Day 223. Every precious dream and vision underneath the stars. (11/8/13)

So I'd been obsessing about this girl for a couple of weeks.

We'd only spoken for a short while, danced toward the end of the night and then chatted as we walked the length of Dale Street from The State via a Greek chippy to that old fashioned pub by the flyover where you were always guaranteed to get a cab: where we did get a cab.

There was a peck on the cheek as she and her friend got out of the cab at her parents house. Polite peck to say goodnight.

But you know when there's just something?

So I thought about her, hoped that she'd be in the State again the following night (the Saturday, we'd met on the Friday); told our kid to keep an eye out for 'a short cute blonde'

No sign. Tried to get an invite to her for our kid's 21st party. No joy. Asked my mate who worked with her to get me her phone number. She didn't have a phone. Can you give her my phone number then? Get her to call me?

Really? No way that's happening. But you could always try phoning her at work, I can give you that number.

I'd got a new job in the meantime; working for Revolver records, part of HMV but not really HMV itself. I spent two weeks writing catalogue numbers on cardboard holders for LPs, cassettes and the occasional CD and then, twenty seven years ago today, August the 11th 1986 - a Monday, I had a day off.

And I did the kind of thing that I basically didn't do. Ever.

"Can I speak to Jeanette Wainwright please"

I went through the 'who's calling' bit, gave them my name, convinced that she wouldn't remember it. Carried on with 'Hi this is Ian, *****'s mate, we met at.....'

She remembered me. I asked her out. 'When?' 'Well how about tonight?'

We met at the Black Bull, the pub where we'd first met. I was, unusually for me, a little early so that she wouldn't wait. She was that bit earlier. We talked about Coronation Street and Brookside and music and stuff and she bought a round and I joked about keeping hold of her for that reason and we toured the pubs of Walton Vale, both of them, and somewhere in the second pub she put a song on the jukebox, Bread 'I wanna make it with you' - a message? No, she just liked the song.

And I walked her back to the bus stop and we kissed goodnight and as I walked home a song by Herman's Hermits entered my head

'Something tells me I'm into something good'

And within a couple of months I was fairly convinced that I was going to marry her.

And four years after our first date, 23 years ago today, on the 11th August 1990 - a Saturday, I did exactly that.
Happy Anniversary J xx

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