Going back in time and remembering the heady days of no responsibility and endless nights out begins my tale of Big Craig...
I had quite a group of going out buddies back then. There was Nicky B, Nik Pik, Maz, Jo E, Angela F, Andrea, Janine, Suzanne, Julie and me. We went out round Accy every Sunday night. Starting in the Swan at 7pm we could visit 11 pubs and have a drink in them all before 10.30. I suppose that these days we would be referred to as binge drinkers, but to us it was a normal Sunday night.
As our nights out continued, we met up with a group of lads from the Burnley neck of the woods. They came down town every Sunday, were always in the same pubs as us, so it was inevitable that we would start up a bit of banter with them. There was Dunc, Kev, Big Craig, Kieron, Gaz and John. It wasn't long before our 2 separate groups joined up to become one big group and we had such a laugh.
Dunc was the life and soul of the party. My mate Sue fancied Kev, Gaz fancied Julie, Kieron was the quiet one, Big Craig fancied Maz and John was married so he was like a dog with 2 dicks when he came for a night out. I was quite close to Maz so Big Craig used to spend lots of time talking to me. He thought that Maz would pay him more attention and he always used to ask me about her.
Over the months I grew quite fond of Big Craig, I didn't fancy him, but he had friend potential. A giant of a lad with passable physique, big blue eyes and a very handsome face. My mates thought that I was dim not to fancy him, but he became a friend and I never really saw him as a boyfriend type. He was a gentle giant and we had many a laugh. We could often be found huddled together on a Sunday night gossiping, bitching and generally taking the 'p' out of everything.
Big Craig had to go away for a little while courtesy of Her Majesty. It was the shock of my life (and his). Dunc accompanied him to court and came to us with the bad news. We were all shocked because we knew that all he was guilty of was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The lads who set him up paid people and threatened people to testify against him and a miscarriage of justice occurred...
Dunc went to visit Craig as often as he could. Craig didn't want any of the girls to visit him there, and Dunc said that he was really depressed. I started writing to Craig and passed on all of the gossip. He wasn't away for long, the actual crims and setter uppers got their come uppance, and soon BC was back with the group. It changed him and was definitely the most horrendous experience of his life.
After a few months he seemed back to normal. I knew he had been seeing a girl from his own neck of the woods and he seemed happier. He never mentioned the girl's name, but still always asked after Maz.....
One night while we were having a night out BC was conspicuous by his absence. I asked Dunc where he was and hell broke loose. BC had been seeing John's wife and she had kicked John out and shacked up with BC. He was outcast from the group. The lads felt that you shouldn't do that to a mate and the girls felt that John had deserved it because he was a male slapper.... It divided the group and although we still had nights out we all started to gradually have more responsibilities and fewer nights out and gradually grew apart.
I never saw BC again until our night out in Burnley this weekend. Standing in a crowd, nursing my Strongbow, a tall, slightly rounder, fuller faced, big blue eyed man approached me and said..
"Excuse me, are you Colette?"
"OMG!!!!!! I replied, Big Craig!!!!
We had a short catch up chat and a bit of a gossip. He now runs his own buisness, has married John's ex wife and they have an 11 year old son. He is so happy and his wife is coming to do her midwifery training.
I always think it is so great to run into someone that you haven't seen in ages, and I smiled all night thinking of the great nights out we used to have. It might be another 14 years until I see BC again, but at least for now, I know he's ok....
As for the rest of my old mates.... Nicky B is divorced and happy. Nik Pik is married and trying for a family, Maz became my sister-in-law when I married her brother, Jo E is married with 2 kids, Angela F is living with someone and has a daughter, Suzanne has 3 kids and lives in Padiham, Andrea lives with her boyfriend and has a little girl, she is now expecting another, Janine lives with her partner and has a little boy, Julie lives with her fella and has a girl. Dunc married my little sister and is now my brother-in -law, Kev got married last year, Kieron is working in Ireland, Gaz is still around and I run into him from time to time, John is still like a dog with 2 dicks.
As for me.................. Well, you all know that I'm happy.
I had quite a group of going out buddies back then. There was Nicky B, Nik Pik, Maz, Jo E, Angela F, Andrea, Janine, Suzanne, Julie and me. We went out round Accy every Sunday night. Starting in the Swan at 7pm we could visit 11 pubs and have a drink in them all before 10.30. I suppose that these days we would be referred to as binge drinkers, but to us it was a normal Sunday night.
As our nights out continued, we met up with a group of lads from the Burnley neck of the woods. They came down town every Sunday, were always in the same pubs as us, so it was inevitable that we would start up a bit of banter with them. There was Dunc, Kev, Big Craig, Kieron, Gaz and John. It wasn't long before our 2 separate groups joined up to become one big group and we had such a laugh.
Dunc was the life and soul of the party. My mate Sue fancied Kev, Gaz fancied Julie, Kieron was the quiet one, Big Craig fancied Maz and John was married so he was like a dog with 2 dicks when he came for a night out. I was quite close to Maz so Big Craig used to spend lots of time talking to me. He thought that Maz would pay him more attention and he always used to ask me about her.
Over the months I grew quite fond of Big Craig, I didn't fancy him, but he had friend potential. A giant of a lad with passable physique, big blue eyes and a very handsome face. My mates thought that I was dim not to fancy him, but he became a friend and I never really saw him as a boyfriend type. He was a gentle giant and we had many a laugh. We could often be found huddled together on a Sunday night gossiping, bitching and generally taking the 'p' out of everything.
Big Craig had to go away for a little while courtesy of Her Majesty. It was the shock of my life (and his). Dunc accompanied him to court and came to us with the bad news. We were all shocked because we knew that all he was guilty of was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The lads who set him up paid people and threatened people to testify against him and a miscarriage of justice occurred...
Dunc went to visit Craig as often as he could. Craig didn't want any of the girls to visit him there, and Dunc said that he was really depressed. I started writing to Craig and passed on all of the gossip. He wasn't away for long, the actual crims and setter uppers got their come uppance, and soon BC was back with the group. It changed him and was definitely the most horrendous experience of his life.
After a few months he seemed back to normal. I knew he had been seeing a girl from his own neck of the woods and he seemed happier. He never mentioned the girl's name, but still always asked after Maz.....
One night while we were having a night out BC was conspicuous by his absence. I asked Dunc where he was and hell broke loose. BC had been seeing John's wife and she had kicked John out and shacked up with BC. He was outcast from the group. The lads felt that you shouldn't do that to a mate and the girls felt that John had deserved it because he was a male slapper.... It divided the group and although we still had nights out we all started to gradually have more responsibilities and fewer nights out and gradually grew apart.
I never saw BC again until our night out in Burnley this weekend. Standing in a crowd, nursing my Strongbow, a tall, slightly rounder, fuller faced, big blue eyed man approached me and said..
"Excuse me, are you Colette?"
"OMG!!!!!! I replied, Big Craig!!!!
We had a short catch up chat and a bit of a gossip. He now runs his own buisness, has married John's ex wife and they have an 11 year old son. He is so happy and his wife is coming to do her midwifery training.
I always think it is so great to run into someone that you haven't seen in ages, and I smiled all night thinking of the great nights out we used to have. It might be another 14 years until I see BC again, but at least for now, I know he's ok....
As for the rest of my old mates.... Nicky B is divorced and happy. Nik Pik is married and trying for a family, Maz became my sister-in-law when I married her brother, Jo E is married with 2 kids, Angela F is living with someone and has a daughter, Suzanne has 3 kids and lives in Padiham, Andrea lives with her boyfriend and has a little girl, she is now expecting another, Janine lives with her partner and has a little boy, Julie lives with her fella and has a girl. Dunc married my little sister and is now my brother-in -law, Kev got married last year, Kieron is working in Ireland, Gaz is still around and I run into him from time to time, John is still like a dog with 2 dicks.
As for me.................. Well, you all know that I'm happy.
