Marvin & Old Habits

I’ve been thinking about Marvin tonight. On my way to the gym on Wednesday I was stopped at the traffic lights next to Billy the glazer’s van, so I put the window down to gab to him. And he asked me “Did you hear about Marvin?” Then he told me he’d passed away. Marvin was a member of the gym in Kirkby I used to train in a lot, he was a school teacher. We’d spend hours talking in the jacuzzi, sauna and the steam room. For years there was a great crew of us who all met there of an evening for the last hour, we all became friends. Marvin was the type of guy who you’d want to marry your sister (if you like your sister that is). He was straight, honest, kind. Marvin cared, genuinely cared about making the world a better place and doing the right thing. A lot of his teaching career was spent in a school where many of the pupils were underprivileged, and lived on council estates where gang & drug culture were rife. We’d talk a lot about the problems he faced with the kids, and about golf (which he loved) and about being dads. He was a very committed father. I think I bond with people quickly, someone once said “You don’t do small-talk do you”, and that would be true. I like people that can be honest and open, and I like people who are genuine, I bonded with Marvin as men do just talking from the heart about things we care about, and I just thought the world was a better place for having him in it. I got the rest of the story today from a mutual friend. Marvin got some tests in February; it was bad news (cancer) and he passed away last week. He said Marvin was glad he got to watch the last Everton game of the season; he was glad they didn’t go down. There were other things I was told too, but too sad to write about here.

I don’t know how it works, why some of us get to stay and some of us have to go. There’s no fairness or reason to it. He was a good man though. I’m sorry he passed. I’ll do that weird thing tonight where I pray for people. It’s weird because I’m technically an atheist but was brought up Catholic. Those Catholics get you while you’re little and the getting is good I guess, and old habits die hard. I think it’s a habit I’ll always keep, it comforts me. Maybe the praying never was for God, but for ourselves, and for people like Marvin.

Night God bless Mate

(See, did it again! Old habits)

Ged Thompson