Peter's curse

People always find Peter so much as he prefers to be alone especially in public, especially in a restaurant or a shop ..if it happened to be empty it will quickly have people follow me in. Cyn and I yesterday went to a little bar, not a soul in there, hardly sat down three minutes before first a couple of people came in, followed by dribs and drabs, until within five minutes the place was quite bustling. Story of my life.. unable to go anywhere on this Planet alone ..not for very long, soon find people behind me from out of know where. First recollection of this was in Australia. Taken the kids down to the south East …Nurioopta..somewhere.. Bowling merrily along, saw a house about forty miles back, not a soul not a car for about sixty miles, not a cow ..no signs of life other than a few twisted stunted trees couple of birds maybe.. few kangaroos. .a Emu, nothing much else. Very hot ..pulled up in the little shade I was able to find . Climbed out, opened the boot, pulled all the junk out, the kids out, .the old woman out. Looked round.. there was a car parked right behind me. Within six feet ..it had crept up .. where from no one will ever know .. My first real experience of this curse. Completely amazed to see another vehicle. Within twenty minutes there were five vehicles clustered under the few trees

Same as the trip to Melbourne, taking Virginia to catch the boat to the U.K. She, Charlie, the kids and myself.. all jumped in the Customline Somewhere in Victoria saw this Lake in the distance, thought will have swim, wash the dust and dirt off, quite a long way off the road ..found the track.. nothing, nobody, not anything .. all pilled out.. naked .. looked round and there was not just a car … a articulated lorry which had evidently followed us the l mile or so down this barely obvious track. hidden in our dust The driver, sat perving, smoking a roll up. Within half a hour there were twenty or so assorted vehicles. Could not believe any of it. Even Virginia asked out loud what was going on ??..looking directly at Peter.. Maybe she aware something was.


Years later, another life later, over Springfield Park.. would take Jack there before infant school in the mornings. Played the game ..look in the Park … invariably deserted.. then would say. “Right! go in to the field down by the river Lea” sounds weird.. please yourself.. We would walk in, suddenly people would appear, one or two or three, walking their dogs .. did not walk in the distance, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred yard away. No, they had to almost brush past me, almost touching . Something very wrong with Peter having a attraction for people that he did not want…the curse.

Lambs Conduit street, the same. Friend of mine had a delicatessen which hardly paid.. it did not pay. He looked more than depressed about this one day in particular. Said to him ..tell you what! will come and stand in your shop for ten minutes.. you will get a few punters. Gave me a funny smile ..thinking, what ….?! Anyway had nothing else much to do other than push the black box.. he hardly going anywhere either..- about eleven/twelve in the morning.. depressing time for anyone .

Strolled into the empty shop, he and his assistant stood looking at me ..that look. Then, hardly forget it.. in came a old boy after no more than a few moments, virtually followed us, typically English. Tweeds, suede shoes, trilby hat, long overcoat he was probably demobed in.. that sort of thing . Collar and tie, none too clean.

Overall he smelt of stale cigarettes.. Within twenty five minutes the place, quite full, overflowing into the restaurant below.

My skeptical friend stared, eyes over the top of the till .. I smiled …….It is called "Peter's curse, went back to the "muttering retreats"