KEYS & TOM

Tom and Dan had been friends since they were school kids in art class, contact was sometimes sporadic but the friendship was strong. In their early 20s they discovered that they’d been living streets apart. Dan was working as a curator, his brilliant mind had little space for mundane practicalities and his flat mates regularly searched for his mislaid phone, taking on an affectionate semi-parental role. One day Dan didn’t arrive at work. His friend Joe followed his route to see if he needed help mending a puncture. Joe passed an ambulance and then a blue bike. Dan had been hit. Two days later he died. Tom and Joe gathered Dan’s friends together, they made a ghost bike, painting the frame white and decorating it with flowers. They each had a lock to secure his bike to the railings where he’d been hit. They took the keys as mementoes. Months later road work meant the bike had to be moved. Tom contacted Dan’s friends to send back their keys so he could unlock the bike. When the work was completed Tom returned the bike, this time to a newly installed rack. He has all the keys stored safely for Dan’s friends.

01 Oct 2011