Samples from Jackdaw Affliction

For a while we were both working in London still. The commute was ok. A train took us right into Fenchurch Street then the Circle or District would take us further in. Still, it took well over an hour both ways. K was the first to move jobs, there were a handful of local spas. I followed a couple months later, to a Southend restaurant called the Water. My pay had shot up, at least compared to what couriering brought in. It was more than enough to pay the bills. With Cate’s wage as well, we soon filled our new house with the normal shit. Furniture, art, media systems.

For quite a while we’d regularly travel into the pan for nights out and socials. Things were changing though. In 91 the Frying Pan closed its doors for the last time. There were loads of other pubs, but it felt like the end of an era somehow. Our friends were moving themselves, or they were gone. Marriage seemed to gradually take us all away. Asha was the first to submit. Her wedding to Dwight being the first of our friend group. Scotty had moved back to Surrey to work for his family’s business. Al was gone. The nights in London slowly dwindled, giving way to cosy nights in, or just nights around Southend.

April 91. An uncharacteristic hot and sunny day. The first of many weddings. This was Asha’s wedding. It set the benchmark to which all the other’s got compared to, something I didn’t understand or even want to. It was a big affair in a purpose-built wedding venue just outside the city. There was food, lots of food, and dancing and music. All the normal wedding stuff. The outfits are what I remember the most. Asha wore a white wedding dress that had the bodice part in vibrant greens and yellow in various geometric shapes. There were flashes of that design in the lower half too. Asha, for all the weight she’d shifted for the wedding, looked like she was going to spill out of her bodice. Cate told me that tit tape was Asha’s friend that day. Dwight, her husband wore an all-white outfit and a funky lil hat. The hat was green like his bride’s dress, and he had motifs of that on his kanzu. Asha’s folks wore similar vibrant outfits as did various members of the congregation. Most of us were in normal suits and ties or dresses. The couple jumped over a broom after saying vowels. This was pretty cool. We all chucked money at the newlyweds as well. Bizarre but cool.

Before food everyone filtered past the bride and groom and parents. This I was told is a wedding receiving line. Dwight the new husband uttered niceties as did I. We didn’t really know the guy and had only seen him once before. The same came from the various parents. I said something like ‘thanks, lovely wedding’ and they reciprocated with ‘thanks for coming’. When facing Asha, I told her ‘Nice threads girl, you look amazing’. I was a bit preoccupied with her dark cantaloupes barely contained by her outfit. ‘Glad you scrubbed up Billy, I’m happy you’re here,’ She offered back. ‘You look hot girl,’ I gave her a sly wink. Amazingly this was returned. No one clocked this exchange.