Sunday morning , heading out of Memphis , singing a duet ...no no not Elvis songs , but Kris Kristoffersons ''Sunday Morning''( comin' down ) , we started the final part of our trip to Texas .Our in-car entertainment of the Oddessy was now finished , Oddessyeus a.k.a Ulysses , having slaughtered the Cyclops and all his enemies abroad , now returned to find his household slaughtered , so he set about slaughtering his enemies on home ground...great stuff, so for some light relief we listened to another 'spoken book'...Crime and Punishment , this story about a student who murders two old women with an axe and claims it was their own fault...
This was actually an improvement on my son's other choice ....EARLY Michael Jackson tapes , as the singer had died in the previous few days . I felt sorry for Jackson but not sorry enough to suffer his early music....I recon this was retaliation on my son's part for all those Dean Martin hobo songs he was forced to listen to , when he was young , on family car-trips....
We crossed the Mississippi during the morning , another missed photo opportunity , into Arkansas , passing near Little Rock , Pine Bluff , El Dorado , and crossed the border into Texas at Texarkana , passing near towns like Marshall , Longview , then past Dallas and so on to Fort Worth .....a remarkable futuristic city and holding on to a tiny corner of the Old West in Cowtown . We were welcomed by my son's wife and daughter ...our mission completed .HOOray for Robert HOOray for the Honda Accord ( since voted the most reliable car in the WORLD...I agree )..HOoray for U-Haul .....I'll spend another ten blogs telling you about my journey home through Heathrow. YEEEHAAAAAW....
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Jersey City to Fort Worth ...Part FOUR
Leaving the area of the Shanandoah Valley , Hugh having performed very well , we then made our way from Ashville towards Knoxville , following directions such as ''ask for 81 South , National Pike , West , merge to......etc my driver had to watch all these directions and signs , while at the same time avoiding ,huge trucks and cars coming from either side .....
We followed signs for West Virginia , Tennessee , ...finally exit 1 B for Knoxville, on to Turkey Drive , down Snowgoose Lane ....and there it was Holmwood Suites Motel.
Tired , we went in search of food , having missed an opportunity of visiting the eating establishment that served the BIGGEST BURGERS IN THE WORLD...we settled for the closest we could get to the famous HATFIELD HOTDOG....
On Friday 3 rd of July ,yes , yes ,'as dawn's rose fingers touched the sky'' , we set off for Memphis, , passing out of Virginia into Tennessee, signs for Clarksville , Chatanooga , and stopping in Nashville ( the home of country music ) , to savour the 'action' in that legendary place . We parked Hugh , taking up TWO parking places , on Buddy Holly Boulevard , and went looking for the 'action' , but were unable to find it , eventually we had to ask directions from two cops in a squad car , who looked at us very strangely....we DID see Sun Studios where Elvis made his first recordings and WE were asked by a passerby ''did we know the way to Chet Akins'' , to my surprise my son had never HEARD of the famous guitarist and did not realise that the person was looking for a street not an actual person.
The only action we eventually found in Nashville was afternoon tea , served on a veranda , by a Greek orthodox lady , who apologised for not having any freshly-baked scones , and whose black-bean soup consisted of ..just that ,,black beans ...no liquid...she pressed some religious promotional pamplets as we rushed off to save our car and trailer from being clamped , or whatever they do to illegally parked cars in Nashville...
We arrived in Memphis in the late afternoon , an amazingly spread-out city ....found our motel . The Scots Inn , almost directly across the road from Graceville , Elvis's former home .We planned to stay two nights , to give the driver and Hugh a rest and enjoy the eve-of-Independence -day and Independence Day itself in the city .
We parked Hugh , booked in and made our way to the room .We went for a meal and on the way back my son said ''Did you SEE him ?'' , I said ''Who?''...He said ''The ELVIS impersonater on the stairs'' ...nooooo, this happened THREE TIMES, ''did you see him on the BALCONY''...''DID YOU SEE HIM IN THE CAR PARK ???..no...no...and again no ...I was beginning to believe that my son was seeing Elvis's ghost when I did see him on the stairs ....or did I???
Memphis by night on the eve of Independence Day is something to behold ....or maybe its like that EVERY night ....music pouring out of all the cafes and night clubs , dancing and acrobating on the streets , everyone merry , laughing , young , old , black white , drunk and sober ....and surprisingly for an Irishman visiting .....NO signs of violence or disorderly conduct....of course that MAY have had to do with the fact that the Memphis Police and Squad cars were very much in evidence , just think Rod Steiger ...''IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT'' , but they were laughing and joking too.
We went to BB.Kings night club for ribs , a Bud , and some jazz to round off the night..
On Independence Day we visited Graceland , a bit disappointing , the house almost as he lived in it , the jungle room very interesting ( details of Graceland can be found on the Internet ).
As we were leaving on the Graceland Tour Bus the african-american lady who was driving the bus started singing ''Blue Suede Shoes'', my son joined in and soon the whole bus crew and passengers were singing all the Elvis songs they could remember the words of ...and a few minutes before they had been strangers to one another......oh yes Elvis LIVES. We didn't see the fireworks as we had yet another early start the following morning....goodnight Memphis...tomorrow is our final leg of the journey....
We followed signs for West Virginia , Tennessee , ...finally exit 1 B for Knoxville, on to Turkey Drive , down Snowgoose Lane ....and there it was Holmwood Suites Motel.
Tired , we went in search of food , having missed an opportunity of visiting the eating establishment that served the BIGGEST BURGERS IN THE WORLD...we settled for the closest we could get to the famous HATFIELD HOTDOG....
On Friday 3 rd of July ,yes , yes ,'as dawn's rose fingers touched the sky'' , we set off for Memphis, , passing out of Virginia into Tennessee, signs for Clarksville , Chatanooga , and stopping in Nashville ( the home of country music ) , to savour the 'action' in that legendary place . We parked Hugh , taking up TWO parking places , on Buddy Holly Boulevard , and went looking for the 'action' , but were unable to find it , eventually we had to ask directions from two cops in a squad car , who looked at us very strangely....we DID see Sun Studios where Elvis made his first recordings and WE were asked by a passerby ''did we know the way to Chet Akins'' , to my surprise my son had never HEARD of the famous guitarist and did not realise that the person was looking for a street not an actual person.
The only action we eventually found in Nashville was afternoon tea , served on a veranda , by a Greek orthodox lady , who apologised for not having any freshly-baked scones , and whose black-bean soup consisted of ..just that ,,black beans ...no liquid...she pressed some religious promotional pamplets as we rushed off to save our car and trailer from being clamped , or whatever they do to illegally parked cars in Nashville...
We arrived in Memphis in the late afternoon , an amazingly spread-out city ....found our motel . The Scots Inn , almost directly across the road from Graceville , Elvis's former home .We planned to stay two nights , to give the driver and Hugh a rest and enjoy the eve-of-Independence -day and Independence Day itself in the city .
We parked Hugh , booked in and made our way to the room .We went for a meal and on the way back my son said ''Did you SEE him ?'' , I said ''Who?''...He said ''The ELVIS impersonater on the stairs'' ...nooooo, this happened THREE TIMES, ''did you see him on the BALCONY''...''DID YOU SEE HIM IN THE CAR PARK ???..no...no...and again no ...I was beginning to believe that my son was seeing Elvis's ghost when I did see him on the stairs ....or did I???
Memphis by night on the eve of Independence Day is something to behold ....or maybe its like that EVERY night ....music pouring out of all the cafes and night clubs , dancing and acrobating on the streets , everyone merry , laughing , young , old , black white , drunk and sober ....and surprisingly for an Irishman visiting .....NO signs of violence or disorderly conduct....of course that MAY have had to do with the fact that the Memphis Police and Squad cars were very much in evidence , just think Rod Steiger ...''IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT'' , but they were laughing and joking too.
We went to BB.Kings night club for ribs , a Bud , and some jazz to round off the night..
On Independence Day we visited Graceland , a bit disappointing , the house almost as he lived in it , the jungle room very interesting ( details of Graceland can be found on the Internet ).
As we were leaving on the Graceland Tour Bus the african-american lady who was driving the bus started singing ''Blue Suede Shoes'', my son joined in and soon the whole bus crew and passengers were singing all the Elvis songs they could remember the words of ...and a few minutes before they had been strangers to one another......oh yes Elvis LIVES. We didn't see the fireworks as we had yet another early start the following morning....goodnight Memphis...tomorrow is our final leg of the journey....
Jersey City to Fort Worth ....Part THREE
We had decided to have Country Music tapes to accompany us on the long drives , but somehow we ended up listening to 'spoken book '' tapes . The first of these was '' Homers Odyessey '' on six hour long tapes .Oh ..no I thought ....but as it turned out because of the well known stories , the rhytm of the words and the soothing tone of the narrator it was a perfect accompanyment....Sooooo 'as dawns rose fingers touched the sky ' we set out on the Thurs, 2nd of July heading for Knoxville , Virginia .
We crossed from Maryland ( sorry Morryland ) into Virginia , West Virginia , ( Kentucky, Nth. Carolina , ?) , Tennessee, passing close to well known towns , such as Charlstown , Clarksburgh , Winston , Salem...and another surprise ...we took a side trip to The Blue Ridge Mountains , and the Shanandoah Valley. Once again I was wary of the hills which became mountains, sharp bends , looking out for wildlife in the wooded landscape ,(a deer ran right across our path on a bend ).
We travelled high up the mountain , with myself expecting the trailer to separate itself from the car at any moment . We stopped at a viewing point overlooking the Shanandoah Valley , and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance . We were admiring a picturesque ranch-house nestled down in the valley and saying what a lovely place to live when we became conscious of a man about my own age standing close by , smoking a cigarette , and gazing , like ourselves down into the valley .It turned out that he was the owner of the ranch house we were admiring . His name was Paul Lester and he had lived there most of his life , he had spent some time abroad doing his national service in Europe and the far East ....his abiding memory of Paris was not the Eiffle Tower ( a pile of steel girders !) but the fact that people pi**ed in the street , presumably referring to the on-street urinals which were still in use there in the sixties . He told us about the local wild life , the ( deer )huntimg season ran (I think) from October to March , for the first part of the season , hunters were only allowed to use BOW and ARROWS , then old fashioned MUZZLE LOADERS , and only then were modern weapons , seemed to me a fair deal for the deer .However Paul then told us that HE shot deer with a .22 rifle from his porch , deer meat tasks great . He told us that his son was the local Deputy Sherriff. Although he had never been to Ireland , said he hoped to visit one day...he was very interested inthe European Union and the fact that the Euro was used in most European countries now .
As we said our goodbyes we looked down into the valley again and understood why people like Paul would have no incentive to travel anywhere from this peaceful setting....
We crossed from Maryland ( sorry Morryland ) into Virginia , West Virginia , ( Kentucky, Nth. Carolina , ?) , Tennessee, passing close to well known towns , such as Charlstown , Clarksburgh , Winston , Salem...and another surprise ...we took a side trip to The Blue Ridge Mountains , and the Shanandoah Valley. Once again I was wary of the hills which became mountains, sharp bends , looking out for wildlife in the wooded landscape ,(a deer ran right across our path on a bend ).
We travelled high up the mountain , with myself expecting the trailer to separate itself from the car at any moment . We stopped at a viewing point overlooking the Shanandoah Valley , and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance . We were admiring a picturesque ranch-house nestled down in the valley and saying what a lovely place to live when we became conscious of a man about my own age standing close by , smoking a cigarette , and gazing , like ourselves down into the valley .It turned out that he was the owner of the ranch house we were admiring . His name was Paul Lester and he had lived there most of his life , he had spent some time abroad doing his national service in Europe and the far East ....his abiding memory of Paris was not the Eiffle Tower ( a pile of steel girders !) but the fact that people pi**ed in the street , presumably referring to the on-street urinals which were still in use there in the sixties . He told us about the local wild life , the ( deer )huntimg season ran (I think) from October to March , for the first part of the season , hunters were only allowed to use BOW and ARROWS , then old fashioned MUZZLE LOADERS , and only then were modern weapons , seemed to me a fair deal for the deer .However Paul then told us that HE shot deer with a .22 rifle from his porch , deer meat tasks great . He told us that his son was the local Deputy Sherriff. Although he had never been to Ireland , said he hoped to visit one day...he was very interested inthe European Union and the fact that the Euro was used in most European countries now .
As we said our goodbyes we looked down into the valley again and understood why people like Paul would have no incentive to travel anywhere from this peaceful setting....
Jersey City to Fort Worth .....Part TWO...
We decided to leave as early as possible , before the ''city that never sleeps'' woke up , so Hugh and me and Bobby slowly moved out of Sussex St. '' as dawn's rose fingers touched the sky'' on the 1st July 2009 . There was barely room for me to move in the passenger seat , even the footwell on my side was full of stuff .
We were both a little thoughtful as we drove out , I was concerned because we had never road-tested the combined load and trailer , my son , no doubt , thinking of the 5 years he and his wife had spent in Jersey City and their apartment (from which , he told me one time , if the light was right , the wind favourable and standing on a table it was just possible to see the'arse' of The Statue of Liberty ).
As we passed the Mail Office we half expected to find a smouldering ruin , following the previous day's battle , but all was quiet.
We headed out of Jersey City toward Pennysylvania , with the massive trucks/trailers roaring past us as we drove in the centre lane of the 3 lane highways. Sitting in the car , with rear visibility , except for the wing mirrors , I soon gave up any vague idea I had had of driving ...I would have been sitting in what for me was the passenger seat , with very limited rear visibility , with a constant stream of very heavy traffic all around , in short I was a coward.
About 100 miles out visibility for the driver was further reduced when a light shower of rain hit .Then a woman , driving a large four by four , passing us pointed animatedly towards the trailer behind....uh ,oh....a problem ...already....We pulled over into the emergency lane as quickly and safely as possible . We discovered that the steel ''fail-safe'' chain on the trailer had become loose and had been dragging for some miles , as it was pitted and scarred . Thank you ma'm, whoever you are .We contacted U-Haul who advised us that by tying up the chain to the towing bar we would NOT be interfering with the turning mechanism. Phew!......
My son got his first experience of manouvering the car and trailer in a tight space when we pulled off the highway for petrol at a small 'gas'station . Reversing to access the gas pump was a tricky job and then trying to exit the forecourt , with limited visibility , called for extreme care and caution.
We had planned our first night's stop for the Days Inn in Hagerstown about 300 miles out , then my son informed me that he had a surprise in store , we were going to go on a side- trip to visit
a famous site of a Civil War battle at Antietam . Whereas I was looking forward to seeing the site , I was worried that travelling over a battlefield , on hills and small roads , might give Hugh Hall problems....suppose we got a flat tyre , a broken connection...etc, all my anxieties were swept aside....we were going.....
A rainstorm broke just as we arrived at the site and although it was only 7pm visibility was bad , there were hills and small roads and very few other visitors there but we were given good advice and directions by the helpful staff at the reception centre. The battle took place on 17 Sept. 1862 , 23000 casualties in 12 hours , some of the earliest battlefield photos were taken there , including Abraham Lincoln and some of his generals poring over maps etc (see the Ultimate Guide to the Battle of Antietam , for more info...)
My driver and Hugh Hall performed excellently, a great experience....
We headed on into Hagerstown and the Days Inn and a well earned rest ..
We were both a little thoughtful as we drove out , I was concerned because we had never road-tested the combined load and trailer , my son , no doubt , thinking of the 5 years he and his wife had spent in Jersey City and their apartment (from which , he told me one time , if the light was right , the wind favourable and standing on a table it was just possible to see the'arse' of The Statue of Liberty ).
As we passed the Mail Office we half expected to find a smouldering ruin , following the previous day's battle , but all was quiet.
We headed out of Jersey City toward Pennysylvania , with the massive trucks/trailers roaring past us as we drove in the centre lane of the 3 lane highways. Sitting in the car , with rear visibility , except for the wing mirrors , I soon gave up any vague idea I had had of driving ...I would have been sitting in what for me was the passenger seat , with very limited rear visibility , with a constant stream of very heavy traffic all around , in short I was a coward.
About 100 miles out visibility for the driver was further reduced when a light shower of rain hit .Then a woman , driving a large four by four , passing us pointed animatedly towards the trailer behind....uh ,oh....a problem ...already....We pulled over into the emergency lane as quickly and safely as possible . We discovered that the steel ''fail-safe'' chain on the trailer had become loose and had been dragging for some miles , as it was pitted and scarred . Thank you ma'm, whoever you are .We contacted U-Haul who advised us that by tying up the chain to the towing bar we would NOT be interfering with the turning mechanism. Phew!......
My son got his first experience of manouvering the car and trailer in a tight space when we pulled off the highway for petrol at a small 'gas'station . Reversing to access the gas pump was a tricky job and then trying to exit the forecourt , with limited visibility , called for extreme care and caution.
We had planned our first night's stop for the Days Inn in Hagerstown about 300 miles out , then my son informed me that he had a surprise in store , we were going to go on a side- trip to visit
a famous site of a Civil War battle at Antietam . Whereas I was looking forward to seeing the site , I was worried that travelling over a battlefield , on hills and small roads , might give Hugh Hall problems....suppose we got a flat tyre , a broken connection...etc, all my anxieties were swept aside....we were going.....
A rainstorm broke just as we arrived at the site and although it was only 7pm visibility was bad , there were hills and small roads and very few other visitors there but we were given good advice and directions by the helpful staff at the reception centre. The battle took place on 17 Sept. 1862 , 23000 casualties in 12 hours , some of the earliest battlefield photos were taken there , including Abraham Lincoln and some of his generals poring over maps etc (see the Ultimate Guide to the Battle of Antietam , for more info...)
My driver and Hugh Hall performed excellently, a great experience....
We headed on into Hagerstown and the Days Inn and a well earned rest ..
Monday, August 10, 2009
Jersey City to Fort Worth Part one
I had decided to travel with my son on a Road Trip from Jersey City to Fort Worth in Texas as he was moving there to start a new life with his family ( wife and baby daughter )
Arrived at Newark Airport on 29 June following an uneventful journey from Dublin via Heathrow ( its much easier to going through HRW on the way out ).
Met by my son and back in his apartment in about half an hour .Having been greeted by daughter-in-law and grand daughter , the two of us set out for a night on the town ( Manhatten ),with some of his friends and collegues from work , a combined bon voyage and birthday celebration .
On the following morning while final tidying up operations were taking place inside , I sat on the steps of the apartment in the beautiful morning sunshine hanging out with my grand daughter . Many neighbours and casual acquaintences dropped by to say goodbye , chat to the little one , and view the furniture and fittings which were laid out on the pavement , there for the taking . The genuine sadness of these friends and neighbours to the imminent departure of this young family , gave lie to the image that people in this part of the city were self absorbed
Mother and baby set off for the airport , to fly to Texas , accompanied by various suitcases , bags , boxes , baby stuff , a huge 'steamer chest' and a stunned cab-driver.
I got my first opportunity to have a close look at what we will call Hugh Hall , this combination of a Honda Accord and a U-Haul trailer. Both had been loaded up to , and in my opinion far beyond their capacity , weight wise .The trailer was taller and wider that the car and every square inch of space inside was full , it had the cables for brakes and lights and the connecting tow bar had an overriding 'fail-safe' steel chair . Advice from friends from the night before was to the effect '' don't let U-Haul see this , they will probably tell you to unload half of the stuff..
The Accord likewise was fully loaded to the roof in the back , both the side windows and the rear window ,all obscured ....I was already having doubts about my offer to do some of the driving...
However , before we left we had the little problem of despatching seven parcels /packages of various shapes and sizes and to convey these parcels to the local US Mail offices meant having to borrow a trolly from the local liqour store ( question , how come my son was on such good terms with the local off-licence?).
We had to make two trips , when we arrived at the Mail offices , the lady in charge first lowered her glasses down her nose and then raised her eyes to heaven , pointed to the nearby parcel desk and ominously handed me a large pair of scissors and two rolls of clear sealing tape .
I think the battle really started when my son approached the lady at the Parcel Desk . Seven large to medium parcels , .first she said they were not properly wrapped , some were too bulky some too heavy and ALL should be wrapped in brown wrapping paper , ( had she any brown wrapping paper ....of course not , anyway the labels should all be printed .....)
As the battle progressed , between bouts the lady paced up and down , like a boxer waiting for the next round....she was too rude even for Ryanair...
The tall parcel was a Christmas Tree , it had a picture of a christmas tree on three sides and the words Christmas Tree printed clearly on the other three sides .....''what's in THAT box she said'' , We said it was a christmas tree , Why were we sending a christmas tree from Jersey City to Fort Worth on the 30 th June , did we not trust the speed and efficiency of the US Postal service ???
Eventually the score was 5...2 , she accepted five parcels , we had to take two away.
Meanwhile a row broke out between some of the people in the queue behind us , people who had been waiting impatiently , four-letter words were thrown around and blows were about to be struck , the lady in charge threathened to call the COPS .As we left I tried to offer our apologies for our part in the kerfuffle , but my son , ever the diplomat , guided me outside by the elbow....inside the voices got louder and I think I heard a police siren in the distance....
As we made our way back to the apartment it started to rain...
We checked over Hugh Hall , made sure everything was in readyness for our early morning start and went to sleep on two seperate duvets , all that remained in the apartment...
Arrived at Newark Airport on 29 June following an uneventful journey from Dublin via Heathrow ( its much easier to going through HRW on the way out ).
Met by my son and back in his apartment in about half an hour .Having been greeted by daughter-in-law and grand daughter , the two of us set out for a night on the town ( Manhatten ),with some of his friends and collegues from work , a combined bon voyage and birthday celebration .
On the following morning while final tidying up operations were taking place inside , I sat on the steps of the apartment in the beautiful morning sunshine hanging out with my grand daughter . Many neighbours and casual acquaintences dropped by to say goodbye , chat to the little one , and view the furniture and fittings which were laid out on the pavement , there for the taking . The genuine sadness of these friends and neighbours to the imminent departure of this young family , gave lie to the image that people in this part of the city were self absorbed
Mother and baby set off for the airport , to fly to Texas , accompanied by various suitcases , bags , boxes , baby stuff , a huge 'steamer chest' and a stunned cab-driver.
I got my first opportunity to have a close look at what we will call Hugh Hall , this combination of a Honda Accord and a U-Haul trailer. Both had been loaded up to , and in my opinion far beyond their capacity , weight wise .The trailer was taller and wider that the car and every square inch of space inside was full , it had the cables for brakes and lights and the connecting tow bar had an overriding 'fail-safe' steel chair . Advice from friends from the night before was to the effect '' don't let U-Haul see this , they will probably tell you to unload half of the stuff..
The Accord likewise was fully loaded to the roof in the back , both the side windows and the rear window ,all obscured ....I was already having doubts about my offer to do some of the driving...
However , before we left we had the little problem of despatching seven parcels /packages of various shapes and sizes and to convey these parcels to the local US Mail offices meant having to borrow a trolly from the local liqour store ( question , how come my son was on such good terms with the local off-licence?).
We had to make two trips , when we arrived at the Mail offices , the lady in charge first lowered her glasses down her nose and then raised her eyes to heaven , pointed to the nearby parcel desk and ominously handed me a large pair of scissors and two rolls of clear sealing tape .
I think the battle really started when my son approached the lady at the Parcel Desk . Seven large to medium parcels , .first she said they were not properly wrapped , some were too bulky some too heavy and ALL should be wrapped in brown wrapping paper , ( had she any brown wrapping paper ....of course not , anyway the labels should all be printed .....)
As the battle progressed , between bouts the lady paced up and down , like a boxer waiting for the next round....she was too rude even for Ryanair...
The tall parcel was a Christmas Tree , it had a picture of a christmas tree on three sides and the words Christmas Tree printed clearly on the other three sides .....''what's in THAT box she said'' , We said it was a christmas tree , Why were we sending a christmas tree from Jersey City to Fort Worth on the 30 th June , did we not trust the speed and efficiency of the US Postal service ???
Eventually the score was 5...2 , she accepted five parcels , we had to take two away.
Meanwhile a row broke out between some of the people in the queue behind us , people who had been waiting impatiently , four-letter words were thrown around and blows were about to be struck , the lady in charge threathened to call the COPS .As we left I tried to offer our apologies for our part in the kerfuffle , but my son , ever the diplomat , guided me outside by the elbow....inside the voices got louder and I think I heard a police siren in the distance....
As we made our way back to the apartment it started to rain...
We checked over Hugh Hall , made sure everything was in readyness for our early morning start and went to sleep on two seperate duvets , all that remained in the apartment...
Untitled
He first remembered seeing her when he was about twelve or thirteen . She lived with her family in a medium sized house , with castleated surrounding walls , on the corner of their street .Her father was an important person locally and nationally . The family seemed to travel at all times in a large black car and her father was very protective . Still the young man with the curly hair lived in hope of meeting HER 'casually' .
He was an altar-boy and he knew that her family attended Mass each Sunday and this might bring about a chance encounter .
Altar-boys , despite their angelic appearence at church ceremonies , seemed to be constantly at war with one another , punching and pinching and tripping-up each other , even sometimes on the altar , when the priest wasn't looking .
So it happened , one day , that the boy with the curly hair got involved in a particularly vicious fight in , what then served as a car-park , outside the church one Sunday morning , as mass-goers were trooping out .Neither of the participants were quite sure what the scuffle was about , but HE ended up on the losing end . As the ''Raggers'' , thats what the gang were called, carried off the victor shoulder-high and HE sat on the ground nursing his split lip and his bruised ego , SHE suddenly appeared , holding out his almost-new , school blazer . He could still see in his minds eye , the torn patch -pocket ( was that the cause of the fight ?)., letters ''WR'' in red and black ) and her gentle hand and grey eyes . If he had been a cartoon character his head would be circled by a combination of stars and throbbing love-hearts , whirling around . He didn't even feel the pain from his bleeding lip or sore ear
Then the moment was gone , as her father appeared , took her by the arm and whisked her off to the family car and away .
He still often saw her in the distance . Sometimes he and his friends on their 'speed-way' bikes went past her house , turning the corner at speed , feet dragging the ground , scuffelling the loose stones , bicycle-bells ringing , and singing over , and over and over again...'' Do not forsake me oh my darlin'......'' the first line of Tex Ritters new song , following the film ''High Noon'' .
He , of course , never told his friends of his secret , oh no !! oh no , no , no . They would just LOVE to have ammunition like that , which they would use at will . He did'nt even tell his brothers...this was his secret alone . He often still walked past her house but just missed seeing her , ....a squeeking gate , a closing door .He sometimes wore his '' James Dean'' jacket , with collar turned up , and tee shirt , all the rage among teenagers at the time , his hair slicked back with Brylcreem , not water ( or'' Corporation hair oil '', as it dubbed by Dubliners at the time ).
He never DID meet her again , and time went on . Sometime in the sixties he left the area , met and married a beautiful woman , with an animated spirit , they had a wonderful family, all now grown -up and gone. God had gifted him all the really important things in life .
l One evening late last Autumn , on an errand in town , he happened to walk through the area of his childhood . He had not been around there for many years .Because the locality had been considered ''upmarket' and prices of properties ( we no longer live in 'homes' or even ''houses' , we all now have ' properties ') , had increased manyfold over the years , the outside appearences had hardly changed at all . The current occupants and all the intervening owners had no doubt refurbished the insides beyond recognition .
The house on the corner was almost as it had been over 50 years before . He wondered what had happened to HER and when she and her family had left. Enough of memories he thought . The evening was getting darker , the few remaining leaves floated down from the tree in her garden , a light suddenly came on in the room upstairs . Time to go , he thought ...He turned up the collar , of his belted raincoat , checked his watch , and hurried off to the bus-stop round the corner , fumbling , as always , for his bus-pass .
SHE , having turned on the light , moved to close the curtains . Her companion/nurse/friend Mary had just left . They had , had a nice evening chatting about the OLD times. Old . Was she really getting old .Ever since her parents had died and her siblings had moved out and , of course , the accident , she had not marked time in the same way . She supposed she was GETTING old , but she felt happy in her situation . The Estate Agent , with the gelled hair , . had not been able to convince her to sell the house , even at the astranomical price he quoted . Where would she go ,? and why ,? she was happy here . She never regretted not marrying , her father never approved of any of her friend , anyway ,but she still sometimes wondered ...what if ??
She remembered the boy with the curly hair , often watching him and his boisterous friends as they went by on their shiny bicycles ...'.riding down to Kenilworth ', no doubt , she smiled at her tiny joke.... her hero of the torn coat and upturned collar...
As she clutched the curtains she saw the man in the belted raincoat (, who wears belted raincoats these days ...??? she thought ....) turn and walk toward the corner bus -stop ...something about him ....no no no silly old woman,...upturned collar , no hair oil , ( no hair !)
She closed the curtains , moved her wheel-chair , away from the window . And as she opened her book , she heard the engine of the bus as is moved away from the stop around the corner.....
He was an altar-boy and he knew that her family attended Mass each Sunday and this might bring about a chance encounter .
Altar-boys , despite their angelic appearence at church ceremonies , seemed to be constantly at war with one another , punching and pinching and tripping-up each other , even sometimes on the altar , when the priest wasn't looking .
So it happened , one day , that the boy with the curly hair got involved in a particularly vicious fight in , what then served as a car-park , outside the church one Sunday morning , as mass-goers were trooping out .Neither of the participants were quite sure what the scuffle was about , but HE ended up on the losing end . As the ''Raggers'' , thats what the gang were called, carried off the victor shoulder-high and HE sat on the ground nursing his split lip and his bruised ego , SHE suddenly appeared , holding out his almost-new , school blazer . He could still see in his minds eye , the torn patch -pocket ( was that the cause of the fight ?)., letters ''WR'' in red and black ) and her gentle hand and grey eyes . If he had been a cartoon character his head would be circled by a combination of stars and throbbing love-hearts , whirling around . He didn't even feel the pain from his bleeding lip or sore ear
Then the moment was gone , as her father appeared , took her by the arm and whisked her off to the family car and away .
He still often saw her in the distance . Sometimes he and his friends on their 'speed-way' bikes went past her house , turning the corner at speed , feet dragging the ground , scuffelling the loose stones , bicycle-bells ringing , and singing over , and over and over again...'' Do not forsake me oh my darlin'......'' the first line of Tex Ritters new song , following the film ''High Noon'' .
He , of course , never told his friends of his secret , oh no !! oh no , no , no . They would just LOVE to have ammunition like that , which they would use at will . He did'nt even tell his brothers...this was his secret alone . He often still walked past her house but just missed seeing her , ....a squeeking gate , a closing door .He sometimes wore his '' James Dean'' jacket , with collar turned up , and tee shirt , all the rage among teenagers at the time , his hair slicked back with Brylcreem , not water ( or'' Corporation hair oil '', as it dubbed by Dubliners at the time ).
He never DID meet her again , and time went on . Sometime in the sixties he left the area , met and married a beautiful woman , with an animated spirit , they had a wonderful family, all now grown -up and gone. God had gifted him all the really important things in life .
l One evening late last Autumn , on an errand in town , he happened to walk through the area of his childhood . He had not been around there for many years .Because the locality had been considered ''upmarket' and prices of properties ( we no longer live in 'homes' or even ''houses' , we all now have ' properties ') , had increased manyfold over the years , the outside appearences had hardly changed at all . The current occupants and all the intervening owners had no doubt refurbished the insides beyond recognition .
The house on the corner was almost as it had been over 50 years before . He wondered what had happened to HER and when she and her family had left. Enough of memories he thought . The evening was getting darker , the few remaining leaves floated down from the tree in her garden , a light suddenly came on in the room upstairs . Time to go , he thought ...He turned up the collar , of his belted raincoat , checked his watch , and hurried off to the bus-stop round the corner , fumbling , as always , for his bus-pass .
SHE , having turned on the light , moved to close the curtains . Her companion/nurse/friend Mary had just left . They had , had a nice evening chatting about the OLD times. Old . Was she really getting old .Ever since her parents had died and her siblings had moved out and , of course , the accident , she had not marked time in the same way . She supposed she was GETTING old , but she felt happy in her situation . The Estate Agent , with the gelled hair , . had not been able to convince her to sell the house , even at the astranomical price he quoted . Where would she go ,? and why ,? she was happy here . She never regretted not marrying , her father never approved of any of her friend , anyway ,but she still sometimes wondered ...what if ??
She remembered the boy with the curly hair , often watching him and his boisterous friends as they went by on their shiny bicycles ...'.riding down to Kenilworth ', no doubt , she smiled at her tiny joke.... her hero of the torn coat and upturned collar...
As she clutched the curtains she saw the man in the belted raincoat (, who wears belted raincoats these days ...??? she thought ....) turn and walk toward the corner bus -stop ...something about him ....no no no silly old woman,...upturned collar , no hair oil , ( no hair !)
She closed the curtains , moved her wheel-chair , away from the window . And as she opened her book , she heard the engine of the bus as is moved away from the stop around the corner.....
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