You know, I sometimes think back to how money really did buy me a younger version of myself. In the end, my husband found out the truth after years and, well, we ended up divorced.
I was born in a small English town. After finishing my GCSEs at sixteen, I went on to catering college, which I finished four years later. I landed a job at a pub, working my trade. But after five years, it dawned on me that I couldnt carry on like this. The pay was absolute peanuts, and I knew I wanted more than just scraping by.
Thats when I met David at work. He lived in London and had just the right connections in the city. So I took a train to London and arranged to meet him. I asked if he could help me get into university. He didnt turn me down, but said itd cost me. Id saved up a decent bit over the years, so I handed over a chunky sum in the end for his help.
On top of that, I managed to get myself fresh certificatespaid for some new paperwork. This was back when documents were still paper, not digital. According to my new paperwork, I was five years younger with perfect A-level grades.
David sorted it all out and helped me get a place at university.
My life took a completely different turn. Suddenly, I was surrounded by a new crowdyoung, lively lads and lasses. A year later, I got married. My husband, Adam, was only nineteen at the time, a true Londoner. I officially moved in with his parents in the city.
Once I finished university, the country started to changebig shake-ups, new ways. Adam and I got our act together quite quickly, rented a tiny place and opened a little pub. Eventually, we had the chance to buy it outright, and we became pub owners.
Adam and I actually got on pretty well, even though we never had kids. Then, one day, we decided to visit my old village where Id spent my early years. I caught up with old schoolmates and friends. My life was worlds apart from theirs, and honestly, I looked much better than most of them. Lets just say some were a bit jealous, but one former classmate blurted out to Adam that Id worked at a pub and was a good few years older than he thought.
Adam started giving me a hard timehe accused me of lying to him. He changed after thatbegan drinking heavily. In the end, we divorced. We had to split our little family business. I bought myself a flat, and Adam ended up saddled with a bunch of loans from the banks with sky-high interest rates that he took after we split.
Everything kind of fell apart.
Now, Im still working, even though Ive reached pension age. I cant help but think of David now and thenhe once told me I was foolish for fiddling with documents. But the past is the past; you cant just undo the mistakes of youth.
Not long ago, I went back home to visit Mum and bumped into an old school friend. Shes been retired for two years now, spending her days with her grandchildren and looking after her vegetable patch. Meanwhile, Im still slogging away, and truth be told, my health isnt what it once was. When youre young, you do all sorts of daft things, but its only later you end up paying the price.
If youve any advice about how to put right the stupidity of my younger days, Id love to hear it.
