Glasgow

Glasgow The music stopped abruptly dancers left the floor became paintings on the wall in the closed down dance-hall in Glasgow`s Sauciehal street the old entertainment centre. We drank plenty of beer before going there, and we were frisked to see if we had not brought any alcohol into the premises. To ask a young woman up to dance was painful The answer was often no, to be refused hurt one’s self- esteem but luckily there was only one or two who said yes, the ugly ones were the best to ask they were not so critical. Later in the evening a few open chip shops and hopefully with a new girl -friend one then followed to the last bus a kiss and a cuddle a few promise murmured it was all too boring for word. Glasgow had many splendid pubs I liked to sit drink and smoke in one of them, the one nearest the docks. I remember at these pubs some elderly women drank gin & lime they were called donkey women and I never knew why. The old dance halls have got a patina of romance where Friendly ghosts soberly dance to the tune of a bygone time.