cute shoes with pompons. I was fascinated. Everyone would dance on tables, in the street, balance glasses on the dancers’ heads, and even set fire to newspapers tucked into their skirts as they danced! The Blue Island is where I developed my lifelong love affair with dancing. Dancing makes me laugh and feel good, even during the darkest moments.
Family holidays taught me that laughter should always be part of life, something I’ve forgotten at points in my life. Mum and Dad also instilled us with three other values that I hold dear:
1 Family is everything, especially respect for your elders.
1 Kindness matters, so always be courteous.
1 Recognize that that fear is an illusion, so never feel afraid.
~
My first personal crisis occurred at the age of seven, when we moved to a new house in Weston-super-Mare, a traditional seaside town, to be closer to Nan and Gramps.
Mum transferred her job in a Portishead warehouse to the Weston branch, much closer to her parents, whom she loved dearly. At first blush, the move made great sense. The new house was bigger, and the garden was quite substantial. Dad planted colorful Petunias, Fuchsia, Hydrangeas, and Begonias and Mum loved to potter around and see the fruits of their labor.
We had fun living by the beach with donkeys and Punch and Judy puppet shows. Weston also has a big pier with amusements and rides, and at the time, the Tropicana, a huge lido (public open-air swimming pool) with a wave machine and pineapple-shaped water chutes. It was THE place to be and the most fun you could ever have.
The one thing Weston didn’t have were friends for me. Even though we were less than an hour from Portishead, I had to start all over, a frightening thought when you’re young. But my sister Shelly was always there, even though she teased me unmercifully.
For the first weeks after the move, I remained at my current school, St Barnabas, while the details of my transfer to my new school, Becket, were finalized. One day, I waited at the St Barnabas school steps for what seemed like hours with the lollipop lady (road crossing attendant), crying my eyes out—every other child had been collected except me.
My mind wandered to thoughts of Shelly telling me, “I’m Mum and Dad’s favorite; they love me more than you.” Shelly also insisted, “Vicki, you’re adopted. That’s why there are hardly any baby pictures of you!” I thought it wasn’t true, Mum always told Shelly to stop being naughty, but I never forgot. The longer I waited with the lollipop lady, the more I wondered; was Shelly right? Did Mum and Dad not want me anymore? I was a kid after all and believed everything I was told.
As it turned out, my “dreadful concern” was simply a case of crossed wires. Mum thought Gramps was going to pick me up that day; she got her days mixed up.
So, to everyone who blurts in jest—think about the receiving party. Unintended, hurtful comments can last far longer than well-intentioned compliments.
~
When the time came to start at Becket, my worries about new friends quickly dissipated. It was there I received my first handmade Valentine’s Card and experienced another new sensation; romance.
His name was Lee. We were in the same class, and he’d left the card in my school drawer. When I opened it, I could feel his smile. My heart raced and my cheeks blushed for the first time. It was a warm, fuzzy feeling that was exciting but also embarrassing. I quickly hid the card in my school bag.
We never spoke about it! I guess at the age of nine I was more interested in playing with Barbie dolls than making boys laugh and cry, sometimes all at once!
~
One of my most vivid memories in our new home was Shelly’s brazen attempts at mischief. Once, she locked me in a shed at a garden center and told Mum and Dad that she had not seen me. I was locked inside for about an hour, crying and utterly terrified, before I was found. Shelly feigned surprise, pretending she knew nothing of my incarceration.
There was also the Nightmare on Elm Street incident. Our uncle was watching the movie at Nan’s house. We snuck in to see a bit of the film. We were shocked to see a girl with blonde hair flying around the ceiling covered in blood. Freddy Krueger had sliced her open with his knives. I felt sick and trembled all over, experiencing real fear for the first time. I was absolutely petrified and haunted by the graphic images.
Neither of us could sleep that night. We were both scared, even though Shelly pretended she wasn’t. Shelly crept into my room and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ve worked it out. The blonde girl died first, so if Freddy comes, he’ll kill you before me.” (I was a natural blonde as a kid). I cried myself to sleep.
The most mischievous and looking back as an adult, the funniest stunt Shelly played was with one of my dolls after we had watched the horror movie, Child’s Play.
Admittedly, the doll did look like the killer Chucky doll from the film. She obtained a kitchen knife, cello-taped it to the doll’s hand, and put it in my bed under the duvet. I screamed until my lungs were empty. Fear was a feeling that I didn’t enjoy, and hoped in adult life, I’d never have to experience it. I was wrong.
3.
FIRST DANCE
“Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.”
― Gerard Way
1987…
When you are a kid, there is always that one person you look up to, aside from your loving parents. Mine was Gramps Albert.
I’m sure every granddaughter puts their grandfather on a pedestal, but my Gramps was truly special in every way.
Picture little Sophie in Roald Dahl’s novel, The Big Friendly Giant—a girl who believes she can save the world with the benevolent BFG.
Gramps was no BFG, but he was a dapper man with a heart bigger than the universe, a smile that glistened, and a sense of humor that knew no bounds.
“Come here, my angel, sit on my knee,” Gramps always insisted whenever I went to visit.
I would run for cuddles in his armchair in front of the fire, or as he sat on the kitchen stool. I’d snuggle into his warm woolen V-neck jumper that smelt of Old Spice. His love made me feel all was right with the world, and always would be. He taught me the importance of unconditional love.
Gramps took pride in his appearance. I can still picture him standing in front of the kitchen wall mirror, combing his hair carefully into place—a man of pride. “It doesn’t cost much to look your best, just a few minutes of your time, and a little attention to detail.” Gramps passed his appearance-consciousness onto me; I’ve always tried to look my best, dress smart, and be pristine for any occasion.
~
Gramps immensely enjoyed party games like Bingo, Admiral Nelson, and the £1 game that allowed him to indulge his charming sense of humor. During Admiral Nelson, participants were blindfolded and told they were meeting the great war hero himself. Their hand was guided to a leg, stopping at the knee, and told dynamite caused its loss, the same with an arm to an elbow, which was lost in a duel.
Finally, he would say
