ABSTRACT
Jonny, Micah and Tej can look at each other and each knows what the other one is going to do next. They delight in joke routines. They high-five, do man hugs and ask each other what they’ve been doing. They call round uninvited bringing beers and invite each other to birthday parties. They are in their twenties and all in paid employment – one in the motor trade, one on a city farm and one in theatre design. They would all be upset if one of them lost touch; they give to each other, and appreciate what the other gives. Jonny, the common friend (Micah and Tej see each other less often), is particularly funny and charismatic. Those close to him say ‘it’s an honour to receive his attention’. He is delighted in turn when he sees the others. He speaks less by using words than by making trilling noises and dancing up and down on the spot or rushing round the room. Micah and Tej have known him since they were at school together. Micah met him in primary school. When he was ten, he brought his new bike round to show Jonny – so when he passed his driving test Jonny was the first person he drove round to, to show him the car. Jonny met Tej at secondary school, a highly successful flagship comprehensive in East London. Jonny’s mother facilitated visits when they were younger. Now they choose to be with each other. They are natural and unembarrassed when doing ordinary or extraordinary things outside the house.
