Chris was incredibly cool when he was 16. He used to fashion himself on Jim Morrison, only where Jim could afford Jack Daniels he could afford Stonehouse. He was the type of renegade that was just to cool to care and no one could tell him what to do…
I remember being stood on the corner near the Video Box in Padgate – between ‘All-Sorts’ and the red phone box with Georgina, when we bumped into Chris who offered us cigarettes. I didn’t smoke but Georgie did so they sparked up and we proceeded to chat. Georgie and Chris were living the life and keeping cool – trying to pretend they didn’t fancy each other and both trying to deny they fancied me when out of nowhere we heard the sound of a bicycle bell and Pat announcing herself loudly.
‘Christopher Murphy!’
Chris immediately shoved his fag into my hand.
‘Christopher Murphy, why are you not in College?!’ Pat certainly looked annoyed.
‘I’m just on my way now’ Chris was cringing but fell straight into line.
‘Were you just smoking? You’d better not have spent that bus money I have just given you!?’
‘They’re smoking not me, i’m just on my way to get the bus now, I didn’t buy them, they’re Georgie’s, not mine’
In actual fact he had spent his bus money and was bumming around until one as let would not let you use your pass between 12pm and 1pm.
When Pat left Chris said ‘I hate that basket’ meaning the ‘Shopper’ basket on Pat’s bike.
That moment defined our relationship from there on in… I knew he wasn’t as cool as he portrayed and he knew that I knew.
I’ll never forget the first time I met Pat and the way she whipped her little boy into line – someone had too!
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