It’s really quite a long time ago, it’s a wedding, a grown up son and daughter, two house moves, umpteen holidays and I daren’t think how many pints of beer ago.
I had just moved into a bungalow – my sister is disabled and it meant she could come and stay with me. I was teaching at a big school in a northern town, a school with great young people and great colleagues, and things were toddling along quite nicely. Two years previously I had started an MA, and however many years ago, at this time of year, in fact probably April 17th, I was sitting at the kitchen table in my sunlit kitchen, concentrating on my dissertation. I was totally engrossed and barely registered the phone was ringing, but groped for it, eyes still fixed on the computer screen and answered.
An enthusiastic male voice told me he was a colleague from school and would I like to go out for a beer that evening. I must have focussed on the beer part because I said ‘yes’ and he said he would pick me up and rang off.
I came to my senses. What? What?? Had I really agreed to go out with him? Good grief! No! No!! No!!! He was a good teacher, a popular teacher, a very loud teacher – as one of my students said ‘very, very long man, very very shout man!‘ Oh good grief (again). Huffing and a bit cross – I did not want to go out with this bloke, we had nothing in common, he was not my type, it would be awkward and embarrassing, and I preferred to get on with my MA. I started work again, morosely thinking that at least he was a beer drinker and would take me to a decent pub and I’d no doubt have a couple of pints of decent beer….
Part 2 tomorrow!
Lois Elsden 