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    Too Young to be A Man
    Too Young to be A Man
    Too Young to be A Man
    Ebook83 pages1 hour

    Too Young to be A Man

    By Ernest Douglas Hall

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    then he stopped because his Dad was coming towards him again.
    this time his mother grabbed a kitchen knife and held it in front of her and said ‘If you touch him again i'll knife you, you swine.’
    his father looked at her face and he knew that she would do what she said
    he walked back to the table, and said pour me a mug of tea, there's no hurry I will get you, you little shit.’
    his mam said ‘little shit is he well let me tell you he is just fourteen but he is more of a man than you will ever be, now pour your own tea come on robbie we can go to bed.’
    as they went through the kitchen door he threw a mug at them the mug hit the wall near to maureen's head but she just shut the door.
    It was the monday morning robbie felt a tug on his arm and his mother saying come on son, it's half past five you need a wash then a bite to eat before you go to work.
    robbie went into the kitchen and saw that the coal kettle was half empty he knew then that his dad had used some coal instead of going to bed where he would be warm under the blanket.
    his mam was pouring a mug of tea and she said ‘that shows you what kind of man I married he used the coal to sit up half the night smoking his pipe not giving a thought to the kids.’
    robbie went out into the cold morning air it had been snowing very hard and his toes were starting to ache already and he was not half way to work.
    he went down with the other boys and men his job was to drive a pony dragging a tub along the drift tunnel.
    he was there until six o'clock that night then he came up to the surface again it was dark again he did not see daylight until a Saturday and a sunday.
    he was walking home when he came to the village pub and as he went by he stopped and took a look through the window and he saw his father sitting at a table with his arm around a woman they were laughing and joking.
    robbie decided to let his dad know that he knew about the woman he went to the door and stepped into the pub at first his father had not seen him come in but the man behind the bar said ‘that's your boy george isn't it.’
    ‘george looked up and shouted. ‘Get off home you or I will tan your hide.’
    robbie just turned around and carried on home.
    he did not tell his Mam that he had seen his dad he thought that she had enough to put up with without telling her about him.
    while he was eating his dinner his mother said ‘I had a letter from your uncle Joe Son and he said he is coming down to see us this weekend.’
    robbie said ‘Oh that's great ma.’
    robbie did think it was great because his uncle joe was married but they did not have any family and every time they came down to see them they always brought some food because they were a bit more well off than they were.
    they would bring a big ham and pigs knuckles and bacon with lots of vegetables such as a bag of potatoes and carrots and onions and so on.
    they used to bring that much it would last for a couple of weeks.
    after her news of her brother coming down she said ‘take a look at the coal house robbie its just about empty I don't think there's enough coal in there for another two days and it's getting colder every day.’
    ‘don't worry ma I will go to the pit heap tomorrow when I finish my shift.’
    ‘oh i don't like to ask your son but what else can i do if we run out of coal then the kids will suffer and mary's got a cold already.’
    ‘don't worry ma I will get some coal you know I can pick a full bag in a couple of hours, and what i get tomorrow will keep us going until the weekend then me and jack can go all day saturday and sunday.’
    ‘oh i don't know about sunday son you know what the local priest will say about working on sundays.’
    ‘yes ma maybe but will he come along on saturday and put coal in the coal house. you know he won't ma it's all right for him to give out orders but we need to get coal for the kids.
    and i don't care what he says sorry ma but that's the

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherErnest Douglas Hall
    Release dateJun 14, 2013
    ISBN9781301116119
    Too Young to be A Man
    Author

    Ernest Douglas Hall

    I am 77 years of age and I live in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne England. I was born on the 14 September in the year 1935. I am a married man and have five children and 35 grand children and great grand children. I have written 55 books and my one aim in life is to see my work published.

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      Book preview

      Too Young to be A Man - Ernest Douglas Hall

      Too Young to be a Man

      By

      Ernest Douglas Hall

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2013 Ernest Douglas Hall

      All Rights Reserved

      CHAPTER 1

      The year is 1900 the place the Old Manse Colliery Birtley Co Durham.

      It was ten minutes past six on a Friday night. A young boy aged fourteen-year’s called Robbie Bowman was walking home from a hard days shift down the pit.

      It was a cold November night and it was snowing very hard.

      As he walked he had a limp on his left leg, this was because Robbie had a hole in his left boot and the snow was making him limp.

      He was trying to keep his foot off the snow because the snow was getting right into the boot and the pain was very bad his foot was cut and bruised because of the hole.

      Robbie could not wait to get home and dry his feet in front of the fire.

      But he still had about ten minutes to go before he would get home.

      He lived at number 47 Dennison Crescent.

      He was just coming up the corner of the street when he saw his father walking along the street, Robbie dodged back around the corner but he had been too late his father had seen him.

      Robbie carried on up the street he could see his father walking back and forward waiting for him.

      Because Robbie had just been paid and his father would take his wages from him and go spend it in the pub.

      When Robbie came up to his father his father said ‘Come on boy give me your wages.’

      Robbie said ‘No Dar it's for Mam she needs it.’

      His father swung his hand across Robbie's face sending him crashing to the ground.

      Robbie put his hand up to his face but he did not cry because Robbie was used to this.

      He got to his feet and was just about to make a run for it but his father was waiting for just that.

      He grabbed Robbie and held him with one hand while hitting Robbie again across the face.

      Then his father put his hand into Robbie's pocket and pulled out his wages he took one pound note and gave it to Robbie and said ‘Here give your ma that now off you go.’

      When his father was about six paces away Robbie shouted. ‘I won’t always be this size Da then I will look after Ma if she lives that long but one day DA look out.’

      His father stopped in his tracks and turned around and said ‘That will never come Robbie lad now go before I hit you again.’

      Robbie started for the house and when he got in his Mam came up to him and said ‘Has that bloody monster been hitting you again son.

      She put her arms around him and said ‘One day I will swing for that pig, come on son get your bath then I have some sheep's head stew for you, did that pig of a father give you anything’

      ‘Yes Ma he give me a pound back.’

      ‘Oh a pound that's good of him.

      His Mam had put the tin bath ready for him in front of the fire and when he was sat in the bath he said ‘Where's the kids Ma.’

      ‘Oh they are all out the back son playing snowballs.’

      ‘Have the kids have been fed yet Ma.’

      ‘Oh aye son they had some of the same as you are getting.’

      ‘Aye and what about you Ma have you had some tea.’

      ‘Oh aye son I had my fill an hour ago.’

      ‘Oh I bet you had, and I bet he had his fill before he went out boozing.’

      When Robbie got dressed in his clean clothes he went to the table and his mother brought over a steaming plate of stew with two slices of bread.’

      ‘Robbie got up from the table and went over to the cupboard and picked up a clean plate. Then he went back to the table put the plate down then he went to his mother who was standing by the fire he took hold of her hand and led her to the table then he said sit down Ma.’

      His mother said ‘No Robbie come on get your dinner down now come on Robbie eat your dinner.’

      ‘I'm not sitting down Ma until you sit down.’

      ‘Oh well I will sit with you soon if that's what you want son.’

      When she was sitting he took his plate and poured half his stew into his mother's plate then he handed her a slice of bread and said right now Ma eat.’

      ‘Oh no Robbie it’s your tea you have been to work for twelve hours and you need it.’

      ‘Yes Ma and you have been working twice that amount of hours and if you don't eat We the kids and I will have no one to look after us now come on Ma eat it or I go without.’

      They sat and ate every little bit of their meal.

      Then his Mam said ‘How many times did he hit you son. ‘

      ‘Oh just the once Ma and I can handle that he can't hurt me.’

      ‘Why has he never worked Ma.’

      ‘Oh he did when we were first married then after a couple of years he got into the wrong company.

      He started gambling and drinking and staying off work until he lost his job at the mines and he has tried to find work but his reputation goes ahead of him he will never work again, and the shame of it is he dose not care.’

      She went over to the fire and brought back a big kettle and poured out two cups of tea.

      ’When they were settled once again his Mam said ‘I want you to be in bed tonight when he comes home, because you know that he will pick on you if you are still up.’

      ‘No Ma it's not me he will pick on it's you and I am not going to bed until I see you to bed all right Ma.’

      ‘All right son.’

      CHAPTER 2

      Robbie and his Mam were sitting by the dying fire when they heard George coming into the house the kitchen door was flung open and his father walked into the room.

      He walked over to the fire and said ‘You boy put some coal on the fire

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