Loopback time.

As I said this part of my story was going to concentrate on my schooldays. I would then leap back to the age of twelve and comment on my non-school activities. I stayed at school until the age of 17, though I was in the sixth form. The reason for this was that my birthday fell in November. I was always one of the eldest in any class. I had taken my mock exams but was then ill with a chest infection for a few of them. I used to get chest infections about three times a year and they would kick me into touch for over 2 weeks at a time. I had many sick periods; this did not mean I was unhealthy. Looking back from today’s perspective I think I had a mild form of asthma. I have researched and there are certain families of fungal spore that become aggressive at peak times throughout the year. I feel now that I was sensitive to one of these strains. Since giving up smoking 14 years ago my health has improved and now I suffer less with chest problems.

I had little idea of what I wanted to do when I left school; I was good at many subjects but never brilliant. College and university were not an option. As far as my father was concerned I would stay on until 18 then get a job. This will all become apparent later. For now feel safe in the knowledge that I left school and had a job lined up for November. A job I would stay with for nearly 25 years. It was one of the best you could ever wish for if you share my outlook and attitude towards life. It will be a fantastic journey I can assure you.

Last day at school was nasty. Lots of sad farewells, hand shaking and threats. Many promises of keeping in touch and meeting up in years to come…...NOT!! The people that had bullied me in my early years had stopped as I grew to over six foot three inches in height. But my memory is like that of an Elephant. Being from a Sicilian household my father had taught me some very simple rules about life. One of the most important, which I adhere to even now, was that “Revenge is best served as a cold dish”

So there I was having my blazer ripped to shreds along with many other boys. There were lots of fake bundles taking place and no teachers in sight. This was the last time I would see many of these young men. I had chosen two targets in advance. Blonde, neat and pretty looking. They had been my main antagonists during my first few years in the school. My plan was a simple one. I walked up to each in turn and as their smiling faces turned towards my tap on their shoulder they met 182lbs of my fist in their face. They both fell like sacks of potatoes and I simply walked off into the crowd. To this day I bet they never knew who laid them out, but I did and it felt good. Please do not judge me as being aggressive. I have never been consistently aggressive in my life and neither do I have hate inside me. These incidents were the venting of poison and they helped firm up a foundation beneath one span of my life. My fist hurt for days though and I wonder if I broke a nose or loosened some teeth?

The end of your schooling is traumatic on the one hand and yet an exciting event on the other. It’s like turning to chapter 18 in the book of your life to find that from that point onwards the author has changed. In many ways another person will now be writing the book. Looking at the future ‘you’ from a different perspective. Writing with a very unsteady hand at first but just like the previous author he will gain confidence once he knows more about you. You now continue your journey on a deep and foggy ocean because it is springtime again. You have no idea where this ship that you sail will take you because you are not steering it yet. You have just come on board, packed away the baggage of your life so far and have concerns about the voyage ahead. Though no one has told you this. Not that you would have listened in any case. In your head you see adventure, exploration and freedom. The reality is you are entering the unknown. You do not know the rules and you feel immortal.

All this will be for much later in The Collector’s gathered pictures. We need to flick the book back a few chapters and read the parts written in Lemon juice. You will need a hot iron though!