Richard

Just a week ago, referring to Richard Hines and his wife Jackie, I wrote this:

I believe that Richard and Jackie have now moved down to Sussex to be close to their daughter and her family but until fairly recently they lived just fifty yards from us near the junction at the bottom of our stretch of road... I would have liked to shake Richard's hand and ask him a few questions.

But I was wrong. Richard and Jackie did not move! They are still in the house they have lived in since 1981.

This morning, Shirley paved the way. She was passing their house when she saw a woman conversing with her neighbour in the passageway. Shirley asked the woman if she was Mrs Hines and somewhat surprised, Jackie confirmed it.

After a little explanation,  they went inside and Shirley was introduced to Richard. He was sitting in an armchair drinking soup from a bowl. He is not a well man and at the age of eighty he is suffering from hydrocephalus, awaiting a vital draining operation. His balance has been affected and he is now pretty much housebound.

Anyway, Shirley asked if I could also pay them  a visit - to which they wholeheartedly agreed. Somewhat nervously, this afternoon I went round and knocked on their door. I did not emerge from inside for three hours.

They were three glorious hours in which the conversation flowed naturally. Richard has retained his brusque Yorkshire coalfield accent. We talked about many things - not just about "Kes" and Richard's more famous brother Barry - but also about education, Nigeria, Fiji, The 1984-85 miners' strike,  our grandchildren, film-making, the ruling class, the construction of the M1 motorway, "Hamnet", Stanage Edge and poetry. There were other things too.

Jackie showed me some of her excellent artwork and Richard signed his book for me. Actually, he signed two books because as well as "No Way But Gentlenesse", he has also written a second memoir  titled, "The Place That Knows Me". My copy arrived at our house just two days ago.

Kindly, they gave me spare copies of these books to pass on to our neighbour Janet who was also, like me,  an English teacher in a mining village for several years.  Like me, she also taught "Kes" many times, not knowing that the lad who inspired the writing of that iconic book had been living just round the corner from us for years.

Yes. It was a memorable afternoon - one that I will not forget in a hurry. I promised Richard that when I have finished "The Place That Knows Me" I will call round again. I also left him our phone number in case he needs anything. With his health issue, he is not driving any more. and Jackie never passed her driving test.