A Letting of Blood by Alf Smith

Author:Alf Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Alf Smith
Published: 2020-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

A Change of Direction

Nothing was said to Gabriel the next morning for he woke with a throbbing headache and Adelia did not wish to add to his pain by arguing with him. Instead, she dismissed his grunted excuse for a good morning, kissed him lightly on the head as he took his seat at the table, poured out his tea, and placed his breakfast before him. After finishing his morning food, Gabriel picked up the bundle of sandwiches that his mother had wrapped for his lunch and, without extending even the common curtesy of saying goodbye to his mother and father, he walked out of the door.

With no intention of going to school, Gabriel shuffled over to the area that his newly acquainted friends were hanging out and found them already loafing around and skimming stones across the canal’s watery channel. Half of the boys had not eaten at all that morning and now, in seeing the sandwiches that Gabriel was carrying, they huddled around him and grabbed them from him, stuffing the bread into their mouths like gulls gorging on worms. They were layabouts and bad news, and Gabriel was in his element with them, as they fitted in perfectly with his mind-set.

When asked what they were to do that day, the leader of the gang suggested that they go and pick fruit and vegetables for a farmer that he knew was hiring. Gabriel didn’t think much of this idea but, being new to the mob, he kept his mouth shut and followed along with the other boys. The farm was three miles away and so they had to hurry along in order to be considered for selection amongst others that were already waiting for the farmer to arrive.

They need not have worried, for the farmer had work in plenty for all. Siphoning them off into small sections, he led them to their allotted area of work and left them to get on with their labour; stating that he would be along in due course and that they would get paid for the quantity that they picked. The farm was extremely versatile in the produce that it grew. Whilst Gabriel and two other boys were assigned to work on the picking of all remaining apples that still hung in the orchard; others were directed to a variety of other tasks that included, pulling carrots, lifting parsnips, and harvesting peas, lettuces and swedes.

Gabriel mistakenly thought that he could slack off when the farmer was out of sight, but was put firmly in place when he discovered that the planter’s grown son was there to supervise matters. Small ladders were in attendance for to assist in climbing into the branches. There was also a collection of wicker baskets in which to store the harvested fruit. Whilst his two workmates and the farmer’s son were responsible for picking the crop; his responsibility lay in taking the fully-laden baskets from the pickers and then transporting and loading the hampers onto a cart that stood near at hand.

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