Fruit or flowers?

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Well the garden centre visit went really well,
Everytime i said hey thats not a bad price, “I got !not to day”
I felt like a 5 year old in the toy shop,

Is’nt funny you see one plant or flower and it takes you back years with thoughts of times long gone,

When i was in the Army we had one tour or Northern ireland that didnt go well and one of our lads lost it big time, he refused to go when the order was given and we ended up leaving him in the unit while the rest of us went out to sort out a street riot,
When we returned “he’d gone”
When we returned to the barracks in Aldershot at the end of that tour we we’re informed the lad was in a hospital for the mentaly ill,
A few of us kept asking could we visit him, “say hello”
but we got told he was very ill and didnt need us visiting him,

Anyway after 12 month and asking and asking it was decided 3 of us could visit him,

At last we thought “At bloody last”.

When we arrived at the hospital he was in we had to wait for instructions ref his health and how to deal with his being ill in the mind and not the body.
We we’re then escourted to the ward he was in,

“But as we we’re leaving this canteen we couldn’t help but notice this man with a suit that looked 2 sizes to small on him and flowers hanging half dead out of his top jacket pocket, “daff’s” in his hand he held an apple and it was for sale,

5pence was his asking price " All three of us gave him our small change" and he thanked us knowing not one of us would take the now bought apple,

The care assistant remarked "He makes a small fortune by the end of each day selling that apple and then he eats it himself.

Daff’s and a very red apple always remind me of that day.
Our friend did’nt know any of us and never said a word he just kept his arms folded and walked up and down infront of this huge fire place until the meal trolly arrived and then he fed himself like he was eating his last meal “with speed”.
We returned to our barracks and never found out what the end result was ref our friend but all three of us have kept in contact over the years and all three have said the first sight of daff’s brings back that memoury and the last time we said goodbye to our friend.

• 24 Feb, 2014
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