Memoir, Early Years
I First Fell In Love At Seven
I was a damaged soul which meant the attachment I felt was extreme — Every moment of the day I cleaved to her
The version of me who first went to secondary school that early September morning, as the 1970s were creeping towards the 80s, was in many ways a product of her life so far. Although, generally a child of that era internalised most things, without attributing blame else where.
Years passed before I dared look in any depth at the circumstances that would have shaped me by the time I was eleven.
Starting primary school
I remember starting primary school and being — what many would class as — a bit of a scamp. I became friends with a child — Lyn — from an Irish travelling family who had recently been housed. Little did I know at that tender age that my birth family were descended from original Romany gypsies. Being drawn to one’s kind is a funny thing.
We lived in a suburb of south-east england. Every week day my brother who was in the juniors delivered me to school on time. However, if Lyn hadn’t yet turned up, I would walk out the school gates and head over to her house. We would then arrive late together, be hauled up in front of the whole…
