Freebird

Tom was feeling very annoyed, he had just torn his favourite jeans.
He'd caught them on the door and the whole side of one leg had ripped.
Still he had another dirtier pair.
The socks would pass provided he didn't take the boots off at any
time.

He went out into the sunshine, wondering if it would rain. He had a
lucky t shirt on and he was certain that the record he had ordered from
Guy Norris in the Precinct would be there. It was Saturday and it was
off to town for a look at the shops and see what's new.

The bus was packed, and it smelt of beer, he saw the sick on the back
seat and stood up all the way, apart from when a granny tried to make
for a spare seat and two other blokes tried to take it first. Tom just
stared at them, and the two blokes realised they were shorter than him,
and the granny was so thankful she gave Tom a small cake she had baked
specially that very morning.

Two hippies were arguing with the bus driver, insisting that their
tickets had mysteriously vanished in a puff of smoke. The driver was
having none of this and threw them off for wearing flares after 9
am.

In fact it was 11.30 in the morning and already the Beatles were
playing inside Tom's head.

He arrived just as the second Beatle album finished and he had to
unplug his mind and move to the front of the bus. Then he saw her. She
had long dark hair and a trim behind. She was walking past the bus and
Tom had to hurdle two shopping trolleys to get out of the bus.

He ran after her. Suddenly the lights changed and the girl had to run
across the road to avoid being mown down by an old man in a truck from
Parsons Removals. Trapped on the other side of the road, Tom kept
jumoing up and down to see where the girl had gone. The lights changed
and he hacked it across the road. The girl was nowhere to be seen, Tom
almost cried out in frustration. In his mind the Clash sang some angry
songs.

He was now in the High Street heading for the Lite A Bite. For some
reason it had taken two hours for the bus to get to town and he was
hungry. He wanted to have something to eat, and he also wanted to find
the girl.

He went into Smiths. "Have you seen a girl this tall, pretty and
wearing combats and a Bowie shirt in green."

The girl at the counter started at him.

"What album?"

"How should I know?" Tom said. "I dunno, Heroes maybe."

"She came in ten minutes ago and said she would be in the Lite A Bite
with a cup of tea listening to the Jam. That'll be fifty pence."

"Outrageous, and you are quite pretty as well," Tom said

"For you forty pence," the girl replied happily.

Tom paid the girl then rushed out of the shop and tore off down the
high street to the Lite A Bite.

He skidded to a halt in apatch of oil outside the Lite A Bite and
narrowly missed knocking over the bike standing there with seventeen
others.

It was just beyond the Odeon, about twenty yards from the fallout
shelter.

Tom opened the door to the Lite A Bite and went inside.

The girl was there. He got himself a tea and sat down, the girl leaned
forward.

"Do you like me?"

"My name is Tom, and yes I do. I like you a lot."

"Tom, my name is Jemima. I hope you won't laugh, but I was born in the
Safe Zone, and my parents were funny like that."

"Yes, Jemima, I can imagine."

"Will you go out with me? I am certified clean, green five and marked
as a Free Bird."

"Thats wonderful. I am likewise clean with one demerit, green seven and
marked as a Free Agent"

At that point they kissed, the fallout alram sounded and they had to
gulp their tea and hurry off to the shelter.

Down inside the shelter with two hundred other people of mixed
gradings, they exchanged music and more kisses. Tom hoped this time
they would become Blue Twelve.

Outside the fallout continued to fall in a thin mist.