My Irish Sister in London

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Dinner and New Friends

I'm eating at a dimly-lit restaurant off of Kensington High Street in the heart of a London shopping district.

I had bought a ticket to hear Kim Eng, Ekhart Tolle's partner, speak at 7:30. I got off the tube right at 7:30, and I swear to you, the venue where she's speaking doesn't freakin' exist! I walked around for an hour before I finally stopped in at this restaurant.

The man behind the bar is very friendly with me. We chat about where I'm from, homesickness, my difficulties with my job, and how much he loves his job. After I finish my meal, he gets down his bottle of Jack Daniels and two small glasses. "It's on me," he says, handing me a glass of the finest Tennessee whiskey. "Cheers."

We drink and laugh when our eyes water from the strength of the whiskey.

"Come with me," he says. "I want to introduce you to someone."

He takes me a couple of tables down and introduces me to two ladies, Heather and Ann. They invite me to join them, and the bartender brings us more drinks on the house. We get to know each other, and I'm enjoying my evening even if it's not quite what I'd had in mind. Heather is American, slightly older than me, but not much. She's friendly and fun, with brown hair down to her chin. She seems at once professional and casual. Ann is an attractive middle-aged blond. She's Irish, extremely friendly, and fun-loving.

Ann, the Man Magnet

Ann and Heather invite me to join them at a pub. We wander around for a while before stumbling on a place with live music. The bar is so packed, we can barely walk through. Drunk men hit on us as soon as we're inside, but we manage to shrug them off and find a table near the band and dance floor.

An extremely good-looking 21-year-old takes a liking to Ann. He's at the pub with his father, who is also good-looking and equally drunk and flirtacious. They both hover around our table, competing for Ann's attention. She tries to (jokingly) scold them, telling them to behave themselves, that they're acting like ridiculous children. But they only seem to bask in her attention, encouraged. It's the most hilarious thing I've witnessed in a long time.

We take turns getting up and dancing, because someone has to stay at our table to watch our purses. (I still have my damn backpack, because I left straight from school. Yes, I carry my backpack to school, because it's more convenient than a "teacher bag.")

At about 1 in the morning, I'm REALLY ready to go. "Well, I think I'm gonna hit the road," I say.

"Really?" Heather asks. "How are you getting home?"

"Tube," I say.

"The tube is closed," says Ann.

"CLOSED???"

Heather nods, "It closes at midnight, I think."

"Holy shit," I say. "What am I gonna do?"

"Oooh, don't you worry!" says Ann. "You'll come home and stay with me!"

"OK," I say, grateful that I have a place to stay, but still.....I'm ready to go to bed NOW.

Heather and Ann get up to dance. I stay at the table and try not to look bored and exhausted. An old man across from me has been staring at me, and I'd been ignoring him. He finally leans over and says, "You're not some famous author that I'm going to kick myself for not recognizing, are you?"

I laugh, "No. But I do love to write."

"Ah, yes, I could tell you're an intellectual."

Whatever. I refrain from rolling my eyes and just smile instead.

When Ann returns to sit at the table, the old guy turns his attention to her, joining the competition with the other two guys. She's totally hilarious about it. They're all over her, and she's just staring straight ahead with an amused look on her face, drinking her wine, acting like she's too dignified to participate in this tom-foolery. The guys are only encouraged by this.

We stay until the pub closes. On the way out, I'm waiting for Ann to get rid of all the men, and a young guy approaches me.

"Hi," he says with a smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," I say. "You?"

"Fine, thanks."

He's a student from France, staying here for six months to practice his English. We talk for a while. He seems shy, kind, and extremely preppy with his polo shirt and slacks. Ann comes over and says, "Oooo, look what you've picked up, Alicia! Way to go, girl! He's delicious! But he's entirely too.....I dunno...straight-laced. I just wanna mess him up!"

She ruffles the front of his shirt with both hands. "Yes, I just wanna mess him up a bit!"

He just stands there, smiling politely. Ann gets dragged away by the old guy who tried to pick me up with the "famous author" line. The French boy asks for my number, saying that he'd like to get to know me.

"Um, sure," I agree. He takes my number, and he doesn't give me his (and I don't ask for it).

Owen

Next thing I know, it's 4 a.m. and Ann and I are in a cab with Owen, the old guy. Heather has taken another cab home, and I'm stuck with Ann for the night. Owen is engaging us in the details of all his riches--three houses (one in St. James), and he's staying in some upscale hotel in Kensington for the night. Ann rolls her eyes, "Really, Owen! Who needs three houses?"

I crack up.

He looks downtrodden and says, "I don't need them, but they're quite enjoyable."

"Yes, but it's ridiculous," scolds Ann. "And why would you need to stay at a hotel in Kensington when you have a flat in St. James?"

"Because when I get up in the morning, the maid makes the bed and washes the sheets and towels and I don't have to."

"Oh, Owen! That is ridiculous, REALLY! Of all the laziness I've ever heard!"

"Come back to my room. I'll show you. It's very nice. So is my flat in St. James. You should see it."

"Don't be silly, Owen. Why should I believe that you have all that anyway? It's absurd!"

I'm laughing throughout this argument, even though I'm very tired.

We go to an Italian deli that's open all night. It's completely packed with night revelers, like ourselves. Owen buys us two paninis to split and then pays for a cab for all three of us to get back to Ann's house. He and Ann exchange phone numbers, but their exchanges are so hilarious, even the cab driver is laughing by the time Ann and I get out of the car. (Poor Owen has to return to his fancy hotel alone.)

It's 5:30 in the morning. Ann gives me a pillow and blanket to sleep on her couch and tells me to stay as long as I like the next day.

She says that if I ever need anything, just remember that I have an Irish sister in London. 😊

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