A memory of a warm Saturday night.

I still had stitches in from the removal of a suspected melanoma, so I was not playing volley ball with our group as I usually did.( I was once told by a skin specialist to count all my moles but after looking at a few she then smilingly said :”Maybe not! just notice if any get rough round the edges .” This one had got rough round the edges and the person who did the biopsy took quite a lot out with the mole! )

I remember it well. The night air was warm. The steps were warm. The evening was cooler than the day and the sun had set. Jackjohnjim ( not any Dicktomorharry) was sitting on these steps and so was I. He had come home for the holidays from university and I must have been “16 going on 17” ( from the sound of music fame).

Where was I in this moment? Oh yes, we were sitting together on the warm steps on a summer’s evening when jackjohnjim put out his hand and decisively took mine. (I knew he tended to hold my hand longer when we played group games. Those were games and I didn’t think much about it.) He was older, quiet and I didn’t know him well. At that moment we both got up and walked away as we did so he put his arm round my shoulder. This was like nothing I had experienced before, unsettling, exciting, a new discovery of emotions. We walked a little way and then he brought his face really close to my cheek. I didn’t think. I just slapped his face with my right hand. (remember I played rather well at volley ball). Well he kept his arm round my shoulder and we talked like nothing had happened. We meandered back to the group where we later said goodbye.

He went back to university. I went back to preparing for exams. I really don’t know how life turned out for him. I hope he found someone really lovely and who didn’t play volley ball.🤣