Yesterday....

As so many have described my leaving Birmingham as the “end of an era” (Two, alright! Bah, cynics!), I have been inclined to look back and dig up pieces of my fractured mind. It’s not surprising that the people who top the list are my amigo numero unos but what strikes me as strange is the people I didn’t know that well or haven’t kept in touch since keep coming up in my head. It’s strange how a person you won’t think twice about can still make you knobbly at the knees when you remember the great time you had together. For example: A certain tall “J’lo” look alike lass was so sweet and adorable that I still remember her quirky little smile and laugh. I met her only twice, but she’s forever stuck in my little, twisted mind. If she ever read this…I’d be sued faster than Michael Jackson in heat.

Thirteen years ago a kid in my Karate bus (yes, I took Karate! Got up to brown belt, suckas!) collected the ever popular, Street Fighter cards. They were the rage at the time and I really wanted to collect them too. However, my Birth Giver said she’d rip my liver out and feed it to pigeons before she gave me money for those cards. After narrowly losing my liver, this kid agreed to bring the cards and we’d stare at them, admiring how cool they look, talk about the characters all the way to the class. Ah, those were some fine times! When it was time for me to leave for Sri Lanka, at the end of my last class, this kid gave me his entire collection as a gift! I almost passed out! This kid spent years having the coolest Street Fighter collection in the whole of Dubai! It was his pride and joy and he just handed it over to a person he’s never going to meet again. We didn’t even have internet at that time so fat chance I’m going to be writing letters! For the life of me, I can’t remember this kid’s name or even what he looked like…all I remember is that this kid showed me more generosity than I had ever known. I still have the cards and I’ll always remember this kid for it. He taught me more that minute than I have ever learnt through years and years of friendship with other clowns I considered friends. Aren’t you all ashamed now?