Book 2, Chapter 34

Just around the corner from the SS Great Britain was Bristol Marina and an opportunity to let Mum, Grandma Tina and Aunt Sophie see something of the world I was working in. Most of the boats were lying untouched this being a cool Sunday in April too far from the sea to attract weekend sailors but some were being lived on. There were river motorboats and canal boats as well sailboats. There were boats being maintained, repaired and redesigned while neighbours passed 'helpful' comments and there was the general sense of a ‘stuff going on’ coming from an active community.

Growing up I'd known well only my own homes and the homes of a few friends, whose parents' lives were probably quite similar to my family's. Now I'd got to experience more ways of life through work but Mum was today presented for the first time with evidence that within a few miles of her home were people, who I treated as normal, but whose lives were as physically different to Mum's as that of some tribe read about in an old copy of National Geographic. Mum didn't seem to be able to imagine why anyone would live on a tiny boat and I was hard pushed to come up with an explanation.

"They can anchor off the most beautiful gardens in the world without having to weed or mow the lawn," was the best I could come up with.

"Yes, but with no hot bath or flush toilet," was Mum's very reasonable reply.

The marina living locals were friendly and we were getting thirsty for tea so when the captain of a narrow boat called Dottie B invited us aboard it was tempting - that is until I saw his wife and what I guessed were their 4 offspring. In a soft Yorkshire accent she explained that they were a newly formed family, not liveaboards and that this was their first time hiring a boat together. They'd booked a Disney cruise for July but her fiancé thought as a newly joined family it would be a good idea to first learn to get along together with a short trip. They'd successfully motored the River Avon from Bath to Bristol but on their last day aboard, while by then Al knew huge amounts about the area and canal boats, he still hadn't noticed there were only 8 cups on board their boat and that they were all packed ready to go home. They also knew that while they were getting on wonderfully together, Avril and her daughters Kate and Victoria were ready for shopping therapy while Al's two children, who were younger, wanted skateboarding opportunities - something they'd found sadly lacking along the river banks.

As hosting the dozen of us for Al's offered cuppa was clearly impractical we told Avril we were heading to a close-by Mecca of shopping and so it was that in a convoy grown to 5 cars we headed to Cribbs Causeway. Only 3 years old, what was soon called a ‘Cathedral to Consumerism’ lacks one thing that the churches had to make it a social hub - you need a car to get to it so it is really a ‘Cathedral to the Automobile’. Once we got inside though we were spoilt for choice and after a quick ‘cuppa and sandwich’ we split up with pledges that we would all be back at the cars for 16:30 - for Avril's family to head north to Yorkshire and for us to make the trip back to Bill's for the dinner that was slow roasting at this very minute.

Serena, Litara, Beth, Kate, Victoria and I headed first to Oasis because although she didn't know it Litara and I really wanted an opportunity to spoil Beth. Serena declared herself arbiter of suitable fashions for 16 year olds and all was going well until we noticed there were customers waiting to be served while we had three assistants running round flattering Beth outrageously. I'd been recognised! Not wanting to spoil Beth's moment because she was lapping up the attention, I called over the most senior looking assistant and whispered in her ear, "There are no hidden camera's."

In the end it was Kate who found, according to Beth, the perfect tangerine dress even suggesting she team it with a grape belt, bag or boots. I was impressed no end as Kate herself has brilliant red hair with very green eyes so is very different in colouring to Beth. My only reservation was that while it wouldn't annoy Aunt Sophie it might be a little tame but Beth vetoed my choice as asking for trouble, and my moment of thinking of myself as mature and sensible was squashed by my now ever-so-sensible 16 year old cousin.

Time flies when you are having fun. Al's daughter, once she became ‘skateboarded-out’, joined our group after a while and his son joined the men examining the power tools and electronics I think of as ‘boys’ toys’. Litara disappeared with Avril to scout better shoe shops than I could afford and Mum, Aunt Sophie and Grandma Tina took the opportunity to do some money-saving bulk buying in the supermarket. Together we must have given the economy quite a boost and it was a satisfied crowd that gathered around the cars at 16:30.

The men were doing the heavy lifting of groceries into the car boots while space was being found inside the cars for carrier bags of treasures when glancing across I noticed Aunt Sophie had gone unusually quiet. Concerned I moved toward her noticing as I did that her skin looked drained of colour and there were beads of perspiration on her face. Almost in slow motion her legs seemed to give and Sophie slid down into a sitting position with her back against the car where I caught her as she began to fall to her left.

With me as quickly was Victoria who, face close to Sophie’s, questioned her urgently about any pain while taking her pulse at the throat.

“Somebody call all an ambulance!” demanded Victoria. “Tell them it's a heart attack. Has anyone got some aspirin?”

While Grandma Tina rummaged through her bag for the pills Victoria asked my Aunt and Uncle Jack if Sophie was allergic to aspirin.

“Just keep it in your mouth and suck,” Victoria told my Aunt on being reassured that aspirin was no problem and the panic eased as we listened to my Da talking to the emergency services explaining where we were and what was happening.

"Catch her!" Victoria shouted at me as Aunt Sophie's eyes closed and she slipped sideways.

Very quickly we had Sophie flat on her back and, after checking Sophie's pulse again, Victoria took up what I recognised as the classic position with the heel of her hands, fingers interlocked, by Sophie's sternum she started administering CPR. Although we had been shown this at school I was amazed at how quickly Victoria had recognised the need and started treatment. Watching her my mind couldn't help but run the music our training video had used to help us time the compressions - 30 compression followed by 2 breaths to ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by the Bee Gees.