freeline102 - Flipbook - Page 39
SHOCKLEADER
a n d a bisc uit, again.
I was rolling around lau g h i n g
a n d Storm thought it was a l l a
b i g game.
Every day with CP was a n
of a dull wet day for nearly
everyone I know.
We f i r s t m e t i n a g r a s s c a r
park next to Horton about
3 0 y e a rs a g o , w h i l e q u e u i n g
a d venture, I have a mi l l i o n
s t ories of him, a characte r so
m uch larger than life that o n l y
t h ose lucky enough to h a v e
k n own him could ever, e v e n
s t art to understand.
CP, for all his shenani g a n s
a n d dodgy dealings , h ad t h e
m ost amazing mo ral c o d e.
Fa mily a nd close frie n d s
w ere his life and he too k n o
p r isoners outside this ci r c l e ;
y o u were either a “Goo d o l d
B o y” or a “Bad Bastard” t h e re
w ere no grey areas.
He had an entire language of
his own, punctuated by words he
had made up or mis-pronounced
and the classic ‘Drismal’ has now
become a standard description
for the start of the season
t h e f o l l o w i n g m o r n i n g, b y
midnight we were firm friends
a n d t h i r t y y ea r s l a t e r w e w e r e
like brothers.
He called me ‘Raver’ from
d a y o n e, a n d I w i l l a l w a y s h e a r
that voice in my head “kettle
o n R a v e r ” o r “ Yo u k n o w t h e
f l a v o u r R a v e r ” i f w e w er e i n
agreement on one of the many
t h i n g s we p la n n e d, p l o t t e d o r
schemed.
H e w a s , q ui t e l i t e r a l l y, o n e
o f a k i n d a n d, a l s o , o n e o f a n
e v e r- d e c r e a s i n g b r e e d o f g o o d
men that know right from
w ro n g a n d c h o o s e w h i c h e v e r
o n e i s b e s t o n t h e d a y.
We w i l l m i s s h i m d e a r l y.
Big Carp 37
