This Boy by Johnson Alan

Author:Johnson, Alan [Johnson, Alan]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Transworld
Published: 2013-05-08T16:00:00+00:00

If returning to unlovely North Kensington and the dreaded autumn term at Sloane was dispiriting after the glories of Denmark, I had the new football season to cheer me up. In 1962–63, QPR decided to relocate to the larger White City Stadium, and I was among the thousands of supporters who flocked there on a wet Wednesday evening in anticipation of their first match at their new home. It was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch – an outcome that set a trend for that ambitious, if ultimately disastrous move. Cheering on the team amid a crowd of 4,000 at cosy Loftus Road was exciting; with those 4,000 dedicated souls transplanted to an Olympic-sized, 70,000-capacity stadium it was like crying in the wilderness. Rangers moved back to their old ground at the end of the season.

And I had missed Lily and Linda, of course. I’d arrived home to find them in a state of high excitement: Lily had finally prepared her advertisement for the lonely hearts column of the Kensington Post. For one reason or another Lily hadn’t got round to it all year. But now, with Linda’s help, the advert had been placed, pared down to its shortest possible form because it had to be paid for by the word. I never actually saw it, but it should have read something like this: ‘Divorced woman, early forties, petite, dark-haired, 5ft tall, seeks dependable man of similar age or older for companionship. Good sense of humour essential.’

Lily received five replies, which she and Linda sifted and inspected as if they were precious vellum scrolls. The one that most appealed to Lily was from Ron, a builder from Romford, who’d picked up the Kensington Post while working in the area. Lily liked that. It chimed with her interest in what was written in the stars. She felt that destiny was bringing her and Ron together.

Ron’s letter explained that he was divorced, his wife having left and taken their two children with her. He’d kept the family house and was a man of means; he was keen to enjoy Lily’s company; he had a car and he could drive over to meet her as soon as she liked. He had provided his telephone number. This man not only had his own house and car, he had a telephone as well. We were impressed. We didn’t, however, have a clue where Romford was. Somewhere near Southend, Lily thought. After writing back to tell him more about her situation, she walked to a telephone kiosk one evening with Linda to speak to him directly. The conversation went well and arrangements were made for a meeting. There followed at least two cinema dates before he was allowed to visit 6 Walmer Road.

Lily was rejuvenated. The money was found for a perm. She rarely visited a hairdresser, usually styling her collar-length hair herself with grips and clips and curlers. Mostly it remained hidden under her turban anyway. Now the turban came off more often and the pink Bri-nylon overall she’d taken to wearing was consigned to working hours only.

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