A NEW FRIEND

A NEW FRIEND

‘Why don’t we go to Ibiza? They’ve got some great clubs and you can dance all night.’

I smiled, ‘Ibiza? Don’t you think we’re a bit old for that scene, Gaz?’

‘Get off with you, Harry. You’re never too old for living.’

This was typical of my new friend Gazza. Nothing was out of the question. For someone like me who has always lived on the careful side of life, that was new and exhilarating.

I’d met Gazza a few months after my wife died. After the funeral, I’d virtually resumed my old life. That is careful, cautious, and routine. I knew that for many of my family and friends, this was viewed as being safe but dull. But for me, it was my life.

It changed on the coach trip I took to Margate. I’d signed up to visit Tracie Emin’s TKE Studios. I remember when she first made the news at the time of the Young British Artists, artists who then more often hit the headlines for art controversy than critical acclaim. The publicity ‘shock tactics’ garnered a lot of media coverage and brought them to the attention of major collectors. I can’t say I’m a big art fan - it was more the trip to Margate, and getting out and doing something, which everyone kept telling me I should do.

That was when I met Gazza. Like me, he was recently widowed, but his outlook on life was very different, and I think that was why we got on so well. He wanted to live life to the full. ‘You’ve only got one life’ was a regular saying, along with ‘YOLO’, which he explained to me as ‘You only live once’, which apparently is the youngsters’ way of saying the same thing.

We sat together on the coach and spent the trip talking about our working lives, wives and families, where we lived, and our interests.

At Margate Gazza got bored. He’d wanted to see the artwork that gained Emin's notoriety, ‘My Bed’. When told that it had been sold, he announced that he was going to get an ice cream. I joined him, and minutes later, we were strolling along the promenade, each of us with a cone, double scoops of vanilla ice cream, layered with chocolate sauce.

We stopped at a pub for a break on the return trip. As soon as we arrived, Gazza headed for the bar and ordered a pint of beer. He turned to me as I arrived, ‘Thirsty work this sightseeing business, Harry. It’s important to wet the whistle. What are you having?’ I thought about saying I don’t drink during the day, but decided against it.

Back on the coach, we continued talking until I felt drowsy and fell asleep. When I awoke, I saw that we weren’t far from home. I looked at Gazza and saw that he was turned in his seat, talking to the people behind us. They were laughing at him and the stories he was telling.

After that, we spent a lot of time together doing things that I’d not done for a long time or, more often, things that I’d never done before. We went to the local snooker hall and spent an afternoon clattering balls around the table, went to the flicks to see a foreign film with subtitles, went to the fair riding the roller coasters, knocking over coconuts at the coconut shy, and shooting sheet metal ducks as they moved around in a continuous loop. Shooting the ducks was my favourite.. I enjoyed the ping of a direct hit and the duck folding over. Eventually, I won a great big cuddly bear, which made me as proud as punch.

The life I was living was so different. It was wonderful to be doing things that I’d never expected.The routine I’d previously enjoyed was gone, and it was as if everything in life was unplanned and unexpected. It was a liberating. I know that it sounds pretentious, but I felt I was starting a new life.

One morning, as I awoke, I remembered that I had agreed to meet Gazza at the Social Club for lunch. I went through the routine of feeding Mizzy the cat, getting my breakfast, and reading the newspaper while eating toast and drinking coffee. As I was about to leave, the phone rang. It was Miriam, my sister-in-law.

‘How are you, Harry? Are you keeping busy?’

‘Yes, Miriam. I’m fine, thanks. I’ve been following advice and keeping occupied. I’m meeting my friend for lunch and then playing Bingo tonight.’

‘Is that your new friend?’

‘Yes, his name’s Gazza. We met a short time ago and have spent a lot of time together since.’

There was a pause in the interchange from Miriam’s end.‘Harry, can I pop over to see you before you go out to the Bingo?’

‘Of course you can, Miriam. We’re starting at 7.30, so how about 6.00 o’clock?’

‘Okay, see you then,’ she said, and ended the call.

I put the phone down and headed out. ‘See you later, Mizzy. Back for your evening meal.’

Gazza was at the bar when I arrived at the Social Club. We ordered lunch and then returned to the bar area. Gazza leaned in and pointed to another table, ‘Let’s go over and chat with that group over there.’

Gazza led the way, ‘Do you mind if we join you?’ to which there was a nod and hand gestures for us to take a seat. They were playing cards. After the round ended and while the cards were being gathered, Gazza asked, ‘So what is it that you’re playing?’

One of the players replied, ‘It’s Solo – a bit of a cross between Hearts and Bridge.’

Over several hands and discussions between hands, we picked up the purpose, the rules, and some of the nuances. It wasn’t long before we were invited to join in a game. ‘Yes, great,’ said Gazza, ‘are you playing for a few bob too?’

‘Just some pocket money to keep it interesting and maintain player focus, ’ replied one of the players.

We spent a couple of hours playing, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great fun to meet new people, learn a new card game – I hadn’t played cards since school, and to win a few bob that went towards the coffee we had as we walked home.

When I got home, I checked the mail, fed Mizzy, and tidied myself up to be ready for going out to the Bingo.

At six o’clock, Miriam arrived. She appeared out of sorts and awkward in her manner, as if circling something but struggling with what to say and how to say it.

‘What is it, Miriam? I can see that you want to talk to me about something, but for the life of me, I can’t guess what it is.’

Miriam sighed, and then it all came out. ‘Harry, this friend of yours – Gazza. Is he a good influence on you?’

I was stunned for a moment and then realised that my life, as she saw it, was now very different from the one I had when I was married to her sister.

I tried to speak gently, ‘Yes Miriam, I think he is. I am doing things that I’ve not done for years, or completely new things I’d never imagined myself doing. After Harriet’s death, I find that it is giving me a purpose.More than that, the things I’m involved in doing, thanks to meeting Gazza, are enjoyable, exciting, and rewarding even.’

Miriam nodded her head, ‘I can understand that, Harry. And I certainly wouldn’t want to take that away from you. Far from it.But…’

Her nervousness was increasing. ‘The thing is, we care about you. Harriet’s death hit us all hard, but you especially. I’m worried that you may be at risk of losing your way.’

‘You don’t have to worry about me, Miriam. I’m probably doing better than I would have expected, and much of that is down to my friendship with Gazza.’

At this point, she was nervously tugging at the sleeve of her dress, ‘The thing is that no one has seen your friend.’

I laughed. ‘Well, I hope we can keep it that way. We’re planning to rob a bank next week, so disguising our identities will be important.’

Miriam looked at me aghast, her face set in a rictus of shock.

‘Don’t look so worried, Miriam. How else do you think that Gazza and I could live the lifestyle we intend?’ I smiled at her, ‘Don’t tell anyone, though.’