The Dwyers new addition
The estimated number of babies born per day in 1981 was 348,030. Jonathan William Dwyer was one of these little bundles of joy that came into the UK’s honeymoon period of the 80’s. Jonathan was not the biggest baby, the fastest delivery, or came out quoting Shakespeare. He was smaller than most baby’s having had a few complications late in pregnancy. However, to his parents, Claire and Thomas Dwyer, he was perfect... or so they told him later on in life. Blonde hair, bluey grey eyes, cheeky grin and barely the size of his parents’ forearm.
Claire was an average sized woman with raven black hair she wore in a bob, blue piercing eyes like she is consistently sizing up whomever was in front of her and thin lips that crease into a smile when expected to. Claire took pride in her appearance and though from humble beginnings she strove to exude a middle-class image. She worked at the local doctor’s surgery; answering phones, booking appointments and giving the impression of genuine empathy when required. Everything was done with precision and purpose at work and in life. You soon knew how Claire wanted her notes to be presented to her that was for sure.
Not to judge her too harshly, there was a kindness to her when behind closed doors. She cared for her husband and at the time of Jonathan’s arrival there were certainly more good days than bad in their lives.
Thomas was a bit more on the plump side than Claire was; a symptom of an indulgent youth growing up a rougher part of town than his lady wife. He had a good head of black hair, bushy moustache and a cheeky grin. He had inherited a good sense of humour from his father, who had not only passed his cheery disposition onto his son but also his glossary of ‘dad jokes’ and bad puns. Something that afraid to say Jonathan also inherited.
Thomas worked as a factory supervisor in a car part manufacturing company. It was a reasonable size business in the town of Wick’s Port and Thomas was driven to support his growing family. He worked his way up from apprentice, learning the value of graft and focus on your goals. At work, he was a firm but fair boss.
Jonathan was not their first born, they had a trial run at parenting with their now 3-year-old son and enthusiastic big brother, James. He was different to Jonathan from the start. James was gifted. He showed at pre-school his proclivity for numbers, his social interactions consisted of the top percentile of his peers even at such a tender age. This rising talent was tempered only by his tendency to be an emotional soul. Not that this is a bad thing when regulated and reasonable, but it highlighted the difference quickly between him and his new baby brother. Jonathan was not a crier. Even as a new-born, he barely cried and this continued through his toddler years. Where some may be concerned by having such a child, it was comforting to Claire and Thomas as Jonathan was very accident prone. A child with as many booboo’s as Jonathan loudly crying for all to gawk and whisper about, would be stressful and embarrassing for his parents. James was a good big brother in these early years. Helping his mum and dad with the new baby, playing with Jonathan and happy to show Jonathan off to his friends.
The Dwyer family lived in a relatively quiet area on the outskirts of Wick’s Port; near a good school, woodland area, typical high street and a COE Church, St. Elissa’s Church. Wick’s Port itself was a bustling seafront city, marrying the new with a rich seafaring heritage. The old parts of Wick’s Port retained its character and charm having been an 18th century port for spices from the east, hosting sailors, smugglers and ladies of the night in many of the surrounding taverns and inns. The newer parts of town maintained some of its heritage in the form of clubs and pockets of bars, catering to more than sailors. Shopping centres sprung up where high streets and parades once stood but it raised the area from a sleepy naval town to a popular waterfront destination.
Jonathan went to a play group at St. Elissa’s church rather than staying at home. A symptom of modern times with both parents working. There he was introduced to a number of other children that lived in the same or parallel roads, which made things easier for play dates outside of play group. Where James had surrounded himself with the cream of the crop, ‘little Johnny’ – as he was often affectionately referred to by Miss. Jones the group leader - got on with pretty much everyone and didn’t seem to care if he was playing with a boy, a girl or by himself. He was content in his own company or as part of a group. It was here that he forged, what was to become lasting friendship throughout his early years.
Jonathan gravitated towards a close-knit group of 6; two boys – Michael and Ryan – and four girls, Tiffany, Rebecca, Sarah and Julie. All their mums knew each other and were often found twittering in a corner at the start and end of the play group sessions. It worked out great for everyone combining play dates with tea and gossip. Ryan was tall for his age, skinny, ginger haired boy that was later a source of many in-jokes. He was active and had boundless energy. Michael was a cheery kind hearted boy, little heavier set than Jonathan and Ryan not that they cared about such things. He liked to read and often just went along with the majority.
Tiffany was a pretty pale blue-eyed girl with long blonde hair, who naturally led the other girls with ease and grace. Tiffany’s parents were close with Jonathan’s and so they saw a lot of each other and were in and out of each other’s homes, especially with James being the same age as her older sister Zoey. Rebecca was a ‘beta’ girl who tended to hang on Tiffany’s every word and always rose to take over the ‘pack’ when Tiffany was absent. She had short mousey brown hair, sparkling hazel eyes and a genuine smile. Though Tiffany was fawned like a princess, Rebecca was often seen as the cute clever one. Sarah and Julie were so close, they could have been twins even though they were just friends. Both had dirty blonde hair, sapphire blue eyes and were rarely seen apart. The nickname of ‘the twins’ was inevitable. Sometimes they joined the group and others they could be found floating round the room, hand in hand, dolls in hand. They were a good pairing as they rarely disagreed about anything with Sarah being feistier and engaging while Julie tended to step back until called upon when in group activities.
With this mix of friends, Jonathan was a middle person. When just the boys, either he or Ryan tended to make the decisions of what to do and play with and when in the wider group he was more the deciding vote in the playground democracy that followed. With girls out numbering the boys, there were a great number of tea parties which gave the toys of the playgroup a rare chance to mingle… there were not many tea parties where dinosaurs, dolls, horses and He-man figures could relax over invisible beverages and snacks! Life was simple, carefree and good.
