I often bump into our local celebrity, Lee.
He is something of a legend mainly because he is still alive after struggling with various addictions, general ill-health and his regular practice of pushing his bicycle along the busiest trunk road in Hull, in the depths of winter, in the dark in order to force the hand of the Police to accommodate him overnight in the warm facilities of the nearest Police Station.
Saying that, he is no ordinary down and out, far from it. He has a Facebook page maintained by a broad base of friends and his artwork spasmodically displayed in a local shop is coveted and sought after. The etchings are on the unusual medium of discarded carpet tiles and usually in felt tip pen or biro. They represent best value at under £50 and Lee is one to watch.
Lee has a very interesting life and outlook on life and any minutes spent in his company are fruitful and meaningful. I would advise, in the most tactful way, to stand upwind though as a hard life on the road, in his favourite bus shelter and wearing his full wardrobe at all times of the year does show in matters of personal grooming.
He is a very optimistic and cheerful character which puts to shame those of us who have everything and want for naught and yet are always repressed and unhappy.
As a concession to his well being Lee has recently taken to wearing a high-vis jacket. He is now infinitely more avoidable as a road hazard and those not wanting to engage in a conversation also have improved reaction time to take another footpath or passage through the town. He pushes around something on two wheels. I believe it to be a bike but it is difficult to say because apart from the tyres and spokes nothing is exposed because of the hanging shroud of used plastic carrier bags. These contain Lee's worldly goods and also indicate his commitment to the local environment as a captured and dangled knotted bag is one less to blow around and litter up the neighbourhood.
On first impresion he may seem a bit of an intimidating character. Small, squat, bearded and a bit jaundiced and with a greenish tint to his teeth visible when he cheekily grins.A bit womblish if there is such a descriptive term. He is however very quiet, reserved and polite and always the first to strike up a dialogue about his beloved Hull City and how they are playing. His camouflage forage cap is covered with enamel badges for his team and it moves up and down on his scalp as he attends to a persistent itch and irritation as he speaks.
A lot of people look out for him in the colder months of the year. His Facebook status is regularly updated along the lines of 'Lee is in his bus shelter' .This residence is out in the villages somewhere and really sounds like quite an idyllic place.
His lifestyle choice may affront some erstwhile citizens amongst us who scuttle away upon sighting his low, rounded form approaching fearing a demand for monies or some element of menace. Lee is no burden to anyone and indeed, any shortage of cash for a sandwich or a cup of coffee would be met by him without hesitation or judgement of our own particular circumstances.
(First written last August. I have cycled 18 miles and walked 5 today so I am a bit tired for new thought....)
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