Chapter 7

It's coming up to a year since my wonderful husband was killed in his car, I'm getting my life back in order since the tragedy, mainly thanks to Maureen, my wonderful, sexy friend who Dave also adored.

I haven't made any progress with his daughters, but as far as I'm concerned it's their loss not mine, there is so much I could tell them about their dad but I fear they're so bigoted against me, I'll never have the chance to tell them, but for God's sake, he'd left their mum a long time before I met him!

His ex boss told me about one Christmas day when Dave was driving his taxi in Derby, he always said that he loved working Christmas day, apart from the excellent money that was to be earned, he always said that he loved taking people out to meet their families and friends.

"On that day Jack" he used to say, "People are at their best, forget the drunks and the piss heads, folks are feeling good and if you give them a good service, they'll enjoy it and tip you well"

He wasn't mercenary though, which what his boss told me goes to prove!

The early morning rush of getting the hospital's staff in was over and a lot of the drivers used to go back to the office for a coffee and a chinwag, Dave was going up a side road called Abbey street when he saw something that didn't seem quite right, there were three young girls walking up hand in hand with the biggest one dragging a suitcase.

He pulled up slightly ahead of them and got out,

"Merry Christmas girls" he said, but they just looked at him and the littlest one burst into tears.

Now those of you who have read my tales of Dave will know that for a man who legally carried a gun for much of his working life and was never afraid to use it, he was as soft as muck when it came to children.

Without even thinking what he was doing Dave scooped her up in his arms and hugged her, it was Christmas day for Christ's sake, the one day of the year that children should only cry with happiness.

The story was that their low life mother had taken up with a drug addicted lowlife and left the girls with their father who was only slightly better than she was!

He'd gone out on Christmas eve for a drink with his mates leaving three little girls at home with no money in the gas meter or the electricity meter and nothing in the fridge, CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!!!!!

The eldest, a lovely little thing of nine years had got her sisters up, dressed them and packed all their belongings into one big suitcase, they were going to find their grandma and that was when Dave found them.

Their Grandma lived in Leicester which was about thirty miles from Derby and God only knows how they expected to get there, but Dave as an ex police officer called in a favour or three and finally got a phone number for them.

His boss told me that as it was Christmas day and only a few Asian shops were open, all the lads had a whip round for the kids and about two hours later when the frantic grandparents arrived, they found three very happy little girls surrounded by literally hundreds of presents and feeling quite sick with all the food they'd eaten!

The point of telling that little tale is that Dave had a thing about paying his debts and like a lot of other drivers, he leased his car, the lease was payable weekly and the company was pretty strict about it, if an owner said that his lease hadn't been paid, the driver concerned was stopped from driving immediately.

When the grandparents left with the girls, Dave put his lease money in an envelope, posted it into the taxi office post box for the owner of the car and went home to a bacon sandwich for his Christmas dinner!

A mutual friend told me this very recently, when he and his wife came round to bring me a birthday present, they're lovely people, good friends of Dave and have gone out of their way to be good friends to me and Mo since his death.

"There were only a few pubs open that night Jack" Maurice said "And I'd never known Dave to refuse before especially on Christmas night, but do you know why he refused?"

I didn't, but I felt my emotions rising because I knew my Dave better than he did,

"He had thirty fucking pence left Jack, he'd worked since half past four on Christmas morning and after he'd paid his lease that was what he had left!"

That was my Dave!