Bunkers

Beginning high-school the lowest class he lent me rugby toggs and a jersey from someone for my first rugby game, I was on lock even being the skinniest in the school, because I was so near-sighted I could hardly even see the ball but was strong enough.

He went over for a few tries and when with the final whistle our whole team jumped up everyone cheered for joy! Thought it was because the game was now over I so exhausted I myself was so glad for it to end.

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Then the days and evenings of school dances in the hall and pinball and later it was arcade games – space invaders and asteroids at the Two Swords Cafe. Me I was hopeless.

I was prohibited from this on peril of death lucky my dad never caught me. Some of the guys were playing all the time every chance. Even bunking school. Playing  truant it was a crime those days hell they gave us a lot of corporal punishment there and for some of us at home it was worse.

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Relaxing by the golf course lying in the sun on the green to dry with the other kids all behind the desks we were diving golf balls you made good pocket money like that, the balls get lost in the water most still new, we dove them out I 'm a strong swimmer and then selling them there to the other golfers.

Us boys we were terribly bad influence each other. Miraculously my dad didn't convincingly punish me when he found out. He thought we needed the money for cigarettes I was brought up to be honest I was not to steal.

Clubs was always playing golf even bunked for it he was very good he wanted to become professional. It did keep him out of trouble and learnt to control his temper.

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A few times we looked after his grandparents flat while they were away but this got ugly. We broke into the grandpa's liqueur cabinet each time. They never said anything I don't know why.

Sometimes we helped ourselves to his mom's purse for the arcade games they had other priorities there. His own dad was an army officer and also very strict, as I heard had some crazy notions on hated us smoking especially and drinking but later on he relaxed a bit after we finished school.

My father never warned about Clubs never said a word I don't know why, he always decided who I may be friends and who not, but with quite out of character never stopped us as to be friends.

Although both our dads' were in the air force but I don't think they knew each other.

My dad was bit of a paranoid himself it was of alcoholism he knew every thing going on in this town and he knew everybody, I mean like army and that and traffic and policemen our teachers and each anything to do with garages and cars, the loiterers even were on his payroll R5 a week.

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Most of my own close friends came from bad backgrounds broken families and serious  problems  at home and with the law, all stories of miss-spent youth. In general a bit disregard for the law.

We have different vices and other groups for friends now, maybe he likes money, girls, whatever really only we grew apart after school. Usually it happens like that, no problem. I was drinking, smoking cigarettes many of my friends from school smoked weed.

Clubs was my best friend at school, apart of our next door neighbour's boys they weren't friends they were brothers. Sjooe that next door guy's Wild. It helped that our dads' got along well, my dad did not stop us from being friends he said rather that I should try and help keep him on the right path. My dad liked him.

So while Clubs played golf I was caddy and for me it was chess and I enjoyed swimming laps it's peaceful and very relaxing, and then of course there was the mystery of the missing mathematics library book which no-one could solve, even up until today.

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I am pleased to say we both became well respected and productive members of society. His father always treated me as his own son and as proud of my academic achievements as anyone in my family. His grandparents had also. My own father died as I left school.

As a senior fire brigade officer, apart from years of in service training and decades experience in the field,  paramedics and firefighting, emergency response and trauma Clubs also earned a bachelors degree in emergency services, the equivalent of an engineering degree even or a medical professional such as physio- or speech therapy or such. Not many people of our friends studied this far.

Directly after school he had also done his two years military service and training, and then as PT Instructor those guys weren't so popular.

From what I know and have heard my friend is only very highly regarded in his profession, of the finest.

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It would be wonderful to see him again and his father has been very very good to me indeed, I know him as a most kind man, a true gentleman.

We had some good times that is for sure.