Bluesphinx

  We gathered to pay our respects to the moribund 2008 as the year’s final five hours played out. We had been invited to the beautiful big Victorian end of terrace house in Havard Road Llanelli that is the family home of my sister Christine, and her husband, Huw. We were one of three couples attending the soiree, as well as, and to my great and pleasant surprise Julie, the first of the four great loves of my life.

 The three other old, and now extinguished flames were Sarah, my first wife, (and mother of my singular, and estranged offspring, my only son, Thomas), Angela, a beautiful, already taken, and not so free spirit who convinced me that if I waited long enough I could take her. I could not, and I did not, and the final realisation of that fact sent me off into a downward spiral that manifested itself by me turning my anger in upon myself. Of these four great inamoratas, the dearest of them all remains to be mentioned. She is my soul mate, my saviour in actual fact, and now my wife, Caroline.

 But on this freezing cold New Year’s Eve extinct romances were the last thing on my mind, as Huw took our coats, and Christine introduced us to the other guests. Phill and his wife Sonia, a lifelong friend of Julie, who insisted she recognised me from the old days, but for the life of me , and no matter how hard I wracked my brain I just couldn’t remember her. Phill and  Huw, went back a long way-they were classmates in the Grammar School. These happy, and gregarious people were joined by Steve and Sue, another of Julie’s old friends, much quieter, and with whom I hardly exchanged more than a few words.

 On the table there was arranged a sumptious buffet, more than we could put away, because as Christine was quick to explain two couples and my brother Mike had for reasons best known to themselves decided not to turn up. there is alwaysat kleast one isn’t there? The seating was arranged in a circle, which was good because it made conversation easy and within about two minutes of us settling down it was flowing like the Mississippi. One of the many things that I love about Caroline is her easy ability to get on with people, and it didn’t take long before she was getting down into the talking pit with all the girls. 

 I had hoped to catch up on old times with Julie, but it was not to be because she wanted to get back to her sixteen year old daughter who was spending the night at home, pity it would have been nice to chew the fat. So by ten o’clock there were eight of us waitng to see in the new year-a lot more than I could accommodate in my hovel, which is so small it struggled to put up three guests over Christmas.

 I had volunteered to drive-well, it seems only fair as Caroline always does the honours every Sunday when we go to ‘Church’, and nevertheless, I enjoyed the company very much. Then all of a sudden glasses of bubbly were being handed around, the TV was turned up just in time to see and hear Jools Holland counting down the final death throes of two thousand and eight. TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Then to the rousing accompaniment of the pipe band of the first battalion The Scots Guards we all klinked glasses and kissed each other, and with warm heartfelt feelings of optimism we wished each other a happy new year.

 Some folks do not see any significance to these occasions, some see them as just another day, but not me and Caroline. For us it really is out with the old and in with the new. A fresh start, so bring it on! No matter how dry and stale the old year may have become, for us there is always a promise of better times hanging in the frigid new night air.

 So there we all were, eating, drinking (except for me that is), and making merry. Christine was unusually reserved-she usually provides the more raucous entertainment after a few sherries, but tonight because she was playing the hostess and with the solid support of Huw she did a great job of finding the balance between sobriety and humour. I finally got talking to Steve when their transport arrived to take them all happily back to their homes. Leaving Caroline and I to finish up the last of the bonhomie. We finally left at about three a.m. It was a good night, and I hope it won’t be too long before we see Christine and Huw again.