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#113 Alex Elliott I was broken hearted.

Alex Elliott



‘You Are My Sunshine’ from ‘Anniversary’

Dominique Olley. Paris. We were in a beautiful flat in Ile St Louis. It was spring, it was idyllic. I was smitten. Until I realised I wasn’t her first choice and she regretted the decision. She would rather someone else was there instead of me. I still love Paris. Always will. In fact my daughter was conceived there – and Dominique Olley had nothing to do with that.

Clemencia Augusta Ramirez Sosa. We met at the cinema in Tunja, Columbia, and we didn’t leave my room for three days. She invited me to Tolima to her family home and it took over a day and a half to get there – and then her boyfriend turned up. I had to listen to their pantherine love making in the next room for about an hour. The next day I took the bus home.

Hulme, Manchester. The Red Eagle. Sue. They were knocking down most of the Crescents. Drug squad were in. I was in the pub with my girlfriend. A man came and was being a nuisance… A man who was called Assassin. I swore at him in Spanish. But because I didn’t beat him with a pool cue she left. I was broken hearted.

Precis

Here we are, in September 2020. This month we share a vivid array of true stories – from motorbike adventures across Australia, to an impossible love affair, from China to Leeds – with photographic portraits from Mike Pinches and others to help bring the stories, and the personalities behind them, to life. From the beginning of June 2020, we have been gathering a growing collection of stories – all of which reflect the lives and rich experiences of older people living in Leeds and beyond. It has been a difficult and painful time for us all: Covid 19 has brought considerable hardship, loneliness and loss to so many. Our Covid Diaries of July and August reflect this only too well. But September brings much to celebrate. And at the Performance Ensemble, we believe in the power of the human spirit – and of real human stories – to help us heal, reflect and move forward. After September, we will be taking a pause from this process to work on exciting new plans for the future. Meanwhile enjoy reading – and maybe you have a story of your own, that you would like to share with us? Be in touch.

Edited by Barney Bardsley