Thirteen

2018: We were thirteen, just thirteen, only thirteen, Chris murmurs to herself as the silver light of dawn filtered under the hotel bedroom door. Her speech for the party is ready, she can remember it all. In her mind’s eye she sees the new girl, Liz, a delicate shy blond girl walking down the gravel path to the school entrance, May 1961.

1961: The others teased her because of her Irish accent.

“Don’t mind them,” says Chris in the playground. Then she immediately became Chris’s best friend.

1962: Chris often helps her with the homework and Liz is often invited to stay. Chris’s mother Maeve often enquires how the family is settling in. She predicts that Liz would have an interesting life, but that it wouldn’t be easy.

1965: Catherine, from Upper 6 form gets expelled, there were rumors she liked a girl from a junior class a little too much. The matter was never discussed again. Were the other parents aware?

Then suddenly both friends are in love with entirely unsuitable young men. The parents shouted: there were tears. Liz’s parents threatened her with boarding school.

“You can always tell them you’re over at my place if you want to see him,” Chris offered.

1965: “I’m going to study medicine”, Chris says. When her exam results didn’t pan out, she became a nurse. The school was disappointed, their star pupil.

 “I hate Chemistry, and I’m no good at Maths,” Chris says now. Liz remained undecided about what she wanted to do.

“Supper’s ready,” her mother called up where she was pretending to study, how boring life was.

“Wasn’t your class playing in a hockey match this afternoon?”

Chris had told her to say it had been cancelled when in fact, the two friends had gone to hide in the sports shed and smoke.

1963: “Which of the Beatles is your favorite?” Chris asks as they walk back from school. “C’mon, you have to have one. Mine’s Paul.” Liz prefers the Rolling Stones who have just arrived on the scene.

1965: All the girls at school watch “Top of the Pops” on Thursday evenings. It is the only topic of conversation the next day.

“Want to come for a sleepover and listen to records?” Chris always had the latest hits.

“We could go to see David Warner in Stratford on Saturday”, she suggested on the phone, “if your parents will cough up the fare;”

“Culture,” you never know, they just might.”

“Stratford, on a bus with Christina” said her mother reaching for her purse.

1966: “Let’s hitch down and shop in Carnaby Street?” Chris suggested. “And maybe go dancing in one of those new clubs? We can stay up all night.”

The fashion is Twiggy, Mary Quant miniskirts and false eyelashes. This is the Swinging Sixties. Chris is planning on moving down to London to study nursing, but Liz now wants to go to Paris and work in films.

Why not? She says now. “Only a month to go, hope my passport arrives soon.”

May 1968; She calls Chris to tell her she’s joined the student strikes in Paris. The events last almost two months.

1970: “I’m expecting, Tom and I are going to get married,” Chris writes. Liz can’t stand him: supercilious, overly sure of himself, what does she see in him? It had to be a class thing and the Park Lane apartment helped.

“That’s great,” she replied, “when’s it taking place?”

The rail strike would provide a good excuse for not attending, and anyhow she’s just been hired by the television company. And broken up with Claude.

1975: “Tom and I are getting a divorce.” By now there were two kids. Liz was still single and having a good time. A few months later Tom throws himself under a bus, having handed his dog to a complete stranger before taking the plunge.

1978 - 1984: This time it’s true love. Liz moves in with Bruce, he’s charming, will prove unstable, but there are a few good years. She becomes tired of his infidelities and having bailiffs at the door, but she gets to keep her two daughters. Somehow she had always felt that Chris had been skeptical about the relationship.

1988: “You really must come and stay, John and I are moving to Edinburgh, we’ll have loads of room. We’ve not seen you for ages.” Chris writes.

But Liz is caught up in the everyday humdrum of schools and a full-time job. It’s a grey period.

“What was it that nun, Sister Baptist used to tell us?” Chris says on the phone:

“Don’t complain that the path is difficult, know that it’s the difficulties that are the path.”

Liz sighs.

March 1990: “Have you ever thought of coming back?” Chris asks during her weekly phone call. “You know my father could call the BBC.”

“No”, Liz replies a little too sharply, “but thanks for the thought.”

June 2001: Chris’s mother dies. Liz leaves immediately to be with her friend. She cries so much at the funeral she has to leave the Church for ten minutes.  She feels bereft, as though she had lost a second mother. Her own mother is suffering from dementia.

September 2005. The two friends meet up for lunch in Camden: Liz has come for the day on Eurostar and Chris has flown down from Edinburgh.

Suddenly Chris reaches out for her hand then bursts into tears: “Now that my brother’s dead, you’re the only witness of my childhood and teens,” she sobs. They swear they will meet more often.

One month later Liz meets the man who will become her second husband. She starts a new life.

Christmas 2005: Chris calls to say she’s going to be a grandmother, she’s over the moon. Liz is now living with Thierry.

December 2007: suddenly it’s retirement, and time, precious time stretches ahead. Plans for a new place and travel for Liz. Chris has never enjoyed travelling and sounds very happy with her quiet life in Edinburgh.

July 2018: Liz’s daughters and her husband are insistent: “Mum, it’s a big birthday, you should celebrate. We’ll even persuade Chris to come.”

September 2018: Chris moves towards the middle of the Tibetan restaurant reserved for this special occasion. It’s a shame John couldn’t travel with her, especially as he’s always been so fond of Liz, but his health isn’t great nowadays. She turns to look at Liz, looking good in a bright turquoise suit, and with a smile she begins: “We were thirteen…”.