|
 I met Lee in 1988 opposite
The Lesley Arms at the corner of Cherry Orchard Road with Morland Road.
At the time it seemed like just another anonymous meet but as the weeks
went on we stayed in touch with one another and I visited him lots at
his place. In those days he was working as a nurse at the Bethlem
Royal Hospital in Beckenham and had living quarters in the nurses home.
We'd spend many a night in each other's..... now then... company!
Lee has always been a calming influence in my life with his laid back,
happy-go-lucky approach to life's troubles and it has, at times, been
therapeutic and a lesson to me that some things in life are bad, they
can really make you sad, other things just make you swear and curse....
etc!
Some years passed by and Lee and I seemed to have gone our separate ways
but one warm summer's day, 13th August 1998 to be precise, Lee was
volunteering at
 The
Ace Project in Mitcham, a drop in centre for those living with and/or
affected by HIV/AIDS in South London. It was excellent to see him
again because it had been nine years. We made more of an effort
and stay in touch almost daily.
Lee and I have always had a passion for karaoke and going to the Horse
and Jockey (that later became the Goose and Carrot) was to further our
relationship and we very quickly became karaoke pals too.
Another passion Lee and I have shared over the years is quoting comedic
lines at one another and leaving others wondering what we're on about.
Lines from Fawlty Towers and Dad's Army in particular.
Lee is the one person in my life who is able to provide answers to the
most bizarre of questions, like "where does the phrase I'll go to the
foot of our stairs" come from? Trust me... he'll know the answers. |
