(Have a read of part 1 here first)
I got into Aberystwyth on a rainy Friday morning, tired and harrowed after my trip on the ‘delightful’ trainline from Birmingham New Street, which on that day was jam packed full of life’s diversities. All of which, sadly, appeared to be interested in me.
What it is about me I’ll never quite be able to say – but I’ve noticed as I’ve grown that I have this amazing, and completely unwelcome, ability to attract intrest from the most surreal people.
I (usually) don’t go out of my way to approach or engage such people, but they always seem to have a way of ‘homing in’ on me. Why, I know not. On this particular day, some of them followed me off the train and began to engage me in ‘conversation’. Or something that probably resembled conversation to them.
After distracting the surrealists long enough for me to escape the train station, I hurriedly walked towards the town centre, and stopped at the traffic lights near the local greasy spoon.
I took a deep breath of the sea air (and sausage fumes), and put my foot out to cross the road.
“Hey! PETE!” Boomed a little, but powerful, voice.
My head turned mid-cross to see my mate from Burtons – Jay.
Jay in Aberystwyth (looks so innocent doesn't he)
Should some omnimpitant being one day ask where things began to go wrong, I’d have to say that this particular moment was the beginning of my downfall.
I hadn’t seen Jay for months, and man alive did we have some catching up to do. He was a top bloke, and it seemed like his life had certainly had some interesting twists and turns since we’d last spoke.
But it was 10:30 – did I have time for a pint with him and his mate in The Acadamy before my lunch date with Sky at 12…?
As we walked up Great Darkgate Street towards the pub, I nervously (and very secretly) peered into the Dorothy Perkins window. Sky had made a real effort for our date, and she was looking pretty good. This, was going to be a great date. I could feel it in my bones.
But heavens above was I nervous. There was only one thing for it – best get a pint inside me. That’ll calm the pre-date nerves.
Sometime after my fourth pint with Jay (and more laughing than I’d done in a long time) I looked at my watch.
F@£k buscuits. It was 11:55.
I was meant to be over the other side of town for my lunch date with Sky in five minutes. And I was still nervous, a little bit pissed, and not the slightest bit hungry. Probably, on reflection, something to do with the steak and chips I’d bought to ‘soak up the beer’.
There was only one thing to do. Rearrange. And quickly.
But how? I was only in town for the weekend! What on earth was I going to say? Should I come back another time?
A%$e crisps – a text from Sky!
“Where r u?”
Bugger! It’s 12:15!
I’d faffed about deciding on what to say for so long that Sky was texting to ask where I was! What the hell was I going to do?
“Hey Pete, I meant to ask you earlier – fancy coming to a party tonight?” said Jay.
“Errrmmm…” I thought about it for a moment. A party with Jay in attendance would be, frankly, excellent, and I really shouldn’t turn it down, but…
“It’s like a houseparty, well, like my house party” he said. “A bunch of us from Uni.”
And then, the clouds parted for a brief moment, and I saw a ray of sunlight fall on a road to a happier place.
“…can I bring Sky?”
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