Tonight I went to Durham with some of the local Baha’i girlies for a meal and dancing. I’ve had a great night…good company, good food, and on my part, some pretty ugly dance moves! :-p
I got the night bus home with May and Gillian, May and I coming back to Newcastle and Gillian getting off at Birtley. Once May and I were in Newcastle we split up; me to walk home and May to grab a taxi. It’s interesting the kind of people you can come across walking through Newcastle city centre at 2am. Not long after I left May, something hit me in the side…it looked a like a burger! Glancing around, I spotted a bunch of lads on the other side of the road sniggering. I just laughed and walked on, if they get their kicks out of something so childish as throwing food at someone, then good for them.
I didn’t run into any more drama until I was nearly at Chinatown. I took a shortcut under The Gate and past Blackfriars to get onto Stowell Street….as I headed towards Blackfriars, they were a couple of guys ‘relieving themselves’ against the walls of The Gate…I shouldn’t have expected anything different that time of night but I was still slightly taken aback, so I raised my hand to the side of my head so I didn’t inadvertently see anything! One of the guys said’ “Geez, sorry love!”. I replied saying it was alright and kept on walking!
Just before I hit Stowell street, one of the guys I had passed answering nature’s call had obviously finished and caught up with me…as he walked by, he turned around and said ‘he would behave’. I laughed at him (in a good natured way of course!), and we struck up a conversation. We were going in the same direction for a little while so we walked together. I found out his name is Richard, he is originally from Durham but went to university in Sheffield, and is now living in Newcastle. He told what he had been doing in town, and I told him what I’d been up to in Durham. We split up on St James’ Boulevard…I was heading up Bath Lane home, while he was walking down to the casino near to the Redheugh Bridge.
In the final stages of my journey home, I considered my conversation with Richard, and came to the conclusion that it was nice to be able to strike up a conversation was someone who is a complete stranger….a few years ago I wouldn’t be able to do that, but nowadays I’m comfortable enough with myself to have the confidence to speak to someone I don’t know.
As for the burger boys, at one time it would have really bothered me that I was the target of the childish act…now I don’t let it bother me.
It was an interesting walk home.
And now, it’s 03:26am…time for bed!
