CHAPTER FOUR

It snowed heavily in the next two weeks, and there was lots of black ice, even in the city centre. Our noble Trainees struggled to get to the ED or the College each day. Poor Rashid fell over about five times but never got anything worse than a bruised bottom. He took to hiding toast and butter in a plastic bag in his briefcase and giving it to the Big Issue Man. He added a Mars Bar as soon as the corner shop was open again. Rashid reasoned that even though he had a bruised bum, the Big Issue Man was cold and hungry and what was a bruised bum at the side of that? He liked the Big Issue Man, and liked the fact that he could pronounce the Big Issue Man's name, Mr Avidyovski, without getting it wrong.

"You're soft, Rashid Masoom." Dom summed up his view of the friendship between Rashid and the Big Issue Man.

Jac punched Dom's head.

"You leave him alone, you nasty little vandal. I hate you."

"I typed up your scabby notes, didn't I?"

"Oh yeah, and put a bad word beginning with F in every four paragraphs."

"Dom! You don't ever use that word again until you come of age!" bossed Zoe.

"You wouldn't take me to see Grease!"

Duffee gave a long sigh and clutched each side of her poor head.

"Oh, darling, darling Duffee, we didn't mean it."

They all kissed her, even Zoe and Rashid, who hadn't been bad and therefore didn't need a punishment like kissing Duffee.

"Oh, darlings, whatever you do, please don't go trying to skate on that big frozen stream in Holby Wood! For a start, the ice is thinner than it looks, and for another thing, the Goblins will get you if you're naughty!"

Despairing of somebody who still believed in goblins, the Trainees hurried off to their various duties.

But Dom took a shortcut through Holby Wood and noticed how wonderful the frozen stream looked.

Lofty came to meet Jac from the ED, his face grave.

"Jac, promise me you won't go skating on the stream in Holby Wood? It looks safe but it's thin ice."

"Oh" Jac replied, hardly realising what she was saying, "Dom said he was going to have a go at it after training… oh hell!"

Lofty and Jac ran to Holby Wood. They looked at each other in horror as they saw Dom skating about like Jayne Torvill on the ice.

"Aw, let him die" Jac said decisively, "He shredded my notes."

Just then the ice gave a crack and Dom disappeared under the water with a big scream.

"I'm going to get that big tree branch and see if he can grip it!" Lofty raced over to the stream, where he could see Dom threshing about trying not to drown.

"Dom! Get hold of this! Come on, now!"

Something in Lofty's tone calmed Dom and he grabbed the big tree branch. Lofty held on to Dom and Jac held on to Lofty, and somehow they had him back on good dry land again. Dom sat whimpering and sneezing.

"I'm glad you're not dead" Jac said grudgingly, and went to kick snow about.

"Come to our house. My Dad will have a big fire roaring and he might even give you some alcohol to warm you up" Lofty offered.

Dom looked nervously at Jac.

"Yeah, okay, we'll do that. Man and Girl Hug?"

They all hugged. Jac resolved never to lose her temper again, Dom resolved never to vandalise anybody's work again and Lofty resolved to get some of that glorious alcohol down his neck while his dad was in a good mood.

Mr Hanssen kept visiting the flat. Rashid would say 'hello' very shyly and then creep off to sit in the corner. Duffee and Mr Hanssen would talk together and Mr Hanssen was so tactful that he managed to hold a conversation with her without looking as if he had a pain.

One day Mr Hanssen said loudly:

"I wish somebody would come over and use that I Pad."

"Ooh I bet there are lots of jolly tunes on it!" giggled Duffy. Mr Hanssen gave her a look and then said:

"I just don't think anybody's interested enough in a boring little I Pad. They all want a home music system now."

Before he could stop himself, Rashid had gasped:

"I'd be ever so grateful to play the I Pad; I'm just scared to come."

Mr Hanssen did something unusual. He scooped up Rashid by the scruff of his neck, dragged him over to his house, sat him in a chair and put the I Pad n his hand.

"Enjoy!" he commanded, "The maid will make you some coffee."

Rashid listened, drank coffee and had a wonderful time.

The next day after training, he went to Marcus And Spendthrift, the Big Posh Store, and bought some slippers for Mr Hanssen. He didn't stop to think about it. He bought a pretty gift card from Waterworks, and wrote it out with a pen he was pretending to test.

Then he ran, despite the snow, back home and round to Mr Hanssen's house. He knocked at the door, and gave the package to a smiling maid – she was smiling more than usual because she'd pinched Lofty's bottom and knew he wouldn't snitch because believed in being kind to the workers – then ran home nervously.

The day after that was even more full of surprises. Rashid came home from training and talking to Mr Avidyovski, to find Dom and Jac shouting something out of the window.

"Oh Rash, he's sent you-" Dom began.

Jac closed the window on Dom's neck. He was still screaming about it when Rashid walked into the flat and found a big, laptop-shaped parcel next to his dinner plate. He opened it and found it was a big laptop-shaped laptop.

A note fluttered out of the packaging.

"Nice guys don't always have to come last. Enjoy your laptop, my young friend."

Rashid got up, put on his coat and ran outside. Everybody spied on him through the window and saw that he was making for Mr Hanssen's house.

"Hello, I've come to see Mr Hanssen please."

The still-smiling maid led Rashid into the front room. Rashid suddenly bounded across the room, to where Mr Hanssen sat reading the paper, and more or less jumped on to his lap.

"I love you, Mr Hanssen, I love you! I've never had a laptop before!"

Mr Hanssen phoned Duffee to let her know that Rashid would be dining with himself and Lofty.

Glenn threw his apron over his head – he didn't need an apron but liked to wear one – and said:

"Well, don't that beat all!"