Chapters Of Life Book 2: Hazel, The Whole Story

By Ed Harris

Bromyard in the 1960’s as seen through the eyes of a group of local motorbike-riding teenagers, who alternate between the local cafe and pub in their quest for adventure and excitement. The novel is based upon extracts taken from a set of 4 diaries that were kept by 4 different local Bromyard girls at that time. All 4 were teenagers in the 1960’s, though one of them turned 20 in 1964. Follow Luke and his friends through various escapades in and around the small market town of Bromyard in Herefordshire.
Note: Suitable for over 18’s only due to its graphic content.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781470934118

Book preview

Chapters Of Life 

Book Two 

HAZEL -  The Whole Story

By

Ed Harris

Published by

The Bancroft Press

First Published in December 2022

First ebook edition

Copyright held by Ed Harris.

No part of this work may be used in any format without the prior written consent of the author.

www.edharris.co.uk

Chapters Of Life comprises 12 separate books in total, covering the years 1962-1968 of teenage Bromyard life.

The set also includes the following volumes:

Chapters Of Life - The excluded Chapters - Books 10-12

Chapters that were omitted from the original 9 Chapters series for various reasons.

Chapters of Life - The Return  - Books 13-15

Luke’s return to Bromyard

Book Two is dedicated to the memory of

Janice Elizabeth Loton

(Married name, Yapp)

1951-1988

Thank you for being there when it mattered.

This novel is based upon daily diary entries kept by 4 local teenagers at the time in the 1960’s, who lived in and around Bromyard town.

The story is woven around the events described within these diaries.

All characters portrayed in this work are fictional, and any connection to a living person is purely coincidental and non intentional.

The town of Bromyard is portrayed and described as it was in the 1960’s and offers a true representation of the shops and locations there at that time.

Chapters Of Life

Book Two

Hazel- the whole story

CHAPTER 1   

About two weeks later, Luke was cleaning his bike, when he received a phone call from Rob Fielding, who lived up past the Hospital on the common, asking if Luke could come and have a look at his bike as it was playing up.

Luke agreed to go when he had finished his own, and rolled to a stop on the frosted gravel outside Rob’s house some 50 minutes later.

Although the snow had stopped falling now, the roads were covered in a slushy mush that was deceptively slippery and treacherous, in fact, some of the side roads were still impassable, though the one to Rob’s was open as it was the main road out of Bromyard towards Worcester.

The snow plough had pushed the snow to the side of the road and the gritting lorries were still out, but Luke made it there with no more than the odd back-end slide.

As with most two-stroke machines, Rob’s suffered from the common problem of too much oil getting into the carburettor which was, quite simply, caused by not shaking the bike enough to disperse the oil into the petrol before switching on the petrol tap to the carb, assuming, of course, that the correct ratio of petrol to oil had been dispensed at the pump in the first place.

Luke fiddled and cursed at the cold weather, his hands soon becoming numb as he struggled to re tighten the spark plug after burning off the excess oil with his lighter.

Fuck it. That’s the trouble these days. You freeze your fuckin balls off.

Yeh. S’true, Lou.

But if you bought a decent fuckin bike, then I wouldn’t be here freezing, tryin to mend this heap, would I?

Yeh I knows that, Lou. But, fuck. I can’t afford a decent fucker, man.

Try workin.

Fuck off.

Yeh. See. That’s why you got this fuckin old Bunsen burner.

Hey. C’mon, man. It goes, most of the time.

But always packs up when the effing weather is freezin don’t it? Shake the fuckin tank next time, before, you turn the tap on. Okay?

Yeh. Yeh. Okay, Lou. Your Arrow was a two-stroke.

Yeh. But it was half-decent to start with. Oh, fuck it.

Luke rose from the snow-covered ground and rubbed his hands vigorously. First rapidly up and down the legs of his Levi’s, then more vigorously still, together, as he blew warm breath into them.

Wot a pox hole of a place this is.

Fancy a cuppa, Lou?

Yeh, fuckin right. Coffee.

Sure. I’ll get Sis to make us one. C’mon, let’s go and fuckin defrost ourselves.

Luke sat on the rail of the Rayburn as it flung out its warmth to him, and it wasn’t long before his Levi’s were steaming, causing Luke to hop around the room as he tried to separate the hot material from his flesh where the metal rivets clung to him like small limpets.

You don’t have to curtsey, you know.

Rob’s Sister smiled at him as she put the steaming mug of coffee on the table top before him.

Okay Hazel. I can do without your fuckin wit, baby.

He grinned back at her.

She had been in Luke’s class at school and they were always arguing, in a friendly way, right through their schooling.

On many occasions, Luke had to sit next to her for their lessons and he had caused her no end of embarrassment.

Her long, straight, dark hair hung down the sides of her face covering one eye and half the other. She tossed her head back to clear her vision and laughed again, revealing those huge eyes that Luke remembered so well. He also recalled just how lovely she looked, too.

Her cheeks were a bright red in colour, being a little paler than her full lips. Luke had often wondered about her eye lashes, as they were so long, and she had the trick of opening her eyes wide to him, arousing something inside, even years before.

Luke had often half-teased her about being so sexy, but Hazel only used to laugh and tell him not to be so daft.

Luke recalled that he had never heard Hazel swear in all the years that he had known her, not even when she had to undergo the ordeal of sitting next to him in class. Her strongest word, he recalled, was ‘damn’, and only uttered under extreme pressure, caused, quite naturally, by him.

Hazel stared at Luke again and opened her eyes wide, pushing out the tip of her little pink tongue between her semi-parted lips as she teased him.

Luke looked away quickly. He hadn’t seen Hazel for some time now.

Then Rob broke through his train of thoughts by offering him a smoke. Luke noticed that he did not offer his Sister one.

You want one, babe?

No thanks, Lou.

Rob snorted scornfully.

Hell, Lou. She don’t smoke. She don’t even...

Rob. Please.

Hazel cut in quickly, before her grinning Brother could go on, but she had lost a little of her calm look now and had a distinct red tinge to her cheeks.

Luke laughed as he lit the smokes.

Yeh. Well. Somebody will be lucky, one day.

Rob stared at him.

Fucks sake, Lou. You don’t fancy it, does you?

Wot?

Well. My fuckin Sister. Little Miss Proper.

Will you stop swearing Rob, please. You know it upsets me.

Arsehole. It’s only you tryin to impress. I reckon that you’d shake your fanny fast enough if you felt like it.

Oh.

Hazel hurried from the room, slamming the door hard behind her.

Rob sneered.

She does get her fuckin self in a twist, sometimes. man.

Yeh. It appears so, don’t it.

Huh. You don’t really fancy it, does you? Fuckin hell, me own Sister.

Luke didn’t answer and turned to drink his coffee.

Rob laughed and continued.

Yeh. But then again, you’d screw anythin wouldn’t you?

I do have me principles, man.

Yeh. I know. Nothin under 11 or over 100. Right? Ain’t we all, man.

Yeh, at least I ain’t screwed Sally Marshall.

Robs face turned pale and his eyes widened.

How the fuck did you find that out? We was so fuckin careful.

I hears all sorts of things in the caff, mate. How old was she at the time?

Yeh. Well It was a laugh, man. Nothin more.

I heard that she was only nine, mucker.

Fuck off. She was ten.

They both laughed and Rob stood up. 

I’m goin to try that fuckin bike out. You comin?

Naw. I’ll stay here.

Yeh, okay. I shan’t be too long. Pop into town to get some more cigs. Want anythin? Hey, and no shaggin me fuckin Sister, neither, while I’m gone.

Naw. I’m okay, on both counts, mate.

When Rob had gone, Luke sat down in the chair next to the Rayburn and relaxed as the warmth hit him. He stretched his feet out before him and rested them on the seat of the chair opposite. His leather boots were now drying nicely and he sighed contentedly to himself.

Luke closed his eyes and dragged deeply on his smoke, exhaling slowly through his nostrils as he tilted back on the rear chair legs with a slow rocking motion.

You look like a dragon doing that.

Opening his eyes he saw that Hazel was standing in the doorway, gazing over at him.

Huh?

Blowing smoke out of your nostrils, just like a dragon.

I’ve never seen one, cept at school.

Who?

Old Miss Day.

Oh yes. Wasn’t she awful.

Yeh. Not exactly the words I’d use, but that’s gettin there, babe.

Do you always put your feet on chairs?

Yeh.

Other peoples?

Luke looked at her, then slowly lowered his feet to the floor, wiping the seat with exaggerated precision.

Would Modom care to sit?

Haha. Oh, thank you kind Sir. But would you like another cup of coffee first, Lou?

Yeh. Cheers, baby.

When it was ready, she brought the cups over and sat in the chair next to him near the warm Rayburn.

Where’s Rob gone?

Try out his bike.

Oh. That thing’s always breaking down.

Yeh he ought to get a decent fucker."

Oh no. That one’s bad enough. He can go plenty fast enough now.

Well.

Yes he does, Lou. It’s bad enough now, with him out all hours, mixing with, well…

Yeh. Go on. The likes of me, I s’pose?

Oh, Lou. I didn’t mean you, honestly.

Naw?

No. I know what you’re like, really.

Yeh. So does every fucker else, apparently.

Oh, don’t be silly, Lou.

I’m not.

Yes you are. You’re exaggerating.

Huh. How many parents do you know that would even let me talk to their daughters?

Oh. Lots would.

Yeh. Well, name a few, babe.

I can’t off-hand, as I don’t really know your lady friends, do I? Anyway, you’re talking to me.

Does your old woman know?

She isn’t here.

Yeh. But would you be sat there talkin to me like this if she were?

Yes. Of course I would.

Yeh. Right.

Why don’t you stay for tea, and find out, Lou. She’ll be in then, so will Dad. Will you stay?

Luke was silent for a few moments. He knew that she was calling his bluff now, they both knew that. He would like to get to know her a little better though.

Yeh. Why not. If you’re sure they won’t mind?

No. of course not. Good.

Wot?

" Oh. I was just thinking. It might do Rob good to have