Old times

I was in my local the other night. The Seven Bells. Not a lot happens in my local.

The last interesting thing that I can remember was the smashed up Ferrari, and that was years ago. Everyone loved that one. It was a beautiful car, bright red. Someone had driven it into the wall in front of the library opposite the pub. Whoever it was had just left it there. Part of the wall had fallen down. The front side of the car had been crushed and the side all scratched up. There was a crowd of people there for hours. Mostly guys, laughing and shaking their heads. It was during the summer so people kept going into the pub to get another beer and then came out again to join the crowd.

A guy along the bar was telling the story again the other night. His mates knew it already of course. It's a kind of legend in our pub.

That's about it really. There used to be a dart board. We had some good little competitions with that. Then they refurbed the pub and put in wooden flooring and high tables with stools. They introduced lots of new wines and things but everyone just kept on drinking Stella.

So anyway, it was Friday night and I was there with Jon and Doug. We didn't talk much. Jon was tapping away on his mobile and Doug just looked around the pub. Particularly over at one table of people who were actually talking and having fun. I started thinking how great it was when we were younger and couldn't get in the pub. We usually managed to get some booze and then walked the streets or went off to sit in the park instead. There was adventure in that.


'Let's get some tins and go up the park' I said and waited for a response.

'what?' said Jon without looking up from his mobile.

Doug turned to look at me.

'talking 'bout?' he said.

'Remember when we used to go up the park? and get pissed?' I said 'we had a laugh didn't we?'

'talking bout?' he said and took a swig of his pint.

'You go up the park' Jon said, still looking down at his mobile.


So I did.

I stopped in at the off-licence on the way. I wasn't quite the same as before. I was considered to look the oldest then. I'd had a premature spurt of chin-hair when I was about fourteen so it was always me who went in to buy the drinks. It was quite a sense of achievement to get away with it. All my mates would cheer as I came out. Great times. Now it was too easy of course. I know the guy who works there anyway, he was a couple of years below me at school.

I came out carrying a four-pack in a plastic bag and walked off in the direction of the park. I decided to open a can for the route. The park is a couple of streets away. Quiet suburban streets lined with street lamps. I remembered that before the lamps used to go fuzzy and get big haloes around them. Then when you squinted the light shot out like daggers towards your eyes. I'd probably have to get though this four-pack before that happens, I thought. Perhaps I should have bought more.

I went back and bought a half bottle of vodka as well. Might as well do it properly.


I'd already finished off the first can when I arrived at the park. The park was pretty empty naturally. I went through the gate and started to climb the hill over to the left. I remembered that we used to sit up top where you could look down on the surrounding streets.

I got to the top and sat down on the grass, already on my second can of beer.
It wasn't a great view actually. I could see a few empty back gardens and a couple of rows of street lamps. No fuzz yet. There were a few trees around. One or two closer to the road were nicely lit from the street.

I opened the half bottle of vodka and started pouring it into my beer.

When we used to come here even smoking seemed exciting. Cigs tasted strong and rebellious. I pulled out my cigarette packet and the look of it in the dark did remind me a bit of the old days. The plastic wrapping just caught the light a bit. I took one out and lit it. Nothing

I kept on sitting there for a while and then I noticed a group of five kids walking across the bottom of the hill. They seemed to be passing a bottle back and forth and I could see one or two cigarette tips glowing. They stopped at one of the picnic tables and climbed up to sit on it.

If this was going to be anything more than nostalgia then I needed a gang of mates to drink with. They probably weren't that much younger than me anyway.

It didn't seem like a very good idea, but then, after watching them and opening my third can of beer, I thought fuck it.

I still had at least half the bottle of vodka and as I walked down the hill towards them I got it out ready. That should sweeten the deal I thought.

They had evidently noticed me coming towards them because, even thought it was dark, I could see that they had stopped talking and were all looking my way.

'Alright lads' I called out. I noticed around the same time that the street lights behind them had started to get fuzzy.

As I got closer a couple of them actually got up and looked like they were getting ready to run off.

'Hold on' I said, 'I've got some vodka here'

As I held up my vodka bottle a can of beer flew past me and a light spray of beer splashed on my jacket.

'fuck off' one shouted and they all ran off. I could hear them laughing as they approached the gate and left the park.

I climbed onto the picnic table and opened my last can of beer.

'ah the good old days' I said aloud.

I lay down on the table and looked up into the branches of the trees for a while. Everything was turning quite a bit and there was a nice breeze on my ears.

_

I managed to get back down the Seven Bells to have one more with Jon and Doug. It was another interesting adventure. Nice.