Below the Radar - Cyprus Summer of '74

Chapter 28 : Men of Sherwood (You Can't Always Get What You Want)

Akrotiri Families Club disco

So, onto the disco at the Families Club disco in Akrotiri. Admittedly, his first plan went nowhere, but Alex didn't lose heart. Optimistic as ever, he considered his previous failure had no impact on the chances of success of his next, or any future plans. He came to the conclusion that every cloud really might have a silver lining and he was more determined than ever.

Anyway, this was a much safer bet. And he was desperate. It was nearing the end of the summer term at school and once the summer holidays started he had no idea when he might next see Kate.

He knew Kate went to the Families Club regularly with her Mum, Dad and sister, being only a couple of hundred yards or so from their house in Queens Street. Kate had often talked about the club and he was sure she would be going along with her friends.

Alex had eventually persuaded Dan to come along. There was no way he could abandon Alex just because he had finally got together with Collette. Anyway, all the other BG guys were too old, the disco being intended for 13-16 year olds and anyway they were totally uninterested in a disco for the 'tweenies'.

Most of the time, Alex and Dan considered themselves equally above such a family friendly disco, but that was conveniently put aside on this occasion. They walked slowly along the by-pass late on the Saturday afternoon of the disco, Alex wearing his blue Wrangler jeans and an old but treasured red and orange checked, short sleeve Ben Sherman shirt with his brown loafers. Dan was wearing his faded jeans and green and white checked shirt. They stuck their thumbs out nonchalantly as each car passed them by, hoping to cadge a lift to Akrotiri or at least in that general direction.

Hitch hiking was common place for many teenagers, particularly those living in Limassol and BG and the boys would regularly hitch hike between Limassol, Akrotiri and Episkopi at weekends. Sometimes they'd hitch to go to the beach in Akrotiri, Buttons Bay being the favourite spot. Or with Dan and his other school mates Graham and Mick, Alex would head for Episkopi. In Episkopi they could spend a whole Saturday at Happy Valley, playing two-a-side football, endlessly practicing shooting and penalties on the real grass pitches, including goals with actual nets. The entire length of Happy Valley was full of green sports fields; football, rugby, cricket, plus polo and hockey pitches, alongside horse stables and hundreds of acres of grass leading down to the sea. Huge cliffs separated two of the main areas of beach in the valley. Tunnel Beach, accurately named, only being reachable through a long but small and cold tunnel and Happy Valley beach itself, set between two sets of steep rocks. In summer they'd split the day between football and swimming in the sea and climbing the rugged, crumbling cliffs to find high spots from which to dive or jump into the roiling sea between the rocks below. They could never quite understand the fuss and shouting from boring adults, mainly women, on the beach below, imploring them to come down as they edged themselves along narrow cliff ledges to find the perfect spot before throwing themselves off the ledge and plummeting 50 feet into the waves below. Finding the whole thing incredibly funny, they would complete the spectacle, simultaneously causing shrieks and heart stopping moments for those watching, by deliberately allowing themselves to float slowly to the surface, face down and arms hung loosely out to their sides. Hilarious.

Still on this evening a car stopped fairly soon and both Alex and Dan were surprised as they climbed into the white Renault 16 to find Miss Deighton, Alex's Human Biology teacher, at the wheel. Alex had raced to get to the car first so he could climb into the front seat and was now sat next to Miss Deighton, 24 years old, single, pretty, blond and shapely. He regretted his haste in rushing to get in the front and immediately noticed how her short summer dress had ridden up her thighs as she drove. Apparently she was on her way to Akrotiri herself for a night out, meeting up with two other single lady teachers. Alex suspected she might also be hoping for a night out with significant opportunity for interaction with members of the opposite sex. He could feel Dan prodding him in the back through the seat as he tried to sound clever and cool, perhaps impressing Miss Deighton in a way he'd never been able to academically with his knowledge of Human Biology.