poliphilo

Storm Claudia- which is currently sweeping across Europe- seems to be going round us- which is something storms often do. It's a dark day and damp- but that's it.

I had a childhood friend called Claudia. She had an older sister called Clarissa (Kissa for short) who was the one I was in love with. Claudia was mad about ponies- not a taste I share.

Their mother was an old mate of my mother's and they lived near us in Croydon. Last I heard of them Clarissa was in a relationshp with a ex-Anglican clergyman- which is what I am- and her parents disapproved. I may not have bothered to ask about Claudia- shame on me....

This latest information is decades old. The two mothers were still alive at the time and still in occasional contact. I remember their mother writing my mother a brave letter saying she had cancer and this was "over and out"

I came across a photo of Kissa and me- on a beach somewhere. We look like we were having fun. She was a little older than me. She was a slim dark-haired girl, maybe 7 years old. I was a little very blond boy, maybe 5.....