Joe Walker Journey to Walmington

Part 1 Options

Joe Walker was a popular guy. He always had been. As a child he would lead the adventures running through the colourful markets of East London, pinching apples and bananas from stalls. Days would be spent climbing trees and leaping out at people. Always the joker. As a teenager knowing the effect he had women. He would show off jumping onto the trams, his dad used to work on them,or sneaking into cinemas or pubs.He knew hard times too, bombings, death close up, husbands beating wives, Victorian school teachers beating you senseless. Close friends sent off to relatives to escape poverty. His friend killed in a factory accident.  He blocked this out, move on he told himself.Keep busy.
Now he was an adult and faced with decisions on what to do with himself.He knew he couldn't just sit around drinking and smoking.He was sitting in one of the popular music halls trying to watch the lovely chorus girls. He was constantly interrupted by a couple arguing behind him.
Blimey, he thought, there must be more to life than this. Getting married, having no money, rowing with the wife, doing a boring job, going to bed, getting up, repeat, repeat. His sister was stuck in one of those marriages and with kids too. His own parents scraped by.
He was snapped out of his day dreaming by his latest girl. He never had a shortage of girls being tall,fit, dark and handsome with a cheeky grin and come to bed eyes. He had experienced girls early in life at barely fifteen.He had learned early on how to be careful and not to get girls in trouble like some of his mates. He had seen close up in the grimy backstreets what happened to fix these problems. he never found the need to go up to Soho to pay for it either. Women had told him he was pretty skilled in that area and a smile passed his lips at the thought of becoming a gigolo.  Nah, take the fun out of it he found himself saying out loud, besides he'd never paid girls and wouldn't want them paying him for heavens sake .Besides he actually was quite moral about such things.
As the night progressed he saw his brother who had been paying a fine at court. Being handy with his fists his brother had been arrested for fighting in an illegal boxing match.
Another mugs game thought Joe.
Having slept on things he joined his mates down the Lido, the nearby lake. One of his friends came late and said he'd been working in a nearby hotel kitchen and there was free grub going.
They all jumped at the offer.
Joe got talking to the lady on the desk of course. During his little chat up he discovered the hotel was in need of a porter. Apparently the tips were great. Now that's a good option he thought