Life And Life Only
Jun. 12th, 2018 09:26 amHe was my best friend at school. We weren't soulmates or anything like that but we propped one another up. Neither of us was a misfit exactly but neither were we mainstream. We didn't stay in touch. He went into the Navy and I went into the Church.
I caught a glimpse of him yesterday through his Facebook page. He lives in West Sussex- in a village I've visited not knowing he was there- has grown-up daughters and a second wife. He stuck with his chosen career- as I didn't- and advanced halfway up the chain of command. He was in the Falklands War, served on the Royal Yacht Britannia and is now the director of a naval charity. It sounds like an interesting life.
I remember the last conversation we ever had. He was at Dartmouth Naval College and partying with Admirals' daughters and I was about to go to university- and we were sitting in my parents living room looking ahead to the long, long stretch of our future careers- and now those careers are over and we're closing in on seventy - and it all seems to have happened so fast.
I caught a glimpse of him yesterday through his Facebook page. He lives in West Sussex- in a village I've visited not knowing he was there- has grown-up daughters and a second wife. He stuck with his chosen career- as I didn't- and advanced halfway up the chain of command. He was in the Falklands War, served on the Royal Yacht Britannia and is now the director of a naval charity. It sounds like an interesting life.
I remember the last conversation we ever had. He was at Dartmouth Naval College and partying with Admirals' daughters and I was about to go to university- and we were sitting in my parents living room looking ahead to the long, long stretch of our future careers- and now those careers are over and we're closing in on seventy - and it all seems to have happened so fast.