To Jim...

Archive Blip 10.04.20


Those blippers who follow my journal will know that in these times of Covid-19 lockdown, where the present is on hold and the future is scary, I have been taking refuge in the past by delving in to my old diaries.

What a scream!  :-)))

When I opened my diary from 1980, this piece of paper fell out.  I shall note my diary entry for that date below, but first let me provide some background...

April 1980.  I am 13 years old. I live in a small village in west central Scotland and I travel to secondary school in a nearby town (10 minute bus ride.)  This means that most of my friends (apart from my bestie) live in the town, so my main place to socialise is at a Youth Club in said town

Jim is a boy that I met at the Youth Club disco.  He is 16 and was a fellow pupil at my school but left at Christmas and in my eyes is very mature and worldly wise.  

He asks me out, which basically consists of sitting together in the youth club cafe with a group of friends on a Wednesday evening, before he walks me to the bus stop and we have a snog as the bus approaches.  Oh and dancing together at the Sunday night youth club disco to Blondie's Atomic, Geno - Dexy's Midnight Runners, Brass in Pocket - The Pretenders, Working my Way Back to You - Detroit Spinners and Dance Yourself Dizzy - Liquid Gold to name a few :-))   And of course not forgetting the slow dances at the end of the night to Babe - Styx, Please Don't Go - KC and the Sunshine Band and Save Me - Queen. 

I was absolutely besotted and we were together from 18th February till 4th March (wow, a whole two weeks!! :-)) when a "friend" broke my heart by telling me he'd walked someone else home from the Youth Club the previous night (I hadn't gone to the Youth Club.  Reason not noted in diary.)

Well, devastated is an understatement!  

I saw him at the youth club that night and asked him outright.  He denied it completely but one of his friends standing behind him was nodding his head.  Jim went mad at his friend and said he was nodding his head a joke.  But the trust was gone.  I dumped him.

But such was my heartbreak that five weeks later, I had to get my feelings down on paper, and my blip shot is the result.  

The day leading up to it went as follows...

Tues 8th April (School Hols)  My best friend Agnes had stayed over.


Got up at 11am.  Had a great nights sleep. Read the paper.  Made Agnes and I roasted cheese for  breakfast.  Agnes went home after lunch.  Went to the shop to see if they had my Jackie magazine.  It's still not in. Came home.  Sat around listening to radio and watching tv.  The Jam are still No 1 with Going Underground.  Made tea.  Wee James (my little cousin) has cut teeth.  Missing school and the youth club.  Wrote a poem and dedicated it to Jim.  Five weeks ago tonight I went to the Youth Club with him for the last time.  I still like him a lot and even though he's asked me out again more than once, I don't go out with cheaters!  But I don’t think I’ll ever get over him.

Oh the drama of young love! :-)))

For what it's worth, the only things I remember about him are he looked like a young Tony Danza in Taxi and smelled of Wrigley's spearmint gum! 

But I still can't hear those slow songs without being transported back to those two magical weeks!  lol!