This is the first part of the humorous biographic story of fictional character Oid. While the World gets on with the serious business of dealing with drought, famine, wars, scandal and the economic turbulence of the times, we are given an insight into the insignificance that is the day to day life of Oid. To Oid 'boom and bust' are what happen when you put highly combustible things on a fire and one of the more interesting things about women. The way his life is led is dictated to him by his priorities. Listed here, in order of importance, are the priorities;- avoiding all responsibility;- avoiding hard work;- motorcycles;- rock music;- and lastly, money to finance his priorities. We follow his misadventures and see some of the surreal situations in which he finds himself as he survives the Seventies and endures the Eighties in the West Midlands of England.
About the Author: Rob Shengy was born Rabi Shengi in the Indian territory of Nerbudda sometime between 1905 and 1919. As a teenager Rob joined a circus freak show and travelled around southern Asia. Blessed with a large nose, Rob put his huge nasal passages to good use while performing his act of making small rodents and frogs disappear while riding a small tricycle. In the late 1960s he moved to England and found work as a Guru. This came to an end in the 1970s though when he was exposed as being a fraud. He and several of his Yoga pupils had to be rushed to hospital on the back of a truck. Improvisation was needed as the incorrect Yoga position they were all stuck in prevented ambulance crews getting them through the doors of the waiting ambulances. In the 1980s there was a brief foray into politics, but ambitions of becoming an MP were cut short during one of his many impassioned speeches. While trying to gain the nomination as a parliamentary candidate his turban was knocked off by a missile during the annual conference of the English National Party. Now penniless he was forced to revive his circus freak show act as a street performer in London. It proved unpopular with the British public and the RSPCA. Following his prosecution, rather than dejection, it proved to be a turning point for Rob when it brought him to the attention of a member of the local authority. Due to his ethnic status he was immediately recruited as a teacher. Not letting the fact that he could not read or write in any language hold him back he went on to become head of the English department at a comprehensive school in East London. While holding this position he was noticed by the man charged with the setting up of the new Department of Child Support. With an interview panel made up of separated and divorced absentee fathers he was the obvious candidate for the job of director of operations. In 2008 he received a generous golden handshake. Rabi, always enjoying fancy dress, had been taking part in most of the protests held by the Fathers Demanding Justice Group. Now retired and living in the Cotswolds, Rob has written his memoirs but they have been rejected by all the major publishing houses as being unreadable. Having finally mastered reading and writing it has been found Rob suffers from a severe form of Dyslexia. Undeterred, between holding his own form of cross legged Zumba classes in his local village hall, Rob has found time for his latest works- THE CHRONICLES OF OID.