Day 18 ~ Dear Diary --:Today is June the 1st and it is a beautiful sunny day here in Tramore. I went home today with Ashley McCarthy. Ashley’s Mum collected us from school at 3 o’clock. He showed me to his Mum and she thought that I was cute (I blushed, again). When we got to Ashley’s house he showed me around. He lives in a two-storey house, with his Mum and Dad. When we were finished looking around we went down to the kitchen and we had something to eat. Later we went down to help Ashley’s Dad, Tom with his fuel (coal) business. Ashley’s Dad is very busy supplying people in and around Tramore with coal, turf, sand and gravel. Things were very busy out in the yard so I was left in the office, by Ashley as he was busy , helping his Dad outside. Ashley told me to stay out of trouble. Then the phone rang so I looked for Tom or Ashley to answer it, but I could not find them. I then called out as loud as I could “Ashley, Tom, the phone”. They couldn’t hear me, as there was a large truck making deliveries and the noise of the engine was deafening. The phone kept ringing and ringing so I had no choice but to answer it myself. I picked up the phone and said in my best Tramore accent “McCarthy’s Fuel Depot, can I help you”.
About forty minutes later, the phone rang in the office again
and this time Tom answered it. He had to hold the phone away from his ear because the man
at the other end was shouting down the phone.
I could see Tom’s face getting red. He looked over at me. I couldn’t figure out
why he was doing that.
I could now hear the man on the phone shouting, “Why did you deliver six
cement blocks to my house”. “Because” says Tom
“that is what you ordered”. “No, its not I what I ordered” said
the voice on the phone. “I ordered six bags of blocks, wood blocks, not cement
blocks. I can’t burn cement blocks, can I?” then the man hung up. Tom was very
angry with me he said that I was to go and sit in Ashley’s pocket for the rest of the
evening. I told Tom “ I was only doing my best”. “Go away and stop annoying
me he said
“go back to where you came from, you have made a right mess of things in this
yard this evening. Now I have to go back out to Fenor and deliver those wooden blocks that
the man ordered. I will be on the road all night over you”. I felt very sad after
that. I just wanted to curl up in Ashley’s pocket and have a good cry. If they
answered the phone when I called them, this wouldn’t have happened. I always get the
blame for everything. The other men that work in the yard together with Ashley and Tom
began to load the lorries for the next delivery of coal. It seemed very hard work. It was
raining and very messy. I was sitting in Ashley’s pocket
I was looking around watching everything that was going on
and the next thing I fell out of his pocket and landed in an open
At six o clock we went back to Ashley’s house and he
washed the coal dirt off me. First Tom had a shower, then Ashley had a shower and lastly I
had a shower. I felt better when I was cleaned up and in a nice clean dressing gown. I
came down stairs and said nothing. Tom said he was sorry for eating the head off me and
could we start all over again. He said I was welcome to Tramore and if I ever called into
the yard again I was not to answer the phone. I asked about the summer job and Tom 
said, “I’ll have to think about that one”. They asked me
loads of questions about Newfoundland and what life is like over there. I told them it was
a beautiful place and they should visit it someday. I promised to show them round. By this
time his Mum had the dinner ready. We had potatoes, sausages and gravy. It was lovely. To
make up for all that happened earlier, Tom, his dad went down to the shop and bought ice
– cream for us all.
We all sat down with our ice - cream and watched a movie on the TV until 8.30. I
felt happy again.
Ashley then asked me would I like to go upstairs to play pool.
Pool is played on a small table with pockets at the edges.
In the final game Ashley was winning. He needed one point to win and I needed three
points.
“Ok, my hand did not slip and I pushed a yellow ball into one
of the pockets” then I went off sulking for the night. I ran in to Ashley’s
room, threw myself on the bed and burst out crying. . I told him that all the boys are
always beating me and I just wanted to win one game, for once in Tramore. Ashley said I
was good at pool and nobody likes people or moose’s that cheat. I said I was sorry
for the second time that day. Later we went into Ashley's bedroom to play the computer and
at twenty to ten we got ready for bed, but first we had to brush our teeth. When we were
in bed Ashley read me a story. It was a good story. Then we fell asleep. And at 2am I woke
up and pushed Ashley and asked him if he wanted another game of pool but he said “No,
you know that I have to be up early for sports day, tomorrow”. So I closed my eyes
and went back to sleep. We woke early the following morning, got up, got dressed and
headed for school for a fun day at the sports. I said I was sorry for all the trouble I
caused and thanked everyone for having me.
And that was my day with Ashley.
Ashley McCarthy
3rd class
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