Billy and Fritz

Billy and Fritz

Chapter One

Let me take you on a journey to the north of England. In a quiet,
windy
corner of a town called Halifax there was quiet little street with a
row of
terraced houses that were built in the 1920s, a street by the name
of
Potters Avenue. At Number 36 Potters Avenue there lived a little boy
who
is the main character of this story, a little boy by the name of Billy
Fairfax.
Billy wasn't a very happy young man. His parents had split up when
he
was two years old. His dad was working on board an oil rig
somewhere
off the east coast of Scotland, while his mum had to move away
from
Halifax to find work, and she now worked in a shoe factory in
Grimsby.
Because his mum could only afford a tiny little flat in Grimsby,with
just
about enough room for her alone, she decided that it would be best if
Billy
lived with his Gran, Mrs Peters. Billy spoke to his mum on the
telephone
about twice a week, while he heard from his dad once a year, when
he
received a birthday card, normally a week after the actual day, and
often
in very hurried handwriting. Billy moved in with his Gran when he
was
six years old, and now he was ten years old. Billy really missed his
mum
and dad, which I suppose anyone would,but he adored his Gran to
bits.
The biggest problem though was that his Gran was now seventy-five
years
old, and wasn't really up to having a kick-around with a football in
the
local park.

Billy had his books, and he absolutely loved reading. He liked books of
all
kinds, but his favourite kinds of book were all about places
totally
different from Halifax. He liked to read about different people
and
different towns- even different countries, in fact. Billy also had a
little
black and white television set which sat in a dark corner of his
bedroom,
and whenever he got the chance, he would watch television
programmes
about travel, and about how people in other cities and other countries
lived
their everyday lives. Unfortunately his Gran didn't get satellite TV,
and there wasn't a computer in the house, but he did look up different
things to do with travel on the Internet both at school and his local
library- that was great, and it was one way in which he tried to keep
up with his friends.

When he was at school, Billy kept himself to himself, and therefore
he
found he had very little time for friends, or that his so-called
friends had
very little time for him, he never was too sure.....

Chapter Two

It was a cold and rainy February day in Potters Avenue, and Billy's
Gran
came to wake him up for school at seven o'clock: "Come on Billy
love,
it's time to get up," Billy always liked to be woken up in the
mornings,
because Mrs Peters always brought him a nice piping-hot cup of tea in
his
favourite mug, a mug with a map of the world on it, a mug that he
had
found in a local street marketthe previous Summer. However on
this
particular morning, Billy looked more than a little glum.
"What's up love?", asked his Gran, who was amazed to find her
one and only, and of course favourite, grandson, looking so
unhappy.
"I'm sorry Gran, it's just that it's my birthday next Wednesday
and
I would really like to see Mum on the actual day for a change. I'm
going
to be eleven this year, and I'll be going up to the big school
this
September. I'd just like something different to happen this
time."
"Don't fret my love. I'm sure that this year will be the best
birthday
yet!" Billy knew that his Gran said that every year, but this time her
voice
seemed a little different. However he knew that it would be wrong to
ask
her what she was planning. And anyway, he liked surprises! Billy
proceeded to drink his tea and then got himself ready for school. He
kissed
his Gran on the cheek as he left the house at eight o'clock and made
his
way to school as cheerily as he could.

Mrs Peters closed the door, picked up the mail that had fallen onto
the
doormat that morning, scratched her head and picked up the
telephone.........

The days came and went- one cold, cloudy and rainy day after the
other.
Billy kept thinking about his birthday, but did not mention one more
word
to his Gran, because he did not want to cause her to worry about
him.
However he had come to the conclusion that this birthday would be
no
different from any other- a day which he would try to enjoy but a
day
which would leave him with a certain sense of disappointment,
because
the people he loved most in the world would not be there to share in
his
big day.
"Oh how I wish my Mum and Dad could be with me this birthday",
Billy thought to himself as he settled down to sleep on that cold and
foggy
Tuesday night, "or at least I wish something different and exciting
would
happen!"

Chapter Three

Wednesday morning arrived and Billy received his cup of tea from
his
Gran. She kissed him on the cheek and wished him a bright and
breezy
"Good morning, pet." She gave him a birthday card from her, and
told
him that, as usual, he could have his present and the rest of his
birthday
cards that evening when he arrived home from school, when his Gran
had
prepared a special birthday tea.

That afternoon, Billy arrived home at 3:30. He opened the front door
and
saw that the dining-room table had been laid out with all his
favourite
foods- egg sandwiches, smoky bacon flavoured crisps and jelly and
custard. He looked through the small pile of cards in the table.
Shock
horror! There was a card with a Scottish postmark upon it. Billy
hurriedly
ripped open the envelope, opened the card and was chuffed to read that
his
dad had remembered to send a card that actually arrived on his
birthday.
"Well, that's lovely," he thought to himself. He actually was very
happy at
this pleasant surprise, and it was the next best thing to having his
dad
there on his birthday.

Mrs Peters came into the dining-room with a lovely birthday cake in
her
hands, a cake which had eleven brightly lit candles upon it. As she
placed
the cake on the table, the telephone started to ring. She went over
and
picked up the receiver.
"Hello........Oh hello, how are you, meduck," Billy guessed that
the
person his Gran was speaking to was one of her friends from the
bingo
hall. Suddenly Billy's ears pricked up, "Yes, he's just here. I'll pass
you
over to him. Take care, Linda love." She handed Billy the phone. It
was
his mum! This was really the best thing that could have happened
today,
and his Gran was absolutely right. This was the best birthday ever!
Mrs
Fairfax apologised for not being there to share in his birthday
celebrations,
but she had to start her evening shift at 8pm. However, his present
would
arrive just as soon as it arrived at the shop. Billy put down the
telephone
and a happy smile broke over his face. He also got a really warm
feeling in
his tummy. Everything was just right. He knew it would have been
impossible for his mum and his dad to be there, but just the fact that
they
had taken the time and the trouble to make sure they had contact with
him
on his birthday was the best he could have hoped for.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. "That will be for you, dearie," said
Mrs
Peters. Billy ran to the front door and almost pulled it off its hinges
as he
opened it. On the doorstep stood an important-looking man with a
clipboard and a cardboard box which had six neat holes at the top of
it.
"Special delivery for Master Billy Fairfax. Please sign here."
Billy
signed his neatest possible signature in the proper place on the
clipboard,
thanked the delivery man and took the box indoors. He placed it
very
carefully on the sofa and opened it very slowly. Suddenly he noticed
a
squeaking sound coming from within the box. He opened the box
even
more quickly now, and when he caught a glimpse of what was in the
box
he was completely bowled over!
In the box was a lot of torn newspaper. And in the middle of the
torn
paper something was moving, and this something was brown and
furry
and was yelping for some attention. It was also totally gorgeous! Billy
put
his hands into the box and lifted out a small, brown German
Shepherd
puppy.
"Oh Gran, he's lovely. And.....is he all mine? And where does he
come from, the breed I mean?"
"Yes love, he belongs to you. And this breed of dog comes from
Germany. So what are you going to call him, Billy?"
"Well, it will have to be a German name. Now let me
think.....J?rgen like J?rgen Klinsmann, no Wolfgang........no, I know
now.
It would have to be a short name for something so small, cute and
cuddly.
How does Fritz sound, Gran?"
"Well, it's your choice Billy, but personally I think Fritz is a lovely
name.
By the way there is a bowl and some dog food in the cupboard under
the
sink."
"Come on Fritz, come on boy." Billy ran excitedly into the kitchen,
and
the newly-christened Fritz yelped as he scuttled on his little legs
after his
new master. Mrs Peters wiped a tear from her eye, firstly because
her
grandson was having a really wonderful birthday, and also because
she
really thought that Billy and Fritz would be inseparable for years to
come