On Saturday morning, I woke up, feeling in a fairly good mood. Samson’s housemates were away and the place would have been quiet, if it weren’t for the very loud drilling and banging that was going on from the construction work in the park just outside. Samson was looking all sleepy-cute and crazy-haired as he usually does first thing, and got up to make us tea and bring me some Sugar Puffs for breakfast (it’s been ages since I had some of those!) I pulled on my tracksuit bottoms and a vest and joined him at the table in the living room for breakfast. The end of the football season meant there was no football on, but I hadn’t banked on there being cricket and tennis on instead. We caught a cookery slot on one of the morning shows, where Italian chef
Gino D'Acampo did home-made beef burgers. We decided they looked like a yummy option for lunch, so decided to get showered and dressed and then make a trip to the supermarket for the ingredients.
We left an hour or so later, me passing the time while Samson was in the shower by watching the top 50 best selling singles by female singers of the year so far according to Viva. The supermarket is only a 10-minute walk away and seeing as it was already after 2pm and we only had Sugar Puffs in our bellies, we stopped at the café in the supermarket foyer to get a roll each - chicken and bacon (him), cheese and salad (me) – a fruit salad, and a drink each – vanilla milkshake (him), lemon iced tea (me). We had made a list, so knew what we were getting and were planning to stick to it (for the most part). About 30 minutes, a trolley-load of food, £80 and an iron-cast griddle pan later, we were leaving, laden with shopping. Since I contributed a disproportionate amount of cash to the transaction, my real contribution would be in the cooking (at least that was the idea).
When we got back, we unpacked everything, refrigerated the bits we didn’t need for now, put the lemonade in the freezer to chill it quickly and then picked out the utensils we would need to make the burgers. For the burgers, we used Aberdeen Angus beef mince. The recipe contained breadcrumbs, garlic, parmesan, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes and an egg, as well as seasoning. I chopped up the garlic and two kinds of tomatoes (sun-dried and sun blush, which are slightly less strong), added all the ingredients to a big bowl and mixed it all together with my hands. Later on, while I was frying the first of the burgers (a tester) on the heavy griddle pan, Samson added some more herbs and then made up the rest of the patties. He added some dried chilli flakes to the last two. We toasted burger buns and Samson prepared the table with the salad he’d chosen, coleslaw and various condiments (mayonnaise, ketchup, Reggae Reggae ketchup [ketchup with a slightly spicy Caribbean kick] tomato and jalapeño relish), and a glass each of lemonade.
We tucked in and were pleased to find that they tasted really good. The flavours came through well and I was glad I hadn’t been shy with the garlic. I only just finished mine, since the patties Samson made were quite big. We were both rather full. The England v. Switzerland game had started and once we had finished our food, we retired to the sofa to nurse our full bellies and keep track of the progress. Switzerland scored twice in quick succession in the first half, much to our dismay. We were both starting to feel very sleepy as the food coma set in and I got quite a fright when Samson shouted at a missed (certain) goal opportunity by Darren Bent. After a while, I was lying against Samson’s chest and fell asleep, only realising when my leg involuntarily twitched rather violently and woke me up. I snoozed for a while, then when the football ended in a rather dismal 2-2 draw, Samson decided to play a bit of L.A. Noire.
I watched for a while and knew it was probably time I should be going home, as I was going out with MiniMe and her friends for a friend’s birthday that night. I checked my phone for the time and realised I had a missed call from MiniMe on my phone. It was about 7pm. I called her back and she told me they were meeting in a pub nearby the club beforehand, at 8.30pm. It takes about 40 minutes to get home from Samson’s. Yikes! I got my stuff together and Samson gave me a big kiss and hug goodbye, making me promise to text him when I got home from our night out. I hopped on a bus to get to the station more quickly and was pleased to find there was a train in a couple of minutes. By the time I would get home, it would be just before 8.30, so I texted MiniMe and asked her to let me know what time they would be heading to the club, as I was going to be late.
When I got in, no-one was at home, which was probably just as well. I rushed upstairs, grabbed the coral pink dress I had planned to wear from my wardrobe, rooted around for my gold heels, raided my chest of drawers for the skin-tone underwear I needed and then nearly fell off a stool while trying to raid the cupboard above my wardrobe for a vintage pink handbag that belonged to my Mum, that she’d bought in the early 80s. I laughed to myself at the thought that it may well be a bit older than most of the people I would be out with that night. Outfit more or less sorted, I cleaned my teeth and washed my face, then went crazy trying to make my skin look presentable. I moisturised my face, covered my legs and arms with cocoa butter and then sprayed my hair with leave-in conditioner to give it a bit more bounce. It was nearing 9pm. I tied my hair loosely to keep it out of my face, then put on foundation and a bit of concealer/powder where needed. I decided not to go with the gold eyeshadow I had originally planned in favour of dark brown eyeliner with flicks, then finished off with a tad more blusher than I intended and a dash of pink lipgloss.
I threw my lipgloss, lipbalm, oyster, purse and keys into my bag with my phone and iPod (to get me into the mood on the way) into my bag. I fitted the gel insoles into my shoes to cushion the balls of my feet (I know how hot high heels look, but I tend to go for low heels and comfort so I can dance longer), grabbed my blazer and ran downstairs. Big Sis and Bro-in-Law had arrived back from a walk and I explained that I was going out but had forgotten to tell them. Big Sis asked if I was coming home and I said that we would all be getting a cab back together as we live close to each other, but if anything changed and I stayed at Samson’s I would text her. I got to the station within two minutes of the train. It was 9.15pm. One the way, I texted MiniMe to tell her that I was nearly there and she called back to tell me they were on their way too – I was going to get there before them and I had been worried I would be late! I was glad I hadn’t broken something trying to get the train at 9pm.
When I got to the station I stopped at a cash point to get out some money and realised with dismay and annoyance that I had left my credit card at home! That was going to be my back-up, but without it I would only have £20 for the whole night. I would probably need to save about £10 for the cab! I got myself a can of Red Bull to drink while I was waiting and listened to some tunes. Three men dressed as pirates stopped at the Burger King next to where I was standing and got questioned by some random teenagers. Soon MiniMe arrived, already a little tipsy, and we walked together down to the tube, where her friend was waiting. They had come in on the tube (I thought it would be the train) and had to get off to collect me. We had to then get back on and go the one stop to where the pub was. There we met the rest of the big group of friends (and I tried and failed to remember all their names), sang Happy Birthday to the (three!) birthday girls, ate chocolate cake and got encouraged to be loud by the Italian (?) bartender, who kept clapping and saying “Come on, is this a birthday or a funeral?!”
A friend of a friend bought MiniMe and I some Jagerbombs, which I felt bad at having only just met him, until he told me he was an investment banker and I reasoned he could probably afford it much more than I could. Plus, I had to gratefully accept generosity where I could, as I was on a stupid budget due to my own forgetfulness. At times, I felt a bit bad for the other customers, who were a small minority compared to our rather loud group, but I felt less bad when I saw an older man and two friends in the corner eating some of the chocolate birthday cake with their pints. It was already 10.30pm so we made a move, saying goodbye to some of the gang who weren’t coming along with us to the club and then trying to get a crowd of rather drunk people to go in the right direction, which was a bit like herding cats. It was all quite amusing.
When we got there, our cries to security of “We’re on the guest list!” were met with a reply of “So is everyone else,” along with directions to the back of the queue. It was after 11pm, so it would no longer be free to get in, but luckily we only had to pay £5. Once we got in, we checked our jackets into the cloakroom and then hit the dance floor. We met up with other people, but it took me ages to realise that some of the party (including one of the birthday girls and the guy who bought us drinks) hadn’t been let in. I found out later it was some stupid reason like them allegedly eating food in the queue, although I hadn’t seen any of that happen. The music was good, mainly pop RnB and the rest, with lots of popular favourites and some old school magic (Informer by Snow, anyone? Ace of Base’s All That She Wants?! Mr. Loverman by Shabba!)
The whole group were really friendly and good fun, seeing as I only really knew one of them (MiniMe) and had only met the three friends who were with her one time before. Some of them didn’t know some of the others in the group anyway, so I wasn’t a complete outsider. The friend who had come with MiniMe to get me from the station had two male friends from uni coming, who showed up later. They were really funny, both good dancers and lots of fun on the dance floor. I had a giggle with another friend’s workmate when I caught him doing the bogle to an old tune (probably Shabba) and mirrored him while cracking up. We had two sofas reserved for us in the corner where people took rest breaks, but I held out as long as possible, as once I sit down I start to notice I am tired, or that my feet hurt. It was due to end at 3am, and at 2.40am, I decided to get our jackets from the cloak room just to avoid having to queue later on. When I got back, I took my first rest on the sofa, but soon got dragged up again with MiniMe by one of the guys to dance, which we both did but, minus our shoes. We danced barefoot for all of 5 minutes before a security guard politely told us to put our shoes back on (I’m guessing for ‘health and safety’ reasons – although not really our own health and safety, since the shoes were steadily becoming a liability). Not long before 3am, some sort of fuse blew in the sound system and the music cut out. The DJ looked annoyed, but dealt very well with the boos coming from the crowd. With it being so close to the end anyway, the lights soon came on and we were gently ushered out.
We hadn’t ordered a cab in advance, so one of the girls ordered one on her phone and we stood waiting while getting steadily colder (me) and hungrier (MiniMe). There was some mini drama going on with one of the larger group having gone off with a guy we had earlier seen her kissing, the main problem being that she had a friend with her who was meant to be staying at her place, who she had apparently ditched for the guy. Another friend was going to put her up, but was rather annoyed at what had happened. “She likes him, fine, I get it, but it’s different when you’ve got guests!” I ended up perching on one of the Boris bikes lined up on the edge of the payment outside with one of the other girls. She was striking up a conversation with two guys who were also waiting for cabs, and was making me laugh with her observations. She seemed quite impressed when one of them said he owned a branch of Subway not too far from her area.
It felt like we were waiting for ages and MiniMe was getting really hungry. The girl who ordered the cab realised she had ordered a cab for 4 when in fact that there were 5 of us getting the cab, me being the addition to their usual 4 people. We then realised that we might need room for 6, as one of the girls was putting up her friend at her place. There was not much we could do except wait and see what kind of car arrived. The two guys who were uni friends of the girls were also trying to get home, which was near Gatwick so a cab to there would probably cost a bomb. They hailed a few cabs trying to get a ride to Victoria station so they could get a train from there, but the drivers seemed sure that the station would still be closed and there would be no trains for at least an hour. After several cabs coming and going (both ones they had hailed and ones that had been pre-ordered but couldn’t find their passengers), they were no closer to getting home and our cab eventually arrived. Thankfully, it was a people carrier and would take 6 – although the girl who had disappeared had returned (partly I think due to stern phone calls from her friends), with the guy in tow, but would be giving her friend a place to sleep after all.
They were still sorting things out, so we decided to get in the cab rather than wait in the cold. I said goodbye to the two guys, giving them both hugs and saying it was nice to meet them. We got in the car and the cab driver amused me with his chatty manner and calls for the rest of our group to hurry up before he got fined for stopping on a red route. When we finally got moving, he asked us about our different ethnic backgrounds and then bonded over one of the Indian girls when he said he watched lots of Bollywood movies (I’m not sure where he was from, but he wasn’t Indian). Meanwhile, another girl got a text from one of the guys we left behind, and announced that he said he had a good night and liked her friends, especially the ‘one in the pink’ [that would be me], that he thought he was in love and could we be friends?! They were all laughing about it, her reassuring me that she had told him I have a boyfriend so we could be Facebook ‘friends’ and no more. It was quite sweet really, he seemed a nice guy and a little shy, which is always endearing. I laughed at the fact that I am about 5 years older than him and he probably didn’t realise.
A while later, we stopped halfway home to get two of our group a doner and chips from an all-night kebab shop. MiniMe and I went out to get them, feeling cold and hobbling slightly due to our sore feet. We returned to the cab and 10 minutes or so later we were making our first stop – my house. The girls were saying I should come out with them more often, seeing as I lived so close to them and furthermore they now knew where I lived! I thanked the girls for a great time and the driver for dropping me off, then hobbled home as quickly as possible. It was already getting rather light. When I got in, I tried to be as quiet as possible (Big Sis and Bro-in-Law are light sleepers), took off my shoes and headed to the kitchen to boil the kettle and make some tea. I could hear a bit of movement upstairs and wondered how I had managed to wake someone up when I had barely made any noise. A minute later, Big Sis appeared in the kitchen in a big hoodie, looking rather sleepy. She had been awake for half an hour, so I didn’t feel so bad. She has been waking up at odd hours lately. We made some drinks, then I realised there was enough hot water to make instant noodles, so I did that too. We went into the living room to chat for a bit while I ate my noodles and she told me about having a chat with Mum the other day. Once my noodles were finished, I decided to stagger off to bed, while Big Sis was going to stay up for a bit to watch something online, seeing as she was wide awake and couldn’t sleep. I took my tea upstairs, got into my PJs, climbed into bed and then watched a bit of Maury while drinking my tea (trash TV I know). At about 5.30am the tiredness really kicked in, it was getting quite light and the birds were going a bit mental with their chirping outside. I snuggled down, tired but happy and feel asleep.
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Sunday can mostly be summarised thus:
7.30am - wake up (after falling asleep only two hours ago). Feel annoyingly awake, damn that Red Bull. Try to go back to sleep and fail.
8.00am - get up, use the bathroom, get some tea and cereal and return to bed to watch TV.
9.30am - go back downstairs to get a drink, take some burgers out of the freezer to defrost for lunch. Return to bed. Watch TV, go online, feel really tired but can't sleep.
12.00pm - my knees are killing me and I'm hungry again. Go back downstairs to get Doritos and dips. Big Sis steals some while the plate is still on the kitchen counter. Return upstairs. Eat the chips in bed, while still watching TV.
1.00pm - put elastic bandage on both my knees. They are aching terribly. Either I'm too old for wearing heels and dancing, or my joints are always going to be a tad arthritic.
1.30pm - finally start to feel sleepy again, so settle down to sleep.
4.00pm - wake up to the sound of my next-door neighbour telling Bro-in-Law about something to do with Manchester Utd. He is rather random. Hear a car in the drive and Bro-in-Law get in, it must be his parents. Check my phone and see Big Sis has texted me to let me know they are going food shopping and to text if I want anything. The shops close early on Sundays, so I text to ask if they have already been. They have. They are now going for tea and cake at the in-laws.
4.30pm - I grill the now defrosted burgers and have them with bread, sliced tomatoes, pickles and Reggae Reggae ketchup.
5.00pm - Watch some CSI and other random stuff that's on, as well as the latest (exciting!) episode of The Mentalist.
9.00pm - go to bed for the night with my legs propped up on a pillow to ease my sore knees.
