memories

Wrapped up in a sleeping bag, trying to keep herself warm.  Flo sits in front of the electric fire listening to the late night talk show on the radio.  Tonight their talking about about past loves.  This brings a smile to an old face.  The memories of holding hands while eating an ice cream sat on a bench on the sea front in Skegness. 

A voice caught Flo's ear, so young but full of sadness. How can someone so young sound that way?  she talked of life with a friend that she'd known since she was a little girl.  They grew up together, lived three door's apart, went to school together.  They had their first drink together and made love for the first time together.

Flo could feel the pain in the young girl's voice.  She described him as her sole mate.  Flo wanted to reach out and hug the young girl, instead a tear fell slowly down her wrinkled but soft cheek.  The presenters tried to console the young girl, but their words just passed her by. 

Flo listened intently to every word she had to say, but when she spoke her last sentence Flo could not move, stunned by what she said.

"He died in my arms."  Those words rang through Flo's head, her body was ridged.  The pain stuck into her heart like a knife.  Now her own memories came flooding back to the night that she lost her one true love.  She'd held his hand, done everything he'd requested and still it did no good.  He slipped away into the darkness moments after telling her that everything would soon be alright.  She held his hand right up to the moment that they came to take him away, then climbed into the bed that he had just left and cried herself to sleep.

Many thought she wouldn't make it, many thought it wouldn't take long.  But she was here today still remembering and holding on to what memories she still had left.

Flo was brought out of deep thought by the presenters saying goodnight.  it was her time to walk the walk into the place that she had lost her only love and lay by his side.

 

Can I take you back, say fifty years or so.  To the beginning of a love affair that never died. 

To a place that time forgot, but where two lives had begun to merge into one.

The year was 1968 and Flo had turned thirty in March of that year.  She had no children and no boyfriend and worked in accounts at the local coal mine. 

She still lived at home with her mother and two of her younger siblings Anne and James who were twins.  Flo's father had died in the second world war when Flo was just fourteen.  He'd gone to war in 1941 just before the twins were born and never got to see them. 

Flo's mother relied on her during and after that time that it never seemed conventiant for Flo to leave.

 

It was early finish on friday when all the paper work for the wages had been finished and she always went with the girls from work for a bite to eat before heading home.  They went to the same tea room each week and flo always had the same which was a cream tea.  She walked past the local post office and the local butchers at the same time each week saying hello to the same people at the same time.  Nothing ever really changed in her routine untill this particular day.  Flo knew she had to go to the chemist to buy some creme for her mother.  She left the cafe earlier than usual and walked on the oposit side of the road to get to where she wanted to be.

Two minuets earlier there had been a rain shower, but just as fast as it came it went.  Leaving behind a glorious rainbow.  Little puddles had been left behind on the pavement, people were trying to avoid them by walking around them.  This made it difficult to get Flo to where she wanted to be as she was constanly bumping into people.  She made it to the chemist and bought her cream and after a five minute chat with the assistant whom she knew she left the shop.

She walked out of the shop to her right looking down into her bag to put the cream away.  People were still jumping puddles and she didn't see the gentleman that was heading straight for her.  Flo saw the puddle to her right, moved left to avoid it, he on the other hand tried to avoid the puddle that was to his right and jolted Flo to the side.  She lost her grip of what she was holding and it landed in the middle of the puddle.  Her bag lay open on the pavement with some of the contents laying by its side.

"Oh please forgive me, I'm so sorry."  They both bent down together to pick up the belongings and they bumped heads, nearly knocking Flo off her feet