Wednesday 25 May 2016

A Take On Me

As regular readers will know, I sometimes like to play around or experiment with my stories.  Often my experiments are not technically my best stories, but they can be fun to write and hopefully fun to read. This story almost wrote itself whilst I was listening to a best of 1985 compilation on YouTube. There are song titles scattered through this little fictional memoir, how many can you spot? The list is at the end.
For audio click here.
It was that long hot summer of ’85. The glory days, the year when the sun never seemed to set, Starship’s We Built this City on Rock and Roll pumped out of the radio, the grass in the park was straw white and the lump in my chest developed into a heart. I remember in the spring of 1985 all I wanted to do was play football; girls were made of slugs and snails and puppy dog tails. But, by the end of that summer, I couldn’t fight the feeling any more, the heat was on, I’d felt the power of love.
The girl that was responsible for this awakening was a girl that I met on our family holiday to Spain. Her name was Maria Magdelana, and from the first minute I saw her, I thought to myself, I want to know what love is and I want her to show me.
It was easy back then, I had no fear. I marched up to her and said.
“I’m crazy for you.”
I reckon I’d get a slap if I tried that these days. But I guess she was used to the boys of summer and their cheek. She smiled a real coy smile that hid the fact that, if truth be told, she was a bit of an easy lover.
“Kiss me!” she said.
I obliged.
We spent most of the two weeks walking around the hotel holding hands or trying to find places our parents would find us to explore further.
“We belong together,” I said, as we were dancing to the rhythms of the night. But the two weeks passed too quickly, I wished for one more night, but it wasn’t to be. The last night was full of tears and careless whispers.
“I’ll be saving all my love for you,” I promised.  
“Don’t you forget about me,” she said in that lovely Spanish accent.
Despite the promises, we soon did forget about each other. Well, I assume she forgot about me and I was enjoying my new found status as lover boy. I liked to think of myself as a smooth operator back then. I’d got into the groove and I wasn’t going to get out of it. I’d cherish a girl called Nikita, got Kayleigh body and soul, went head over heels for a material girl.  It became a bit of an obsession that summer. I think there were nineteen in all.
But suddenly it was over. Almost as quickly as it had begun, my days of being a wide boy were confined to history. I didn’t want freedom any more. Why, well I met a girl who was born in the USA. To start with I thought she’s strange but she soon had me walking in the air. She had me planning a white wedding even though I was only fifteen. And thirty years later, I’m still in heaven, still in love with my Frankie.

Take on me
The Glory Days
Built this City of Rock and Roll
Careless Whisper
I can’t fight the feeling any more
The heat is on
The power of love
Holiday
Maria Magdelana
I wanna know what love is
Crazy for you
Easy lover
Kiss me
We belong
Rhythms of the night
Saving  all my love for you
One more night
Don’t you forget about me
Lover boy
Smooth operator
Get into the groove
Cherish
Nikita
Kayleigh
Body and soul
Head over heels
Material girl
Obsession
Nineteen
Wide boy
Suddenly
History
Freedom
Born in the USA
She’s strange
Walking in the air
White wedding
Heaven

Frankie

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