memories

When I go over to see my Sister she save me the local paper. I always look to see who has weighed in(died).
As I had quite a lot, the reason was the time before I forgot to bring them hoe with me so I had several months of local news to catch up.
The first person who I saw had left us was a guy who I last saw in 1977. Yes I can be sure because I had just bought a Datsun(now Nissan)120Y estate in December 1976. In those days there were no rear window wipers on and it was just like driving a van in winter rainy weather and in 1978 I changed it for a Toyota Celica.
Anyway I was taking my late Mother to Wilkinson's in Grantham. At that time they had a small car park to the rear of their shop with access by another road. There were spaces for about 20 cars but was nearly always less than half full. As I got out of the car, I head a guy shout. "Is that you ****" I turned round to see an ex Railway man who I hadn't seen for at least 12 years. He got out of his car and gave me a nice hug. It was most unusual really as we were never close friends but good mates as almost everyone was on the Loco. I asked him how he was and he told me that he had just recovered from cancer. He told me that he was lucky as the screening van had just gone to his place of works. By then the Loco department had more or less finished. He told me that something told him to go and have an X.ray on his chest. He told me that within a couple of days he was summoned to his G.P and was told there was a shadow on his lung and an appointment was made for him to go to see a Specialist at the Hospital. He said that he was admitted almost immediately and had one of his lungs removed. They had informed him that he had been lucky and they had caught it just in time. He told me that his pal came to see him in tears because he thought he was about to die. He said that he had just been given the all clear and was convalescing ready to start work again.
He then said to me that the days on the Loco were good days. I told him they were the happiest days of my life stating that what we got up to would be hard for anybody to believe.
He readily agreed with me stating that he would talk to his son Tony and tell him some of the things that went on, stating that he didn't believe him.
Obviously the operation was a success as he managed to live over 30 years with one lung.
When I saw his obituary it bought back many happy memories. More soon.