Fearing their show was faltering, Guido and Stephanie hastily re-choreographed the whole show around the rock musical Hair, only to avoid any payment of royalties to the writers, our show was to be cleverly titled Hare. I was to revisit my piece where I stand en silhouette as Vetruvian man at the top of the show with a few minutes of wiggling before tossing my head replete with lots of hair extensions before exiting stage left, Ivanka would perform his Cossack dancing dressed as a large rabbit to avoid any gender issues and would be joined on stage by Guido and Stephanie who would perform a Lepus themed salsa representing the courtship ritual of hares in spring. Sweaty Pauline was relegated to interval entertainment, which ultimately led to the downfall of the show after a huge bust up with Khan the prophet of doom over whether the shows principle show stopping song should be re-titled the Dawning of the Age of Sagittarius or Leo. The troupe split down the middle and the show did not go on. Guido and Stephanie later admitted that they had been considering an offer of some cruise work and this had made their mind up for them, so at that point I packed my bags.
I returned home to a triumphant husband. Who scoffed that he never thought there was any future in dancing and would I mind cooking tea tonight as there was a six oclock kick off that he and child B were keen to take in. Four years on both Child A and Child B have upped and gone to university leaving himself, myself and a dog to make a life for ourselves . Football no longer features large, retreat from the touchline was a natural progression once child B had exited for foreign parts. There was much muttering from husband about how he had given his best years to the beautiful game and could we sell the house and buy a pub replete with horse brasses, warm beer and a chequered carpet as so many had done in years gone by on exiting the game. Over the years this has turned to bitterness, it may be an age thing, but mention of the vast sums of money swilling around the game are often a trigger, as is the ineptitude of the striker of his favoured team, instigating a bout of his football tourettes and a voluble “Come on you Tit!” which seems to be uttered increasingly frequently and, I suspect,involuntarily as he goes about his business of the day, football is no longer the centre of his universe and he has been known to switch off a game mid innings. Concerned that the void left by departing children will be filled with conversation and opportunities to spend time together amid suggestions of dance he has taken to his shed, where he has rekindled a love affair with war hammer and Lord of the Rings, arranging his figures in mock battle, raging against the combined dark forces of Manchester United, BT Open Reach and Richard Madeley, occasionally emerging to shake his fist at an outside world that he seems to feel has failed him in some way.
We still share an ebay account and the list of previously viewed items is often a clue as to his current state of mind. If the watched item is an executive hair trimmer with nose and ear attachment there is a fair chance that he is on an even keel and maintaining a steady course. Football memorabilia from the nineteen eighties signals a melancholic few days are on the way. Any form of exercise equipment or candles and I can expect to be advanced upon at some point during the week, and items relating to Samantha Fox, expensive sunglasses, hair loss treatments, or leather motorbike outfits and I will have to give him some form of age related reality check within forty eight hours. For me the dance goes on, but at a local level, and I am currently involved in a production by the local Saga crew. By coincidence we are producing our own homespun production of Hair, we too had to change the title slightly to avoid any rights issues and are currently running with “Hair!.... in all the wrong places” I am to revive my Vitruvian Man/Tales of the Unexpected opening but have eschewed the lycra for a loose fitting onesie, and several of the cast are keen to retain the nude scenes that caused such a stir in the sixties in order to emphasise the twist in the title. Husband will dutifully attend on show night, sans earplug, and as part of his “reintroduction to society post football” treatment will also accompany me to after show drinks, which is nice, if a little unexpected.
At home the internet helps, at this time of life tablets play an ever increasing part of daily life for both of us. For him to maintain a mental even keel plus mobility following a couple of hernias and two dicky hips and for me to keep in contact with my friends and family through all forms of social media, to shop and also play games, although this has been thrown back in my face each time we bicker, but when he counters with “There’s three of us in this marriage, you, me and spider bloody solitaire” I know the laurels are mine.
As part of his post football treatment husband has been encouraged to embrace social media and he eagerly awaits his Facebook friend count to reach double figures and enjoys following Stanley Matthews, Bilbo Baggins and Nicholas Witchell on Twitter. Further social interaction has included texts and emails to a variety of radio and TV shows although this was temporarily thwarted by an injunction brought about following a series of text messages to Richard Madeley who happened to be sitting in on the Radio “ Breakfast Show, that accused the erstwhile daytime TV presenter of using up the world’s supply of the words “I” and “me” although the straw that broke the camel’s back was, and I quote
“If we have to have some former presenter called Richard from Granada reports wake us up in the morning why can’t it be Duckenfield and not this oily T****r?
And so I am back to writing this, taking in the dance on television in the knowledge that I have lived that life, albeit briefly, but three weeks as a transient hoofer opening the show at halls across the south of England and should we ever meet I will be able to look Len square in the eye and say “Yes, I have danced”
