Nostalgia

I can't sleep. So I wander into Syd's bedroom. He's away with Monica.
I stand inside the door for a couple of minutes and just look around. Only it is not this room that I'm seeing, but a little lad's bedroom: football posters on the wall; a toy cupboard overflowing onto the floor; a crane with a big yellow jib reaching out along the window ledge and, in a corner, Mr Bear.
Mr Bear is here, now, in this room. He has been with Syd since his third birthday. I go over to where he sits, on a cane chair by the bed: Hello Mr Bear. He just looks at me. When Syd was little we used to have long conversations: Syd,Mr Bear and me. No one talks to him now, and you can see the sadness in his bear's face. I feel sad too. Wondering what happened. Where it all went.

I got a cup of tea at Carol's - but no sympathy. She's trying to 'make a go of it' with Gary - whatever that means. When he comes out of 'detox' they'r going to Wales for a week; staying in a caravan.
She gave me my Polaroid camera back.

Cycling home, I stopped at the school crossing and got into conversation with the 'lollipop lady': Brenda. That fluorescent jacket they've given her is much too small, for such a well built lady.
She was telling me she has Broadband. We exchanged e mail addresses.
Well you never know.

Yours hopefully

George