Body Found.
"BODY FOUND" the headlines screamed. Simon felt his stomach lurch, he clung to the edge of the counter for support.
Ere are you all right duck?’ The assistant asked?
Simon drew in his breath, "Yes just one of my turns. You get them when you get to my age."
"Well it's enough to give anyone a turn. They reckon as 'ow he'd bin there sixty years or more"’
Simon's liver spotted hand trembled as he handed over the coins. He pushed the paper into his carrier bag together with a jacket potato and left the shop.
It was some time before he could bring himself to read the paper, First he mashed a pot of tea and put the potato in the micro wave. What would Alan have done if they had had micro waves when they were kids? Probably cooked hedgehogs in it. He were a cruel bogger was Alan.
The micro wave announce his potato was ready and propping up the paper in front of the tea pot Simon began his repast.
"Unidentified remains found" - "police request anyone who can help with identification to come forward"’
They were bound to interview him as they had done all those years ago. How long did they keep records of missing persons? The papers would be filed away somewhere. Not on computer though - it were afore computers were used by the police.
The potato was nearly cold. Funny thing about micro waves, they made potatoes so hot you burnt your fingers when you took them out but they went cold quicker than they got hot. He pushed the potato away, fetched a box of photos from under the bed. He should have thrown them away years ago but with so much of his memory lost in the ravages of time he hung on to the memories they held.
Alan and him at scout camp. They had had nearly drowned each other then. He had yanked Alan's ankle, pulling him under. Alan had lost his temper. Simon relived the horror being pushed and held down until he lost consciousness. It was Alan who pulled him out, got the water out of his lungs and breathed for him. Alan was hailed as a hero and neither of them ever told.
After that they were in plenty of scraps together but never against each other.
He drew another photo from the box. A foursome. They were about fifteen and bike riding in Derbyshire. The girls were two they had picked up in Matlock. They had both fancied the ginger one. Never knew her name, any road they tossed for it and Alan won but that was all right they swore they would never fall out over a girl and they never had until the works Christmas dance.
After they left school they had had to part. Alan's Mam was ambitious for her son, sent him to business college so he could get a white collar job. Simon's Mam's ambition was for him to bring home a wage packet before he found a wench and spent it away from home.
They still met up but not so often and when they did, every sentence began with "Hey do you remember?" Simon wanted to renew their closeness so when his girl friend asked him to make up a foursome for the Christmas dance he asked Alan. He should have known better. Sheila was taken with Alan's clean nails and fancy talk. Until then Simon hadn't realised how much Alan had changed. He didn't swear anymore and said, "Hello Simon", instead of "Ey up youth."
Alan danced in turn with both the girls. Simon couldn't dance so spent most of the night in the bar. He had shown Alan the ring he'd bought for Sheila - cost him all his holiday money.
He had been besotted with her and he had to watch her snuggling up to Simon on the dance floor. There was no way she would get the ring after that exhibition. He left before the dance ended.
The following night Sheila was waiting for him outside the factory gate, tore a right strip off him, told him he was imagining things and suggested he learnt to dance ready for next year's bash. They had gone steady and a year later he had given her the ring.
The wedding invites were posted and Alan was invited. There were no more photo's in the box only a letter from Alan. Luckily for him Mam had hidden the letter in her bloomers when the cops came. He didn't need to read it every word was etched in his memory. It asked him to meet up at Matlock Bath at the weekend as he had something to tell him. Perhaps Alan too was getting married or was emigrating, they had often talked of going to Australia together.
That last weekend they had toured the old places, stayed drinking until it was dark. At last Simon had to ask, "So what is this thing you are finding so hard to tell me?"
"It's about Sheila."
Simon waited.
"We've been meeting ever since the Christmas dance. She's pregnant."
Simon remembered at the time thinking, "pregnant" not "up the spout" or "copped for one" mealy mouthed sod.
"So?"
"I'm sorry Simon. She's no good. I had to tell you."
"I know she's caught, ta very much."
"You don't understand. We've been meeting, every Thursday since the dance. I'm sorry."
This was worse than being held under water it was knife plunged and twisted in the guts.
"Well, well and the slag told me it was mine." I laughed in his face. "You had your leg over on Thursday nights and I had mine on Fridays and Saturdays. Any road you can have her I'm not bothered she alus was a lying cow."
Alan had lunged at him, they had a right scrap that ended suddenly when the earth had given way and Alan disappeared down a gaping hole.
His disappearance wasn't reported for a month because Sheila had left a note telling her mother she was eloping with Alan.
Simon felt his eyes drooping, he dragged them open and there he was. Alan, in army uniform.
"Hello Simon. Thought I'd set your mind at rest. Sheila was waiting for me, managed to get me out. Then she told me what she'd done."
"You're not dead?"
"Oh yes I'm dead we both are. A bullet got me. I enlisted after I pushed Sheila down the shaft’"
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