teedeedeeblog

Many years ago, I was a young teenager, and, as a young teenager, I thought as a young teenager.

 Twenty four hours a day, yes, even when I was sleeping, well, just before I fell asleep, thinking of, girls, kissing, girls, hugging, girls, touching, breasts, girls, sex, (not in those days unless you were very lucky, or, knew the one that would), girls, girls, and more girls. I suppose that meant that I was a normal young teenage male. Now, thinking is all I can do.

Worthing, where I grew up , and, when I grew up, was a great place, each summer there was an influx of young ladies from France, exchange visits, not that I ever got to go to France.

Now, we young lads new everything about France and the French, or maybe I should say, we knew nothing about them. Of course we new all about the French films that we were not allowed to see, we knew that there were photographs from France, that we were not allowed to look at, but our imagination could work on overtime.

One summer evening whilst sitting in the I.C.P. (ice cream parlour) listening to Elvis on the juke box, and, much to the displeasure of the proprietor, spending three hours over our cup of coffee, "They" arrived. The young ladies from France.

Why, in our wildest dreams, should we think that they would have anything to do with us, when even the local young ladies kept away, I will never know, but we could look, hope, and, imagine.

Half a crown, two shillings and sixpence, was a lot of money to us, no, you couldn't take a girl to the pictures, have a three course meal, take a taxi home, and, still have enough to last the rest of the week, that was the 1850s, but, to us, it was a lot.

Last of the big gamblers, that was me. I heard myself saying, "I bet you half a crown that I can get a date with one of them". My pal took the bet.

Once home, I was desperate enough to tell my big sister, possibly looking for sympathy, or, preparing her for when I had to say, "can I borrow half a crown".  But, big sister had the solution.

Whilst I went to the secondary school and didn't learn french, big sister went to the school where they did, "For half a crown I will teach you french" she offered, now, I need to win the bet.

I don't know how to write it, but, it sounds like, COM ON VOO ZAPALAY VOO, and, VOOLAY VOO PROMENADE AVEC MWA.  She told me, and to this day I do't know if it is true, that I would be saying, "What is your name" and "Will you come for a walk with me".

I won the half crown from my pal, and then handed it over to my sister. No richer financially, but, I still have a memory that I can recall, I even carved a mark on the bed post, out of sight of my parents of course.