September, 1994
We were walking down the field near the river.
"I'm sorry I didn't say hello properly" - He said, and he made me laugh, because he was right.
"Hi Morrissey" - I said kindly, laughing a little. He smiled trying not to laugh too with his hands in his pockets.
"Hello Luna" - He said in a lovely tone. He was so polite!
"So you decided to stay?" - I asked him.
"In Stretford?" - He answered - "Yes. I planned to go home today but I ended up here, I don't know why".
Then he pointed to a part of the field where the trees were closer and he went and sat on the grass. I sat next to him - both looking at the canal.
"That's okay" - I agreed - "Did you live here for so long?".
"For many many years, until I started touring" - He explained. I got worried because I didn't know what to answer to that as I didn't know for how long he had been doing tours or even albums. I didn't know how known he actually was. And I think he guessed I didn't know a thing about him.
"I'm sorry if I sound silly, but I hadn't heard of you until I saw you in that bar" - I tried to explain myself better.
"Oh please don't worry" - He said - "It's not that relevant". He was very nice. "Are you studying?" - He saw my old brown bag and asked me.
"Yes...I should be in class right now. I just had a bad morning and didn't feel like going today" - I told him.
Suddenly it started raining, but as we were under two trees we didn't get wet. We kept talking until it stopped raining, I don't know how many hours passed but time flew. "Do you know any good café around here?" - I asked him because I was feeling quite hungry now.
"Yes" - He said - "It's almost 12, we could go to a cafeteria one block from here"
I stood up and took my bag and he came with me as well. We got out of the field and turned right and straight, then we walked round another street and we got to a little cafeteria. While we were entering he told me he used to come here sometimes in his early 20s. I sometimes couldn't believe that he was actually there, that we were together right now and that it felt really good.
We sat on a table at the bottom of the cafeteria and soon a man came to attend us.
"Oh Morrissey!" - The man seemed to really appreciate him - "I'm glad to see you again" - He was so cheerful.
"What would you want?" - He asked us and Morrissey looked at me and grinned, allowing me to speak first.
"Can you cook dinner menus?" - I asked.
"Sure" - The man said happily.
"Well, anything that's not animal" - I explained and the man mentioned some plates they could cook.
"Then I'll have some pasta with pesto sauce" - I said and thanked him.
Morrissey asked for a salad and some toasts.
"So you're not a meat eater?" - He asked me quite serious. I nodded. He told me he became a vegetarian when he was 11. This surprised me a lot, because my parents still weren't glad that I wanted to take this decision, and he got to take it when he was that small. He said his mother was a vegetarian too. We started talking about animals and how we thought their lives mattered as well, and God, he really cared for them.
The man who attended us came and brought us our plates in a while.
"Bon appetit" - Said the man cheerfully. We thanked him and he left. The cafeteria was getting empty at this hour, perhaps because people had to go back to work, but now I felt so well and calmed. I started eating and so did Morrissey. He was so lovely, I couldn't get it off my head. Even the way he took his fork seemed nice to me.
It was almost 2 when we left the cafeteria, and the sky had become cloudy again. We just walked and talked, and sometimes we kept silence, but it felt comfortable. It was 4:30 when he looked at his clock.
"Is anything wrong?" - He interrupted my thougts. I had disconnected completely for a moment and I didn't notice.
"What...no" - I said. I was confused.
He kept looking at me in a strange expression, as if he knew something was really wrong.
"I'll have to come back home so soon" - I explained - "and I don't want to"
"Why?" - He asked.
"Because there's my uncle...and I don't want to see him, and I know I'll feel like sinking down again when I get home" - I told him as we were walking.
"Well, you could stay with me" - I cannot believe he actually said that.
"I wish I could" - I complained.
"You can" - He said and stopped walking, resting his back on a veranda. I really would have loved to stay with him for as long as it could be, he made me feel this warmth I hadn't felt in many months, and I didn't want this feeling to fade.
"They'd get so worried, they'd look for me" - I said - "and they'd get so mad at me".
He kept in silence and nodded, and kept his eyes on mine for a second.
"I can drive you home" - he said in a serious but lovely face - "or we can go walking if you prefer"
"I won't make you walk the long way to my house" - I complained a little ashamed.
"Then we'll take the car" - He said and smiled, with his hands in the pockets of his denim trousers.
We walked up the long street and had to cross to the next pavement, and we stopped where a white Rolls Royce Corniche was parked. It was precious, I had never seen one but in pictures. We got in and he left his denim jacket on the back seats. He was very attractive, incredibly attractive, and he had that natural and charming way of moving and talking and everything, and I swear he didn't even try.
Parts of the inside of the car seemed to be made of brown wood, it was really pretty.
"Where to?" - He asked me in a glad but serious tone.
"I still don't know the way but I live in Stothard Rd" - I told him, now I was worried because if he didn't know the way I didn't see how I'd do to come back.
But he did know. He drove and got us out of the street and I couldn't stop looking at him. The way he drove, the way he put his blue eyes on the road, concentrated, serious, his hands on the steering wheel, the rings...I had fallen so deeply and I didn't care wether this was right or wrong. I didn't care about his age, nothing. I didn't know if what I felt was love, but I was so deeply obsessed. We had now arrived to Stothard Rd. The sky was getting a little darker, it was 5:15 and the cold days were arriving. I couldn't understand how fast time passed when I was with him.
"Could you stop here?" - I asked - "my mother could see us".
"Of course" - He said and he stopped the car. The street was all empty, I hadn't seen many people since we arrived and got installed. "I mean, she wouldn't be glad if she saw me in the car of someone she doesn't know...like -" - I wanted to tell better but he interrupted me: "I understand it".
We stood quiet for a second, still into the car. Then he said he'd come along with me some houses until mine but he'd leave so no one would see him.
"Okay" - I smiled. I took my brown bag and we got out of the car.
"Won't you get your jacket?" - I asked seeing he was not taking it.
"Yes" - He laughed at this.
"No" - I laughed a little but still tried to be serious - "It's so cold and I don't want you to freeze out".
He was standing there near the car in front of me, in a funny smile. He opened one door and took the denim jacket.
"WELL" - He laughed again. Now we were both laughing.
"It sure seems stupid for you but I do care" - I said laughing.
"You care for what?" - He asked.
I was quiet now.
"For you" - I said in a trembling tone and I immediately put my eyes off him.
"I'd make you get your jacket too" - He said and he put his hand on my back for a little moment. It was so warm, it felt good, I didn't want him to get it off my back. I really didn't.
We started walking and he came along with me, as he had said.
"We should stop here" - I said. Now I was starting to feel sad - "Thank you for today...really".
"Don't worry" - He said and grinned. I don't know how I got this feeling so quickly, but I felt my throat hurt as soon as he said those words. He made me feel really safe and I refused to leave him now.
"I...I don't want to go" - I complained.
"Remember that you still can stay with me, if you want to" - he told me in a sincere way.
I thanked him and asked him for how long he'd stay in Stretford.
"I'll go home now" - He said - "I live in Manchester".
I was sinking. He lived in Manchester, I sure wouldn't see him anymore.
"Wait" - He followed and asked me for a pen or anything. I took a pen from my bag and I gave him a little piece of paper too. He rested it on one of my notebooks and wrote.
"This is my adress" - He said while writing. Some strands of hair were falling on his front and he then passed his hand by his hair.
"For you" - He said and gave it to me.
I said I'd go to see him. I was being so sincere, because I really wanted to go any time.
"You know you can come here any time too" - I said and he laughed in a lovely way.
"Of course" - He said.
It was getting darker now, and I had to leave. I thanked him again and I stood there quiet.
"Can I..?" - I asked him and he just looked at me raising his eyebrows.
I came closer to him and kissed his cheek carefully. When I walked back he was smiling, trying not to laugh.
"See you, Luna" - He said and I wished him a good night, and we both left walking away.
