I love the Bold Street Writers group that I
go to here in Warrington. We are a mixed lot of women writing out of life experiences, writing out of imagination….just writing because we have
to!
Eileen is one of the oldest who write
each week. But never let it be said that she writes anything boring…ah no. Her
wonderful stories could have your toes curling one moment and your sides splitting with
laughter another!
So when it was Eileen’s prompt on
Thursday and she wasn’t there…we worried.
So we took as our new prompt…”Eileen is
missing”!
Eileen
is missing. People are worried. Eileen is always there prompt at ten, ordering
her coffee, chatting about her week,
No,
Eileen is always here.
As
sure as eggs are eggs we could set our watches on her appearance. Always know
if we had the right day, the right place, prepared the right prompt. For if Eileen
said she would be there, she was…and Eileen is missing.
Every
week we look forward to hearing some gritty news that no one else has heard,
because Eileen doesn’t waste a minute of her life moping around. No, she is out
and about with a cheery hello to her neighbours. Out and about at her coffee
and tea gatherings with old friends from her professional life. Meeting up at
bus stations and train stations and catching transport to theatres and concert
halls and taking in the history of some local grand house. And then passing on
her nuggets of golden information to us all. And making us think that we needed
to be there, go there, hear that, see that. Instead of moping around and
moaning about. Well you know how it is!!!
So
that’s how it is now. Eileen is missing and unless I’m very much mistaken or
missing the point…someone is keeping something back from us all. And I at least
intend to find out what, winkle the information from them, ply them with
flattery and even seccumb to a bribe or a spot of alcohol as it’s so important
to find out why Eileen is missing.
There’s
a space in this that only Eileen can fill. That’s not to say she’s a big woman,
no, not big in size. But yes big. Big in heart, big in enthusiasm, big in ideas.
Yes now I come to think of it, Eileen is a big woman. Someone like Eileen can
fill a room, let alone a chair. So when Eileen is missing the empty space is
vast. The room may be full yet it seems strangely empty.
My,
my!… I’m getting rather metaphysical here!
But no, it’s a fact and anyone who knows her
knows it’s a fact. No getting away from it. I’m putting it down here on the
page and it gets plainer with every mark.
Eileen is missing and so we are missing out.
But
hang on, wait a minute, there must be someone who knows why Eileen is missing.
Someone always knows. In my experience of life, though I acknowledge that’s not
vast, not international, not particularly academic, yes in my experience there
is always someone who knows. And very often the knowing person and their
knowingness is right under your nose. Not like a bad smell under your nose. No
? I wouldn’t say that. More like a feather tickling or a bit of fluff that won’t
go away until you sneeze and your eyes water and you reach for a tissue.
But
I digress.
Yes someone always knows something. Well just
think of all the media stories appearing at the moment. Someone knew.
Knew about the pay packets of those nice men on the radio, on the TV news,
on the BBC. And what about those coloured roads that are due to appear locally,
all over the banks of the Mersey…someone knew. Yes but did someone else have to
winkle out the information and post it up for us to see….even if it was all a
bit too late for us to do anything?
As
for Eileen, she is still missing. Though I’ve heard that the electrician knows
where she is….
But
he’s not telling.
