House on the Hill.

Chapter 19 The Ice Cream wars

Farnworth was well-known for having characters good and bad. Antonio was no different. He was Italian and an ice- cream man and he always played the Mr Softee tune or jingle when we saw him in our street, to let everybody know he was there. He was well known as Mr Whippy around Highfield. He was only small about 5ft 7 with short black curly hair and was quite tubby. He had a round tubby face with dark eyes and a small moustache and he spoke with a soft Italian accent. Antonio was always smiling he used to call me cheeky chops because I never had the right amount of money to buy an ice cream. Whenever I tried to buy an ice-cream, I used to show Antonio what money I had in my hand and give him one of my cheeky smiles. I always asked for a 99 cornet which was an ice cream with a flake in the middle knowing too well I didn't have enough money. Antonio just shook his head and smiled. I usually got a broken cornet with a bit of whipped iced-cream.
I always said to him, "Is that all?"
Antonio used to just laugh and wink at me and say, "On your way before I take it back from you."
Antonio knew me and my friends by our first names and whenever we heard the ice cream jingle I used to run to my mum and beg for some money which more than often I didn't get.
So, Mick, Frank and I used to wait on the corner of our street and queue up in anticipation.
When it was my turn Antonio would say to me, "What are you having cheeky chops?"
I always replied with a sad face which usually worked with my mum, if I wanted anything or had done anything wrong, so I used the same trick with Antonio and said I had no money that day.
Antonio would lean over and rub my hair and with a big smile say, "Here you are cheeky chops."
He would give me a couple of broken cornets with a bit of ice-cream and strawberry sauce on top. I would just thank him and run off with my friends with a big smile on my face.
Mick and Frank used to always share their ice cream with me. That's when you knew what real friends were, when I was short. If I had money, we used to spend it on each other. We might have been poor but we always looked after each other.
One week a different ice cream man came into our street, he was called Manfredi. He was also Italian but completely different to Antonio. He was tall with a bald head and very well built and not as friendly. I tried the same tricks I used with Antonio but Manfredi wasn't as polite or as generous. He would just tell me to bugger off if I didn't have any money, or go and ask my parents for some money. I used to walk away with tears rolling down my face. Mick and Frank as usual always had money from their parents and they would always break a bit of cornet off with a bit of ice cream on. This used to always cheer me up. They both knew I was going through a bad time with my dad and that's why they were very protective of me.
The same ice-cream man turned up again and I tried the same trick. "Do you have any broken cornets?" I said to him. He just replied, "Bugger off if you have no money just
don't come to my ice-cream van again. You are banned." I missed Antonio and the banter I had with him. He was always friendly and he always put a smile on my face.
I remember once Antonio saw me with a large bruise on my left cheek and he asked me how had I got it.
"I just replied that I fell over." Antonio got out of the ice- cream van and gave me a cuddle and started to get upset.
"I don't believe you," he replied. "Did your parents hit you?"
I said, "No, honestly. I fell."
He just replied that if they ever touched me I must tell him.
Antonio wasn't the first person to ask me. I would always give the same answer that I fell.
I never saw Antonio for weeks but one day I was playing football in my street with Frank when I saw the Antonio ice- cream van park at the bottom of my street. I was so happy. Mick and I cheered and ran to the ice-cream van but within seconds, we saw Manfredi pull up at the side of him.
The Manfredi guy got out of his van and started shouting in Italian at Antonio. The arguing was loud and vicious and I must admit, I was frightened. I just wanted to run away but I was frozen to the spot. Antonio got out of his ice cream-van and started to wag his finger at the Manfredi guy. It wasn't long before they both came to blows and Antonio got the better of the Manfredi guy. He punched him twice and knocked him to the ground. All the bawling and shouting got most of the residents out of their houses in our street, such was the noise.
It wasn't long before the cavalry arrived. It was Sergeant Swann, our local police officer. I was happy to see him which was a first for me. He separated them and gave them what appeared to be a serious telling off. We all started to cheer when the blooded Manfredi guy jumped into his ice cream van and drove out of the street. That was the last time I ever saw him.
Antonio cleaned himself up and then he played his jingle tone again so we all formed a queue. Sergeant Swann was first in the queue and Antonio gave him a double 99 ice- cream cornet and told him it was on the house and then thanked him. Mick and I along with Frank got the same as Sergeant Swann, a double 99 ice cream cornet with a chocolate flake with all the trimmings and free of charge.
Antonio carried on selling ice-cream for several more years until he died. That was a sad day for all of us. Antonio will always be a special part of my life. R.I.P Antonio.
Even to this day when I every hear the ice-cream jingle to the tune of Mr Softee, I always think of Antonio.