When We Were Young by Richard Roper

When We Were Young by Richard Roper

Author:Richard Roper [Roper, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2021-07-20T00:00:00+00:00


* * *

The atmosphere of the Turf Tavern, Oxford, was raucous. Students in their college-branded hoodies were sinking pints and shots. A kid wearing corduroy trousers at the bar had ordered a yard of ale and was pouring most of it down his front. As people strained to make their voices heard, the volume seemed to be rising exponentially, on target to blow the roof off the place. In a little nook, surveying the scene in silence, were me and Joel.

An hour ago, I’d looked on helplessly as his mouth opened and closed with no words forthcoming, while beside him the front wheel of the tandem—collapsed on its side—turned slowly around, its spokes catching the sunlight.

“Let’s just get to Oxford,” he’d said eventually, his voice thick with defeat. “We can talk there.”

And now here we were, side by side, two glasses of Coke untouched in front of us, sitting in silence. It was almost a competition as to who could be the most still. It felt like as long as we sat like this, the chaos unfolding around us drowning everything out, we wouldn’t have to do anything. Suddenly everything was too much—more so when I saw Joel’s bag was on the table next to me and the “bucket list,” muddied by my boot, was poking out of it. I closed my eyes. In that moment, all I wanted was to be in the shed, earphones on, keeping the real world at bay.

“I’m going to get some crisps,” Joel said, finally breaking the deadlock. He got to his feet, grimacing with the effort. The way he walked to the bar—head down, hands in his pockets—it was like he was sixteen again.



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