Being stood up [circa 2006]

Part I: Strangers in the night

It was some time during the christmas/end year holidays. That period is a bit hazy for me seeing as I was working almost literally day and night.

On one of the said nights, I must have left the office and headed off to meet Kamikaze. Tired like a dog [0.5 knows what I'm talking about] but still determined to see what the rest of the world was up to. Went to the club at some point. Too tired to dance so I sat and contemplated. I have to be back in the office kesho 6am. It's now 3am. I'm feeling terrible. I stagger towards the entrance to leave. There's 2 chics in my way. I stop and attempt to circumvent the pair. Apparently I wasn't fast enough because one of the chics [white top] starts to dance with me. I am really tired and we're on the way. She senses my lack of enthusiasm and backs off. Just then the DJ puts on a song I like and I jump onto the floor. One song. As I'm doing my thing, singing and dancing my sorrows away, I'm joined by white-top's friend. Black-top. [I really need to expand my vocabulary, or pay more attention to things other than the top a chic is wearing] This feels more right so we get into it. A couple of songs go by then she's tagged away by white-top. Ati they go home. We shrug her off but it hits me that I may collapse right there. I apologise for having to leave and this time I make it outside.

As I'm haggling with the cab driver [I'm a terrible haggler], the 2 chics appear next to me. I'm ready to get into the cab when white-top asks if they can hitch a ride with me, to Tropez. I'm reluctant and look to the cab driver. All he wants is some additional cash. White-top is already in the back. Black-top has met some guy, or some guy has met her. She's giving him her email address but he's either high or slow cause she keeps repeating it. At some point it stopped being funny and I turned to express the frustration the rest of us in the cab were feeling.

We finally get to their destination and they're dropping off. I'm not sure what happened but I must have asked for her email address. Probably a joke, or something to do with the slow guy. She offers her number instead. I wasn't expecting that.


Part II: So many tears

Over the coming days, we talk. She's off work till some time in Jan. I'm working through the holidays. On the last sato of the year, I go off to tao to catch the latest Bond movie before it disappears from the cinemas, never to be seen again. What happened to "Fifth great week". A friend, who's now Kamikaze's friend, asks if I'd like company. Why not. I don't really enjoy the movie. Perhaps it's that Daniel Craig guy. I just don't like the guy.

We chuck from the movie to be greeted by rain. I try to persuade her to wait out the rain somewhere. Nothing doing. She produces an umbrella. Images of Inspector Gadget come to mind. I have no idea where that came from. So she heads home and I check into the nearest pub. I sip my fanta as I watch the rain. This is depressing stuff. I look to my phone for solace and call up black-top. [For the record, I actually remember her name, unlike the case with certain forks and a certain "wednesday"]

As a matter of fact she's coming into town on her way to some other place so I should wait for her. I do. One hour. And a half. I consoled myself that it was raining and I couldn't leave even if I wanted to. Everyone has a breaking point though and I got to mine two hours down the road. Sent her a text. "I'm leaving in 5 mins ... perhaps another time". 5 mins later, no response. I delete her number and walk into the rain.

Didn't think I'd hear from her again let alone bump into her two weeks later.