Change Wasn't Anything New For John In Recent Years
Newcroft Pit was named among four others in the region to go

Before he had finished his meal Derek Black, Emily's father came in to bring the latest news, backing up Emily's news. He said that Newcroft Pit was named among four others in the region to go (as he put it).

"Well why haven't they told us at the Pit today?"
Derek left on his daily duties down to the allotments where the best vegetables were grown by all the old miners - a place where John could see himself retiring to the same sect.

He had only ever worked at Newcroft and his dad before him had spent his entire working life in the pits.

He always knew this day would come but was able to live in hope and blocked the thought, as if hidden behind a firewall of denial. Lots of his colleagues had recently taken the redundancy offer but John thought about his family and his prospects in the area of getting a job to replace the one he had now. He was an official (Deputy) with a team who weren't all living locally but they had a bond, a brotherhood at work and were quite happy to stick it out together. Every once in a while they would get together and go out for a drink, mainly in the nearby town of Ashtonley. The town was satellited by pits a few years ago and even though classed as a former hosiery town it thrived on the mining communities thereabouts.

John, clearing his plate and seeing the sun shining on the back garden, decided to take Jude out on to the lawn and play for a while. She was four years old going on 40 as they say and after a morning at nursery she was always full of new things to do and dad would oblige with pleasure, but for now he was teaching her to play football of all things.

"She won't know whether she is a boy or a girl if you keeping teaching her how to play centre forward," shouted Emily from her kitchen window.
"Well she might do a bit better than Forest's strikers at this rate," he answered with a smile as he rolled around the grass with the ball as if he was a professional keeper making a vital save on Match of the Day.

The big wooden gate creaked open and then entered Terry Butler, his cousin, workmate and old school pal. They were mates since the 'old king was alive'. Terry, a big built chap, was engaged to get married next year and John would be his best man of course.

"This is what you want, some exercise; or you won't get into that Top Hat and Tails rigmarole next year", dug John. This is how they were most of the day down the pit and anywhere else but neither took the huff.

A muffled "bollocks" came the reply at a level only John would pick up on as Jude wandered off with the ball into John's recently planted out lettuce plants. He lunged and whisked her up in the air so as not to startle her but make sure she knew you don't kick the ball on daddy's plants.

"Serves you right", came the voice from the window again.

Before either party could laugh, Terry said: "Have you heard?"

Before John could say 'what', Terry relayed the news about the pit closing on the news; John didn't deny it but shrugged his shoulders saying he wasn't bothered anyway, which was a blatant lie.

He asked where he had heard it and they both mused why they hadn't got to know anything at work that morning.

"The bloody Union should know something or are they in on it."

And it went silent after the recent years of disarray in their Union ; both started to fear the worst. Terry said he had to go for his dinner and would see him tomorrow at the pit reminding him it was his turn for the grapefruit. This was far from worrying about the news; but when they both worked in hot conditions in a seam called the Tupton, a mouth-watering bit of fruit at the end of a shift was welcome. The fact that all Terry was worried about was the grapefruit; maybe an indication that neither believed there would be any pit closures soon. Turning a tired Jade over to Emily, he got stretched out on their sofa and contentedly dozed off to make up some sleep lost after rising at 4.30am on that day's shift.