Grant Pollard was 4 years older than me and my first love.

Today would have been his 66th Birthday (September 19th 1950)

I was 16 y.old when I met him through his brother, and we fell for each other. His father and step mother did not like the relationship, my mother was a widow we were new immigrants to South Africa and not rich, so we hide our relationship from them, dogging them in public and seeking out places for us just to be.

I was smitten, he had a love for old cars and it was fun taking them for a drive. One time I was driving his Chevy 1937 car and I nearly ran over a cop, the auto drive was on and does not go off when you break, so I am breaking and nothing happening, this cop is standing there with his hand out in the middle of the road , and he had to jump out in to the ditch to avoid me. I sat there crying thinking there goes my licence (which I had just got) Grant understood Africans (the language in South Africa) but pretended he did not, they were so blown away by this young woman nearly bowling him over in an old car, it was hard to stop laughing. Well, they gave us a stern talking too in broken English and sent us on our way, Grant told me afterwards that they could not wait to tell the tale of how a young woman in an old car nearly killed him, whew, a close one.  That same car we did Bonnie and Clyde weddings in, so much fun.

Sam by brother cooking breakfast on one of the road trips, they were very good friends for a long while.

 Grant and I ran a Mobile Discotheque for over 2 years, playing at some of the best parties in Cape Town. Weddings, events, birthdays, and fundraisers, we were there. We had to haul speakers that were 4ft tall and heavy, a double turntable, and boxes of records, after a long night of playing and dancing as I was also the GO GO dancer, it was a tiring job, but I loved it.

We met so many wonderful people through our discotheque and played at some awesome and strange places. Many halls, homes, and hotels, and even a Zoo. As it was hot there, we played many a party around the pools in the air and people would dance all night, good times.

We had many adventures together, and some wild times, some calm ones,  but in the end jealousy and control took over. Grant had a temper and could be very cruel too, I moved away to only find him there, he did not want me, but still wanted to control me. Our relationship had fallen apart and had for some time a bitter taste in the mouth.

With his son Michael.

But, I will remember our good times, my many firsts with him, the adventures we went on, the opening up to new things. I was a very shy British girl and he opened me up to wonders, the cars, the motorbikes, the parties, the road trips, the love of animals. He took some beautiful pictures of me and caught my inner self, for a while, until it all changed.

Sadly Grant had a flaw, he loved woman younger than him by many years, and the need for his woman to be skinny and young took over. Grant ran into some financial trouble that he could not see his way out of and sadly took his own life.

His real love was the Karroo in South Africa, he loved the farm life and saved many an animal from sure death, just look how easily they all live together.

You just have to see the number of animals he rescued and how they trusted him to know that his caring soul was deep, but his insecurity was bigger and in the end, took him over.

I know you’re up there Grant, find that inner peace and bring that soul back to earth and give it another try. We miss you.

Love your first Love Sara.

By Sara Troy

Self Discovery Radio.com