Kim Wartmann, Murray Craze, Eliot
First, there was Kim Wartmann. Ria introduced me to him and asked him to take good care of me at my new school, Asquith Boy’s High, where Kim was [forgot the name of the elected guardians]. I think it was Kim with whom I went to the beach for the first time (from -28 in Germany to 40 C) and got the worst sunburn of my life. Kim offered me a pie: “Would you like a meat pie?” to which I responded “Yes, I would not mind to meet him.” “Meet whom?” “Pie!”.
When Ria and Louis left for a month of vacations it was Kim’s family, Trudi and ??? who sheltered me. His father was rarely home and shortly after my exchange year he left the family.
Then there was the queens boy’s scout Murray Craze, not from the Asquith gang, but quite a good friend. He took me to an absolutely horribel defloration party – which I fled – and then down South to his parents country estate. We had fun nearly killing ourselves driving there, riding cross bikes, waterskiing and generally indulging in the pros and cons of country boy’s adventures. A bit like “stand by me” without the corps.
Then Aliot. Not a close friend bus someone a bit more grown-up and reasonable than the rest of the Asquith gang (or so it seems – he did lose his eyebrow to one intoxicated stint, though). We did have some good parties at his house, playing pool billiard.
Tex (Craig Moore), Scott Shoemaker
Among the more difficult types were Tex (who was sort of a friend, but always a little jealous and disingenuous. But he certainly was the more creative and funny in the gang. It was he who presented Sly Stallone to me and I did, indeed, hang it up over my bed – absolutely no idea why (never saw or liked Rambo-like films). I left him hanging until my departure.
Scott Shoemaker, good looking and driving the cabriolet Mercedes of his father, got friendly with Nicky right after she had dropped me .
Nicola Bell & Family
The first and somewhat last time I ever fell swiftly in love was Nicola Bell. We met, kissed in a thunderstorm under a whatever tree and she dropped me, all approximately in the course of a day or week or two. We did stay friends, though, with her and her lovely family, more or less to this day.
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