Week 7 – Why can't I say no?

7:40pm The train to London is quiet.
Glasgow is becoming further away.
Motherwell.
Penrith.
Crewe.

A man starts talking loudly on his mobile phone.
I block out his meaningless chat by listening to my music.

The train stops at Crewe.
A group of three girls get on.
They look in their late twenties.
They are pretty girls
They sit at a table adjacent to me.
They place three carrier bags under the table.

The train pulls off.

One of the girls pulls three plastic cups out of her bag.
She places each of them on the table.
Another girl takes out a bottle of wine from one of the bags under the table.
She unscrews the top and pours each cup full to the brim.
The girls begin to drink.
They chat.
They laugh.

The man with the food and drink trolley passes.
I stop him.
I buy a bottle of sparkling water.
£2.90!
I would not normally buy any food or drink on the train.
My last meeting of the day had ran on.
I had to run for the train.
No time to stop for food.
If I had missed the train my weekend would have been ruined.

I'm going for a long weekend in London.
Two of my friends are from there.
I fancied the break away from the crap Scottish weather.
Away from the draining work schedule.
Away from the fact that I seem to be the only single person amongst all my loved up friends!
I watch the girls next to me pour another glass (or should I say plastic cup) of wine.
I drink my £2.90 bottle of water.

I have been on a detox since Sunday.
No wheat.
No dairy.
No alcohol!

I have been eating soups, salads, fish, rice, chicken and nuts.
I feel pretty good for it.
I've managed to get 8 hours sleep a night.
I've even managed to do a little bit of yoga.
Well I bought a DVD and have done it once.

I'm healthy, refreshed and glowing for my weekend away.

10:10pm
The train is about an hour from London Euston.
The girls next to me are talking quite loudly now.
They have two empty bottles of wine under the table.
They are drinking the third.

They start chatting to me.
They are all nurses.
They are going to London on a hen weekend.

They ask me if I would like a glass of wine.
I refuse.
I return to listening to my music.

Ten minutes later the girls catch my eye.
They again ask if I want a drink.
I again refuse.

An announcement comes over the tannoid that we are approaching London Euston.
I thank the girls for the offer of the drink.
I wish them a good trip.
I get my luggage.

My friend Emily meets me at the station.
We take the tube to Angel where she and my other friend Carly share a flat.

12:15am
We get to the flat.
She opens the fridge.
There are bottles of wine, tins of beer and cider.
We sit chatting and drinking until about 4am.

We spend the weekend touring the sights.
Watching the shows.
Spending money in the shops.

The weather is warm and sunny.
We have lunch in Covent Garden.
Dinner in Leicester Square.
Drinks in Soho.

Saturday night
We drink two bottles of wine between the three of us before we leave the flat.

We go to a trendy bar in Angel.
The bar is busy.
We meet a group of six of their friends.
We laugh.
We chat.
We dance.

9:30am.
I wake up.
I am lying with a blanket over me on my friend's sofa.
There is a basin beside me on the floor.
My head hurts.

My friend comes into the room.
She looks rough.
She says she doesn't remember much about the night.
She does remember though that I was sick on the street and that I fell as I get out the taxi.

We go to a local cafe and have bacon, sausage, egg and beans.
We go back to her flat and have a snooze.
We are both tired and hung over.

6.30pm.
Sunday
The train to Glasgow is busy.
People returning from weekends away.
Others are returning to work for the week.

I listen to my music.
I have a sore head.
I am thirsty.
I stop the man with the food and drink trolley and buy a bottle of sparkling water.
The thought of work tomorrow fills me with dread.
I am shattered.
I could do with a wee holiday...