Today, I heard the most extraordinary story. A Liverpool boy, born into extreme poverty, so poor that he didn't have shoes until the age of thirteen, when his mother was able to provide him with a pair of boots. He put them on, walked down to the pier, dangled his legs over the edge and admired his new boots. They had no laces, and as he kicked his feet in delight, both boots fell off and into the water. He was so ashamed and so scared that he signed on with a merchant ship as a cabin boy and went to Australia, only returning to England many years later. For the record, he lived till he was 95, not that that has anything to do with boots.
True story. I once wrote a short story as part of my effort for Penguin Books (they published three books of my stories, bless them), a story based on a true incident. My editor rejected it on the grounds that is was not believable, and could I write a different story.
So, if you don't believe the boot story, I understand - not that I will ever forgive you.
Love
OldScrote
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