The Other Me
‘Hello, Panic, My Old Friend’ i. Early in 1995, my friends and I went to the Indoor Cricket Sports Centre for a practice session. It was a hot, muggy day – not that that bothered me. After playing eighteen months, my fitness – even if I was still drinking and smoking – was high. I could play through anything. I bowled several balls and felt puffed. That was normal. You pushed through it. Only I couldn’t catch my breath. My heart raced. I was dizzy. My equilibrium was gone. Every time I bowled, it felt like the whole Centre reared off-kilter. I left the court, grabbed a sports drink, and…
The Other Me
‘Life’s Short Interruption: Part I’ iii. It had always been Stan and me, but we’d always had different groups of friends. When we were younger, it’d been high school friends. Then it was with guys who lived in my street. Next were Roo and his friends. Then it was Tim and Jay, who we knew from high school. The crowd kept changing, although I was never sure why. We were just nomadic. Now, it became a combination of people as Tim and I started an indoor cricket team, a decision made on a whim. Tim and I went to the Indoor Cricket Sports Centre one day, registered a team, and…