Memories of Old Friends

Isn’t it strange how a simple object can often bring memories back so strongly? Sometimes they are related to one specific person and their link to the object never seems to fade over the years.

I was reminded of this fact when I was looking at cigarette lighters and remembered an uncle I haven’t seen for years.  He smoked like a chimney and even now the mere smell of burning tobacco makes me think of him. He isn’t the only person I have known who smokes but he is the only one I have known who can carry out any task known to man with a cigarette in his mouth. I have seen him change light bulbs, use a hammer and carry out jobs in the garden without losing a single puff.

This got me wondering whether I could invoke memories of people I hadn’t thought about in years just by finding objects linked to them. The first one I came across was, perhaps unfortunately, allergy clinics. I used to work with an Australian guy called Steve who was allergic to just about everything on the planet. He used to drink rice milk, eat bread that didn’t contain gluten and probably slept in a bubble when he got home. He was a great guy and I regret losing touch with him but going with him to get the sandwiches at lunch time was a nightmare.

The next object to get me reminiscing was the item for Orchid pool cues. I don’t know about the Orchid bit but I used to play a lot of pool as a kid when my Dad took me to his club. There was one other youngster whose Dad used to leave him by the pool table and we would play together for hours. I don’t even remember his name now but we had some fun games together.

Finally, the item for luxury watches made a face from the past jump out at me. I used to share a flat with a fantastic guy (he shall remain nameless in case he has entered the internet age) but his one fault was that he would bore me rigid with stories about the watches he used to own. At the time I knew him he didn’t have a single watch to his name but he would regale me night after night with stories about the amazing designer models he used to own. The fact that I don’t remember any of the brand names shows how much attention I was paying. I occasionally tried to move the conversation onto something a tad less repetitive but he had the astonishing gift of always finding a way to link it back to those blooming watches. I like to think that he is now a watch salesman or that he at least owns one now.