Wimpy Bullring

A Memory of Sandal.

I went to Wakefield where I called at the wimpy Cafe. I was the only customer. There were two young girls, one manning the till, the other was cleaning the tables and then wiping the table tops down. I had ordered a Wimpy burger and chips and a tea. The young lass who was table cleaning stood in her flat shoes was less than 4'6'' tall. She wore a short and flimsy smock top. She had her back toward me and when she began to wipe down the tables, she'd stand on her tiptoes and reach over to the other side of the table. Forgive me for being human, but I could not but not notice that she had white knickers on. I could do nothing but gloat on what I was seeing, when suddenly, the lass who was on the till shouted out to the lass cleaning the tables "Joan He's Looking at your Knickers". Joan, still stretched out over the length of the table, never flinching, turned her head, looked at me and said "so what, there'r a clean pair of knickers aren't they? If he wants to look at my knickers its alright by me" It was somewhat an embarrassment but I was able to reply and tell her that it was not often I saw a sight like that. Anyway, there were no other customers, there where Joan and as I were to learn her cousin. After the meal came, they were to sit and have a chat with me. It was time to shut shop. Joan was to say that every Saturday her cousin and herself would go and have a drink round at some nearby pup. I was invited to tag along. I learned that our birthdays were in the same month, she was born in 1950 and I 1949 (November) we got courting and for a few months I thought that we were made for each other. I worked at Walton Colliery and would often dash from work just to be with her. Sadly it did not last.
I met the lass on the street in Wakefield, she was to tell me that she had got married to a jockey and had a son to him, but this marriage was not to last. Her maiden name was Joan Womack (possibly the wrong spelling), when single she lived with her ageing mother in Portobello Bell Isle, Nr Sandal. I Still think of her. She was as the virgin snow, untouched. We went and had a meal at the Castle Inn where a man was to light up his pipe with Swan Vesta matches. The head of the match broke off the matchstick and like a miniature roman candle, shot across the table, burning a hole within a brand new, never been worn before dress. The man was apologetic and offered to pay for the dress but she would have it that there was no need to worry. Joan, if you are still with us, or if you know of her - she had a sister, I'm led to believe that her name was Pam - she was a divorced woman with two daughters and one son. How can I forget their names? I was going to finish off there but having remembered something. One day whilst being with her, the glass door of the solid fuel fire exploded and made such a bang; suddenly she fainted due to the shock. It took time for her to come round, but when she did she told me that when she was a little bit younger she had bought a bedside lamp from a mock auction. She was to plug it into the wall socket. the bulb which was supplied may have been a 110 volt Bulb instead of 240 volt bulb of which was included with the lamp, the bulb exploded in her face. She was knocked out.

---

---