Writing for Fun
March 2018
It's A Mystery - Sue Barker
Zoe was hyperventilating with excitement. She'd only gone and done it. It had taken six months of savings and a lot of courage but she was amazed and amazing. She knew she would turn heads, it was fantastic. She was getting lots of looks, some of it hostile but she didn't care. She was a bona fide punk rocker. Her hair arranged in purple and pink spikes with tons of sugar water to keep in the Mohican style which had taken hours in the hairdressers but it was worth it. She had also had her nose pierced with a bull ring and finally bought the bondage trousers she'd been admiring for months. 1977 was going to be the best year ever.
A little doubt tried to pierce her bravado, she wasn't too sure she would be able to go home again but she'd worry about that later. She spat on the pavement just in front of that old lady who'd given her a filthy look, silly old mare, Zoe thought. She knew that her parents wouldn't understand, well stuff them she thought. It's my life and I'm living it my way. Her parents were the dullest people from dullsville anyway.
Standing outside the Marquee club in London she waited for her friends. The singer Polly Styrene walked passed her – the girls would never believe her – and she was sure that was Joe Strummer from the Clash; he gave her a wink as he slipped into the stage door. She knew it had all been worth it. Being a punk was the best thing ever. She was angry at everything and everybody which fitted hand in glove with the punk movement.
She'd been waiting for ages when she saw her friend Mand; she walked by Zoe without even recognising her, Zoe had to shout out to get her attention. Mand did a double take 'f'ing ell, Zoe you look brilliant. I didn't think you'd actually go ahead and do it.' Zoe glowed with pride from her spikes right down to her thick soled Doc Martin boots. She shuffled over to Mand, the practicalities of walking in bondage trousers hadn't entered her head when she bought them. She'd have a practise in her bedroom before she wore them again, ignoring the sniggers of the other punks around her. Nothing was going to spoil today.
The gang crowded round her and they were so jealous, she was the first of the group to actually embrace the punk look. They'd all wanted to but she was the only one to actually dress up and it felt incredible; to be the trendsetter of the group. This would be the sole topic of conversation at St Mary's Catholic school on Monday.
For months they'd sat for hours in Mark's bedroom listening to all the new bands, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Xray Spex with their lead singer Polly Styrene, not to forget Stiff Little Fingers; Mand loved them, they were all so new, different and shocking. Zoe especially liked the female punks like Siouxsie, and Debbie Harry, she could really relate to them but her favourite was Toyah Wilcox.
The day had finally come and they were waiting in a huge queue to get into the concert, the sights around them was so refreshing, there were Mohicans's standing side by side with leather clad; heavily made up men and women with fags hanging from their carefully practised sneering lips. Oh they felt so alive it was almost electric, the buzz was tangible.
At last they were inside, the room heaving with bodies doing a strange movement, sort of jumping up and down on the spot, they didn't know the name then for the pogo but they joined in with enthusiasm. The spitting took some getting used to and Zoe wasn't keen on the bottles being lobbed at the bands but she carried her new persona off with a sneer and a spit. After the interval the lights came up and a surprisingly small woman with bright red hair and black eyeliner caked all over her eyelids came onto the stage. Zoe wanted to scream but realised that wasn't the punk way so she just pogo'ed a little more enthusiastically. The music started and Toyah began 'It's A Mystery'. Zoe was in heaven, her heroine was in spitting distance of her, she didn't spit at her of course, Zoe just couldn't.
Zoe enjoyed every second of the concert, which was just as well because when she got home she was grounded for a month. Her parents disappointment seemed to last an eternity.
Fast forward to 2018 and Zoe is a teacher at St Mary's and a mother of 3. Mand is a doctor. They are still best friends. If either hear 'It's a mystery' being played on the radio they are transported to 1977 and are still the same 15 year old punks somewhere deep inside.