Sad loss of a former work colleague - Jason Hill, Worthing - a friend and co-worker at the bookshops for over five years

SAD LOSS OF A FORMER BOOKSHOP COLLEAGUE

I was shocked and saddened to learn that Jason Hill of our hometown Worthing had been killed last week with his brother Stuart and Stuart's girlfriend in a helicopter accident at the Grand Canyon. Jason had dated our employer's daughter at Kim's Bookshop, where I ran the Arundel branch for ten years between 2002-2012, and had been a part of the bookshops for about four or five years back then. He was a major part of my bookshop experience and life for several years and I often thought of him as I wrote notes, planned my books and drew upon book selling memories with various colleagues.

At the bookshops, Jason was easy going, hard working and so nice to work with. I always had a laugh with him and enjoyed the days we worked together in Arundel, Worthing or Chichester. Oftentimes, Lin, the owner and mother of his girlfriend Vicki, would commandeer him for 'calls days'. He carried hefty boxes of books easily, was polite and cheerful and he was great with customers. I have many memories of him arriving with Lin, wearing one of our customary bright orange Kim's Bookshop t-shirt's, carrying three of four blue boxes loaded with books, with his sunglasses on, at ease as they dropped off books they had just bought so that I could mark them up.

Kim's Bookshop Arundel at around the time I worked with Jason

Although I hadn't seen Jason for several years, I had actually been thinking about him a lot recently as I prepare my fourth bookshop novel 'Summer at the Secondhand Bookworm' and made some notes of things that happened when I worked with him. I often chuckle about a few episodes which I had already decided to include, so when I saw that Jason had been killed I was deeply shocked and saddened. I can't believe I was chatting about him the other day with my sister who worked with him a few times in the family-run bookshops back in the early-mid 2000's.

Jason really was a nice chap. I knew him when he was a teenager (from when he was about 16 I think) through to a year or two into his study at Southampton Uni. I met him pretty much on the first day I started at Kim's bookshop in Worthing when he strolled in with Vicki and made several amusing comments about books or odd customers. He was instantly friendly with his big, cheerful grin and his dry humour. Over the years I worked many Saturdays with him and oftentimes during the holidays. For most of the time he worked in the Worthing shop with his girlfriend Vicki whom he affectionately called 'Plumhead' after Victoria Plum. He even wrote that as his name for her personal till buttons in all three shops and I would smile to myself if Vicki and I worked together and whenever she took a sale she used her 'Plumhead' button.

When we worked together, Jason was always kind and asked when I wanted to take lunch first. He would arrive on his bike having actually biked to the Arundel shop from Broadwater which amazed me! When we locked up and said goodbye, he would bring his racing bike around from the yard to the front, make sure I had locked up alright and was okay and set off in his cycling gear. I would usually pass him on the A27, peddling fast along the road and sometimes he would wave, as he headed home to Broadwater.

Jason (right) with the same smile I remember

Jason got on really well with all of our colleagues at the bookshop. He came to the staff meals and always seemed to be composed and cool, observing everything with a slightly bemused eye, a smile or a grin and adding very funny comments. I remember getting to know him a bit better at Vicki's 18th birthday party in Angmering at the football club. I also remember walking with him and chatting with him as we went to a Christmas staff meal at the Fortune Inn in Worthing where the highlight was him arm wrestling our employer, Lin, and him being bemused that she was actually amazingly strong (us bookshop gals have very good arm muscles from all the book lifting!)

One of the most clear memories I have of Jason was when we worked several days in a row over summer in Arundel during the festivities. We had a regular customer who bought and sold back the same ten books or so every week for decades. He was a heavy breather on the phone and one time I placed the telephone receiver on the counter to go and look for his books (again!) and when I came back Jason was leaning over breathing heavily into the receiver on the counter in Mr X's ear instead; I found it hard to keep a straight-face when I spoke to Mr X again.

Another time, a banjo player had set up in the town square for the day and was driving us mad. In the end, Jason picked up the old school bell we would sometimes use to ring in the shop when one of us was on the top floor, took it to the doorway and stood there ringing it so loud and the banjo player stopped and stared. It was a very funny payback.

Jason was careful with what he ate and a keen cyclist. He would often chat about certain health foods and was a fan of peanut butter for protein, often singing its praises lol. One lunch time he came back with a banana from the greengrocers, smirking that the greengrocer had been a bit annoyed that he had only bought a single banana from her.

Jason and Vicki also went book selling for a few days to a London food festival, taking the bookshop van loaded with stock - he knew his books really well and worked really hard with the customers and books.

Jason (right) exactly how I remember working with him

It was a shame when Vicki and Jason went off to separate universities and decided to break up. Jason continued to work at the bookshop for a year or two on his holidays but eventually left and we lost touch with him. For me, Jason was a firm fixture in my bookshop Era. Although I was almost ten years older than Jason, I started out quite shy at the bookshop which was my first job with the public and although he was outgoing and confident, he was so down to earth, friendly and nice that I was comfortable working with him and have always thought of him fondly.

I shall always be shocked about Jason's sudden death and will remember him warmly. I would like to dedicate my fourth novel to his memory and shall go ahead with my plan to include some of our experiences and memories at the bookshop in 'Summer at the Secondhand Bookworm', my series of novels set in an English Secondhand Bookshop.