If there was ever a  time of regret? For Terry it had to be his love for Wendy.
Terry, from the age of 8, had the voice of a Soprano, that was astonishing. The first school assembly, was brought to a halt, as those in charge, wanted to know WHO, that voice belonged to?

From thereon, it would be repeated, at different schools. From Junior to senior AND on stage, at certain events he commanded an admirable number in the audience. It is of course, the reason why, he became a friend AND of course, ended up in the music business.

BUT I digress,

Alice, Terry’s sister, could get annoyed, at having her girl friends and or NOT.. hounding her, for more information; on him. That included of course, subjective questions, as to whether he had a partner, uhh well alright! GIRL FRIEND.

Terry was too pre occupied, for as he put it, to be a part of such time wasting, trivialities. Alice, was heavily into Wham and it was guaranteed, on her part, to drive Tel up the wall, with her AND her friends screaming out, ‘Wake me up, before you..’

Preston, would join in with some, as Tel said, ‘ major ‘a’ kissing’ as he had made it clear, he liked Alice. It was somewhat tolerated; by us

Not that Tel, was without those, who could be considered, as anti fans, some felt they were not getting the attention they sought thanks to our guy Tel taking the ‘limelight’.

That all came to the fore at the Skating rink on a Saturday afternoon where the new band was practicing and Tel joined them for vocals.

Tel could do a belting number, vocals with ease, when it came to ,powerful vocals; ‘House of the Rising sun’.

It was there, that he first set eyes on Wendy. Short A as we called her, she had a bubbly personality. Her mother owned and ran; a guest house. Introvert, wasn’t in Wendy’s makeup.

Two years younger than him. About 5 ft 3 inches tall. Her brothers were aware of Tel and later of course their sister doting on him.

It would be one of the class rooms, where Tel had gone to talk, with the teacher, of the ongoing class, that Wen spotted him entering.

“Oh its him.” Eyes on him and Lucy muttering to Wen. “Don’t know what everyone sees in him.” Whereupon, Wen smiled, SMILED as Tel glanced in her direction, to hear her. “I like him, you should have seen him at the rink Luce.”

Lucy had to make it clear, that she could be thankful for small mercies, OR hmm, well. The fight, that had broken out, between some punk rockers and mods?

Wen had left to meet her, at the rear of the rink, only to momentarily witness the unfolding carnage. They were not hanging around, as they legged it. “Hey I wonder what Tel would look like as a Punk rocker.” Lucy fell about laughing. It had NOT, gone unnoticed, by Tel.

It would be some hours later, when Tel ended up, as a ‘prefect; on hall duty. He watched as the school emptied of pupils, filtering past him. Wen ? She looked at him and he smiled at her. As she got closer he stopped her.

“Thank you for earlier. I heard what you said and what Lucy said.” He leaned in close to her.

“Wen, do you want to meet up later? As this week we are free of school? “ Wen was delighted, stating she woud love to? As Lucy appeared around the corner, to glare at them both?

Grabbing Wen by her arm and pulling her, towards the exit, BEFORE, they could tell each other, a time, a PLACE??

“A week, a whole bloody week Jess, before we could finally arrange that!”

If Tel, had attempted to find out where, Wen lived? Lucy had made it clear, to those sniffing around, trying to pass on a note? That that, was NOT happening, in her lifetime.

It would be, one might agree, a secret assignation, that would take place, on the following Monday night.
Secret ? Well where they were concerned. Keeping it from Lucy, had been deemed to be, requiring some subterfuge on their part.

Towan beach, Newquay, Cornwall. 7pm. They had met up, on the green, grass area and headed down to the beach, with their beach towels stashed under their arms.

Stripped down to their swim gear, before heading into the water. Yes so Terry told me later, there were a few people about, mostly tourists taking in the evening air; but NO sign thankfully of Lucy!

Wendy? Looking good in her all in one swimsuit. She had told me later that her first impressions of Tel wearing his boxer style swimming shorts? Yeah definitely boy friend material.

She liked the fact that he was reserved, about how, he reacted to the all in one swimsuit, she was wearing? He did not, have to say anything, his physical responses, were telling her everything, she needed to see, let alone KNOW.

Tel had liked, her curves; in all the right places. True to say, Wen was NOT short re her assets. He would comment, to a select few, be tacid but echoing his thoughts, that they, were definitely liking what they were sharing; a lot.

After the swim, they had laid back, on the beach towels, drying off in the cool but warm; night air. Shortly after, their first date, came to its end ;BUT their desire to seal the bond, that had been established?

Of course, Lucy, ah indeed LUCY, would remain problematic and oh YES, indeed she was. Keeping it a SECRET from her, was NO easy feat. Her ‘spies’, were eyes and ears alert and annoyingly, to uncovering, what had been taking place.

Lucy caustically remarked; on finally being convinced of the truth? OF what the hell, was going on behind her back?

“HOW Wen, HOW? Could you do that to me? “ It would take a while before their friendship was back on track.

Friends, school mates and others, intentional or otherwise started to talk. Yes of course; TALK. Blabbering, can’t resist the thought of being THE one, to know, what was taking place and ears were eager, to take in, what was now, being conveyed; good bad or indifferent, to Lucy.

Those who liked and fancied Wendy? Those who knew how close she was to Lucy? How volatile a temper Lucy had, that would leave some cowering; before making a quick getaway?

To add petrol, to the already smouldering fire? Alice?? Terry’s beloved, though at times, that was questionable, sister, was making her own assumptions, based on what others had told her, re her brother.

Wanting to know WHY, some evenings, he was arriving home LATE? NOT breaking the agreed curfew, BUT pretty dammed close. Parents were otherwise engaged re work and that could mean, time abroad, for days to weeks. They did not or they assumed that to be the case, leave them without some supervision?

Uncle Ted spent his time elsewhere, though he was supposed to be with them; he was to be found in places like St Ives mixing with the ‘artisans’. Visiting, tourist painters.

Making a bob or two from keeping them, supplied with necessary materials, from his, make shift studio, garage lock up.

A good sketch artiste and his skills encompassed, many aspects of drawing, painting, hence he was never, short of company. As Ronnie would tell us, Ted was a randy git.

Whenever he ended up in St Ives, he could almost guarantee Ted would be there with at least ONE female on his arm. More often than not however, easily TWO vying for his attention and affections.

The trip to meet up with Ted, that Terry had taken with Wendy, purposefully so that he could see what Uncle Ted thought of his nephews girl? Was surprisingly good. The weather with a clear blue sky and fairly hot?

They got on, as per the colloquial expression, like a house on fire.
It would be after a coffee and cake moment  that Wendy excused herself and headed to the bathroom, it meant that Ted, could convey what he thought?

“You’ve got a good one there boy. Andsome one with a beaut of a smile, I tell you boy, if I was your age, you’d be losing out. Still, whilst she’s NOT around.”

He slid his hand into his pocket and took out a small package, passing it to me. I went to look but he hissed at me, “In YOUR pocket boy and DON’T let her see them”

Rubbers, ah yes, condoms from my Uncle, guess no surprises there. “Now boy, you do KNOW how to use them?” Truth was I had seen a few issues of Uncle Ted’s favourite Playboy magazines AND was it Fiesta?? or Hustler?

Pretty graphic but with some interesting articles, on various aspects of ! Whilst I had NOT, seen Wendy naked, my imagination, was more than aware of, if not somewhat over active, as to the female form. Her’s was shaping up to be centre fold for me.

I tried to give them back, making it clear, that I was 16 and Wendy was 14!! My parents would have killed me, if I even went to beyond a rather gratuitous groping session with her.

As for her brothers! Shane her bigger brother, aged 19 had been nodding his head, greeting us both, on seeing us together, pulling me to one side to warn me.. NOT to go there.

Uncle Ted was having none of it. “You land up all hot and bothered, after some necking, only to suddenly find your urges take over? Think it’s only YOU, that has them boy??

Prepared not sorry! Sides, it means if you don’t heed my advice and she ends up preggers, it won’t be HER family you have to worry about kicking your a down the street.”

I got the message, as I quickly, on spying Wendy, heading towards us, slid them into my jacket inner pocket. There was some element of truth in what he had said. Wendy could get pretty steamy, when it came to us.

No resentment on my part re that, I was full of the usual adolescent urges, made worse by them being stimulated! Hot and bothered was an understatement.

If I thought hiding them from Wendy was of concern? The list on reflection, went way beyond just her!

Luckily Uncle Ted to the rescue? They were headed to the railway station, when he stopped off at his ‘garage / studio’, leaving Wendy to view some of his work? Meanwhile he had left us, to return some minutes later, with a ? BELT?

Taking Tel aside he showed him the two hidden compartments on it? Taking the rubbers, he slid two of them into one of them. “You keep this with you, no one is going to find them!”

One of his sketches, had been picked up by Wendy who made it clear she was liking it?  “Ah the sketch I did of Terry last summer. “  He took it from her and carefully wrapped it before handing it back to her.
“Your’s my girl. Thank you for looking after HIM.. “ he grinned.. “You both can drop by anytime!”

A few weeks would pass, before we ended up, with a 6 week summer break. For Wendy, it was, working some of the time. As I have mentioned HER mother, owned and ran a ‘guest house’ which meant, she had to help out to earn some ‘pocket money’, serving meals, linen, cleaning and !

In the meantime, Terry worked at the Boating lake cafe alongside the ‘gunnel’,  during the week AND Saturdays, HOWEVER he did not work after 6pm. Time then, was divided between us and Wendy though he did help his Aunt out by earning some more cash, as an usher. The Cosy Nook theatre. As for Wendy? he would often meet up with her late at night, around 10pm for a swim.

We also, would meet up at the coffee bar. That only sold light refreshments; NO alcohol. It was a popular haunt, for teens. Sometimes we all had to make a quick getaway, as the mods and rockers, decided to battle it out on some of Newquays beaches.

Terry’s cousin Jake, as Uncle Ted would call him, the spotty oik,  could on occasion be seen, with a heavy metal chain slung over his leather jacket, along with others, carrying similar as they deemed it, ‘tools’.  heading to where they thought, the mods might be hanging out.

He also had a good idea of what nights they would be out and about which gave us some warning as to what areas to avoid?  It would be one night when Terry and Wendy were meeting up and settled on a cliff top that nearby the air was filled with screams..

Their exit blocked in both directions by a mob, of some thirty individuals, hell bent, on beating the living daylights, out of each other? They managed to hide themselves BUT? With CURFEW restrictions now getting closer to being breached? Let us remember that this was NOT, the era, of mobile phones!!! IF Wendy did not show up at home within at least an hour of the ‘curfew’ being broken??

She would face punishment, in the form of being, as one might say, ‘grounded’. No going out, to meet up with ‘friends’ (Terry) for at least a MONTH if not more! As for her brothers?? If she was past ‘curfew’ the odds of them going to look for her? At so called friends such as Lucy’s ? Well even phoning around?

Voices getting ever closer to where they were?

 “Come on OUT! No point in hiding!”

to be continued