Nice whilst it lasted.
The gym was a whirlwind of glitter and polyester, a time capsule of the 1970s where the air buzzed with the sound of disco hits and the unmistakable scent of Brut and ready-salted crisps wafting over from the buffet table.
There we were - 16 and 14, two gangly teens awkwardly attempting to navigate the treacherous waters of young love, dressed in outfits that would one day haunt us in old photos.
When the music slowed, we found ourselves locked in an embrace, swaying, bewildered and silent, both terrified and, at the same time, thrilled by the electric spark between us supercharged by the croonings of Barry White (aka The Walrus of Love)
Our hearts raced faster as our bodies slowed. We whispered secrets and gossip while trying to avoid stepping on each other’s shoes- as a small person, I rarely got to see who I was paired with - all fair isle jumpers looked and felt the same.
A dance of clumsy grace that would have made Fred Astaire smile.
In that moment, everything felt monumental. The gym faded away; all that existed was the dance floor beneath our newly polished shoes and the glowing disco ball above us, reflecting our dreams back in shimmering fragments.
We leaned in closer (trying not to wilt each other with stress breath), ready to spill our deepest feelings, until someone bumped into us, sending us stumbling apart like startled deer.
Laughter erupted around us, and instead of sharing the romantic moment we envisioned, we became part of a hilariously chaotic group of flailing limbs and uncomfortable laughter, the very essence of teenage awkwardness.
Now, as I look back on that unforgettable night, I can’t help but smile at the irony: I can barely remember the name of the person who for such a short period of time made my heart race faster than a Lotus Esprit.
Maybe it was Graham? Or was it Mike? Who knows? What really matters is that we lived in a moment defined by newness, optimism and dreams of the future.
My teenage years were like a whirlwind romance filled with missed steps and misplaced names- a beautiful menagerie of too fleeting a time that danced its way out of 1976 and right into the hall of nostalgia.