knows the moment I’m going to arrive; it’s uncanny! thinks Eddie, stopping his car and looking at his mother, before getting out and walking up her front garden path.

Eddie always calls his mother by her first name and usually greets her with a loving hug. ‘How are you, Madge? What have you been doing lately? What’s the local gossip?’ asks Eddie before he’s even set foot inside her house.

‘No, no, son, you first,’ replies Madge, rocking side to side from one foot to the other. ‘How’s the new woman in your life?’ she asks.

‘Fine Madge, fine,’ replies Eddie, ‘but—’

‘Just fine!’ repeats Madge, interrupting Eddie with a disappointed look on her face.

‘Madge, if you’ll just let me finish!’ says Eddie. ‘Because I have some exciting news. You’ll never guess what’s just happened to me down at the old car factory?’

‘Go on, son. Old car factory …’ says Madge with her eyes wide open. ‘What? What?’ she begs, now bursting to know.

Eddie goes on to tell his mother all about his chance encounter in the disused factory.

‘My, my, so we do have talent in this old town after all. Apart from you, son, that is.’ replies Madge, while tickling the base of her throat.

‘I’ve got their music gear in my car. Madge, I’ve got to find those teenagers. Will you help me?’ asks Eddie.

‘Sure, you know I will,’ replies Madge.

‘I want to return their gear,’ says Eddie. ‘Plus, I want to hear them play again. You should have heard the sounds they made. You should have heard that girl’s voice; it was fantastic. Will you do me a favour?’ he continues, returning his attention to his mother. ‘Will you see if you can find out anything about those guys for me during the week? I just might be able to help them.’

‘You know I will. I’ll start asking around tomorrow,’ replies Madge.

‘Thanks, Madge. You’re the best mum in the world.’ says Eddie, giving his mother a gentle squeeze before they both head inside her house.

Eddie and Madge spend the rest of their afternoon reminiscing about the good old days. Those enjoyable days when Steve, Eddie’s dad, was alive and working in the then profitable car factory, which saw shiny new cars roll off the end of the track at all hours of the day and night. Back in those days, most people from around Madge’s local area used to work at the car factory, and the whole area enjoyed a robust and friendly community spirit.

Then Eddie’s visit ends with Madge promising to find out all she can about the two teenagers, and to phone Eddie with any news if and when she gets any.

***

Sunday morning, after breakfast, Madge heads off for her regular coffee morning around her friend Evelyn’s house at the end of her road. As Madge walks, she tries to think of questions she can ask her friends regarding the two teenagers. She arrives at Evelyn’s to find her dearest and lifelong friend already entertaining the rest of her coffee morning regulars in her front room.

Madge settles straight into the conversation, and it isn’t long before she asks her friends if they know of any teenagers who play music in the old closed-down car factory, but nobody knows a thing.

Then Betty, who’s making tea and coffee in the kitchen, pops her head into the room where the other women are happily chatting away.

‘Music? Music, you say? I’ll tell who makes music. My young paperboy, that’s who. He makes music with his friends, you know. He thinks I don’t listen to him, but I do. He’s always going on about music,’ splutters Betty in a bit of a hurry. ‘He and his friends are going to dominate the world with music,’ she continues. ‘He told me so. He thinks I like music. I don’t know why. I know his mum and dad, you know!’ she adds, before disappearing back into the kitchen.

‘It’s because you’re always singing, dear,’ shouts Jean, another of the coffee morning ladies.

‘Is that the same paperboy who delivers to me?’ shouts Madge towards the kitchen.

‘Yes, it is,’ replies Betty, popping her head back into the room. ‘He delivers all around here.’

Madge makes a mental note of her new-found information before continuing to enjoy her coffee morning with the rest of her friends, and when it comes to a close, Madge heads off home to spend the rest of her day pottering about in her back garden.

***

The following few days are relatively uneventful for Madge, and for some reason, she doesn’t see her paperboy on the Monday or Tuesday evening.

Then, on Wednesday evening, Madge is sitting in her front room in her favourite chair having a quiet cup of tea, when suddenly she hears her letterbox slam shut. She gets up quickly and heads for her front window to see her paperboy wearing his in-ear headphones and singing to himself as he does most evenings while delivering his papers. Then he slowly heads away down her front garden path.

‘He’s always happy, always singing. I wonder, I just wonder?’ says Madge out loud, before heading to her front door as quickly as she can.

‘Hello, young man!’ shouts Madge, as her paperboy continues down her garden path. ‘Young man?’ repeats Madge even louder, now stopping him and making him half turn around.

‘Hi!’ replies the paperboy, giving a polite wave and taking his left in-ear earphone out his ear before turning again and continuing to walk away.

‘Young man, how would you like to earn some money?’ shouts Madge, trying to regain his attention.

‘Too busy,’ replies the boy, still walking away.

‘Shame!’ shouts Madge, not wanting to be beaten. ‘I’m willing to pay good money to get my old shed fixed up.’

‘Good money?’ mutters the boy, stopping dead in his tracks and turning to face Madge. ‘How much money is good money?’ he asks, taking the remaining earphone out of his right ear and tucking it inside the neck of his T-shirt.

‘Well, you tell me?’ replies Madge. ‘Just take a look through those gates and you tell me how much it will cost to fix up my old shed.’ She points towards two tall wooden gates attached to the side of her house.

‘Wait there!’ adds Madge, quickly disappearing inside her house and then reappearing moments later waving her gate key. ‘There it is, young man.’ she says after unlocking her double gates and pushing one wide open to point towards her shed at the top of her garden.

‘Let’s take a closer look,’ mutters the paperboy, with his head tilted to one side, before starting to walk toward the shed.

‘As you can see, it’s in desperate need of some repair, plus a splash of paint wouldn’t go amiss,’ says Madge, doing a sort of hop and a skip while trying to keep up with her paperboy.

‘Hmmm, shouldn’t take too much work. Especially if I get my friends to help,’ he mumbles, rubbing his chin and now standing in front of the shed.

‘Would your friends help you?’

‘Oh, sure. We always working together. In fact, we’re working on a mu—’ replies the boy, stopping mid-sentence.

‘Music project?’ suggests Madge, straight out of the blue and not sure why she said it. ‘Were you going to say a music project? … a music studio, yeah my old shed is certainly big enough, and I guess it would make a superb music studio for any teenagers wanting to put a little work into cleaning it up.’

The paperboy’s eyebrows twitch the instant Madge mentions music studio.

‘I have an idea!’ says Madge. ‘Why don’t you bring your friends around here one evening to have a look at my old shed? You never know, they might want to earn a little extra money as well?’ she continues. ‘And if they want to help you, all of you can make some extra cash together. It might even make a great music studio, if that’s what you’re looking for?’ she adds, getting all excited about her hunch.

‘Yeah! I could do that. I’ll ask them if they wanna come and have a look. After all, there’s no harm in asking,’ replies the paperboy.

‘Great! Come around whenever you like. I’m always here,’ says Madge, trying to stay cool, because she doesn’t know her paperboy all that well, or his friends, but she is enjoying all this detective work.

‘Okay, I’ll be in touch. What’s your name?’ asks the boy, turning to look at Madge.

‘Er, Madge! You can call me Madge,’ she replies after a moment’s hesitation. ‘And yours?’

‘Johnny,’ replies the paperboy, ‘and you’d better give me your phone number so I can call you when I’ve spoken to my friends.’

‘Yes. Right. Okay! I’ll just go write it down,’ says Madge, turning slightly to her right, then slightly to her left, before hastily heading for her house. ‘Here you are,’ she adds, returning quickly and handing Johnny her phone number on a piece of torn paper.

‘Thanks,’ he replies, stuffing the number into the front pocket of his jeans for safe keeping. ‘I’ll be in touch when I’ve spoken to my friends.’

Madge takes a good look at Johnny as he stands to gaze at her shed a moment longer. Johnny’s a stocky character with his hair brushed forward onto his face, and he’s wearing tight jeans, which are too short in the leg, revealing his odd coloured socks and odd-brand trainers, but apart from that, he’s your typical sixteen-year-old boy.

‘Fine. Yes, fine,’ mutters Madge after a few seconds of looking at Johnny. ‘Fine. Great. I look forward to it.’ She nods, really hoping Johnny will get back in touch with her as they walk back towards her gate.

‘Bye, then,’ says Johnny, wandering off to finish his paper round and popping his earphones back in.

‘Bye!’ replies Madge quietly, as she gives Johnny a little wave before closing her gate.

Madge goes inside her house with her mind buzzing faster than a beehive working overtime having enjoyed every minute of her meeting with young Johnny. But now she wants to go over her conversation in minute detail inside her mind.

***

Friday afternoon arrives quickly, finding Madge in her back garden watering her flowers, when all of a sudden, she stops what she’s doing and stands up straight, like a soldier standing at attention.

No word from young Johnny yet, and it’s been days now, she thinks, gazing towards her shed. Madge was hoping to have heard from Johnny by now, and his lack of communication is causing Madge a lot of concerned for his well-being.

He was all excited about making some money. I could sense it, continues Madge with her thoughts, while rubbing the back of her neck then stretching her back.

Madge continues to think about Johnny while working in her garden, and the more she thinks, the more concerned she gets. Then, quick as a flash, she heads for her back room to make a phone call.

‘He’s quit!’ says Cid, the local paper-shop owner. ‘He called the other evening to say he wouldn’t be doing his paper round anymore, and that was it, he hasn’t been back in the shop since – not a sight nor sound of him. Left me right in the lurch, he did. Teenagers! They just don’t wanna work these days. Don’t wanna work!’

‘Okay, thanks, bye!’ says Madge, short and sweet, before hanging up, because she’s not all that bothered about her evening paper.

After her phone call, Madge is even more concerned about young Johnny, and her heart sinks at the thought of something bad happening to him.

***

Ten o’clock Saturday morning and Madge is in her back garden sitting in her comfy chair, drinking green tea and reading her favourite book, when she hears her phone ring.

‘Hello, Madge,’ says Eddie.

‘Hi, son,’ replies Madge, a little surprised to hear from Eddie, who normally works on a Saturday morning.

‘Any news on those two music guys yet?’ continues Eddie.

‘Why yes? I’m good, thank you!’ replies Madge loudly while looking away from the phone.

‘Sorry, Madge! Are you well and having fun?’ asks Eddie, now realising his mistake of not inquiring about his mother first.

‘Yes, son. Lots of fun, and it’s nice to be asked, thank you,’ replies Madge, now slightly happier.

‘Sorry, Madge,’ says Eddie. ‘It’s just that those teenagers have me on edge. They’re stuck inside my head. All I can hear is their music and that young girl’s voice. I can see the pair of them now, playing in that old factory.’ he adds.