My friend group was in our late teens, we partied hard, we had each others backs… but we were so very inexperienced with the world. Then this one girl brought her new boyfriend… early thirties, soldier, fit, cool, experienced.

I had this instant dislike, his words were… too smooth, his jokes were funny, yes, but also cruel. He radiated a kind of coolness like uranium radiates poison. Everybody was all over him, the lads wanted to be like him, the lasses wanted him. I could not bring myself to like him and got accused of being jealous.

He broke up some lifelong friendships and budding relationships. He ended up getting two of the girls pregnant and went to prison because one of them was underage at the time. I feel vindicated, but I can’t say I’m happy about it. The only good thing to come out of that is that I left that group and went a different way in life.