Martha(2)

[With special thanks to Graham North who asked about Steve who first featured in Martha]

‘I first met Martha at a dance in the Coliseum off Deansgate. I fell for her right away, head-over-heels. She was my first real girl friend - even though I was twenty at the time and everyone thought I was a bit of a lad, I wasn’t. She was a right smasher, even though she was a bit quiet. But once you got her on the dance floor, boy, could she move something. I didn’t realise until it was too late that she had a bloke already – Stan – I think his name was. Mind you if only that Johnny* had not burst.’ Steve took a deep swallow of his beer. ‘Of course I was in the Navy by then. I’d joined the Merchant Navy when I left school at thirteen in nineteen thirty three. And I was visiting Manchester with my shipmate Rob whose parents lived in Ancoats… But I was horrified when she died and her being pregnant too – my baby – was it a boy or a girl? – I never knewed. I would have married her – gladly - but she said No… No-one else took her place. I did get married to Jane after the war ended, ‘er was a good lass, and I did my best to be a good husband to ‘er but my heart was not really in it. We never had no kids though and she died last year, heart attack. Me? I get by, but I still think of Martha. There are some people you never forget, they just get inside you somehow.’

*Old slang for a condom

330 words

I have recently sent up some of my short creative writing pieces to the blog 330 words and they have published all 4 pieces which has delighted me no end! Regular readers of this blog will maybe have already read these pieces from about 18 months -2 years ago and those of you linked to me on Facebook will have had these links before.

On 330words site:
1) The Manchester Riots http://330words.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/william-west-the-manchester-riots/ posted September 15th 2011;
2) Xavier http://330words.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/xavier-written-by-william-west/ posted December 15th 2011;
3) The glass shatters http://330words.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/the-glass-shatters-written-by-william-west/ posted January 19th 2011;
4) Martha, http://330words.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/martha-written-by-william-west/ posted 16th February 2012

Skills four life

So I got his 'Skills 4 Life' leaflet and knew I should do something about it. Hell she would walk out on me if I didn't. But I 'd picked up this book in Oxfam and I fancied sitting down with it and a spliff for a while. There was plenty of time after all.

One spliff led to another and I was gone. I mean real gone. I mean up there in the Milky Way gone. I mean I could almost taste the cosmos if it had a taste gone and why was there a curious smell of vinegar in the air?

I must have passed out. Either that or I was hallucinating but the blow wasn't that good surely?
- Steve?
- (Oh fuck!) Barbie!
- Steve you're out of your fucking head again and don't smile at me like a god damn Tellytubbie!
- (Fuck, fuck, fuck) ...Ah sorry.
- Sorry? No bloody way!I don't suppose... No don't bullshit me, you haven't?
- Haven't what?
- Well if you don't know then of course you bloody haven't
- Oh fuck
- Fuck doesn't come anywhere near it

She stormed out. I slumped back in the armchair. Fuck I was crying. Weird.

And in your reality?

[This is a piece written at Tony and Steve's creative writing class at Fuel last Saturday somewhat inspired by watching 'A single man' the night before. An ace film.]

I heard you singing 'Somewhere over the rainbow' and I welled up inside. You weren't there of course but I heard your voice, honest. It was so you - right down to how you dropped an octave when you couldn't reach the top notes in the chorus.

Now Jonathon tells me that this is all dosh, that I am making it up or hearing voices, that you are dead, dead, dead and that I should bloody well accept it and move effing on.

I can't ... and I wont.

It's not the end of the story for me, just a new phase, a whole new chapter, a new book - the 4th in the trilogy if you like.

Look we create our own reality right? We each live in our own reality right? And if your reality and mine coincide that could be good, - or not. So in my reality you are singing.

And in your reality?