It's 01:27, and I can't get to sleep. You know what that means... story time.
This one, surprisingly, is once again set on a train journey up to Scotland. This is unusual for several reasons. One, that I was travelling by train. Usually I go up to Scotland with my friend Jeremy and his Dad, who drives us up, but this time I went alone, so I went up by train. Two, its unusual because unlike journeys before and afterwards, it was very much a spur of the moment decision to go up.
It was Kerri's birthday, and she asked me up or I invited myself up. I forget which. It's irrelevant to the story which. The fact was that I was going up, and that it was spur of the moment. Well, I say spur of the moment. It was actually made about a week before the day I was due to set off. Dad agreed to loan me the money for the ticket, which we booked online, and we were all set.
Cut to a week later, and the morning arrived. I'd packed the night before, including Kerri's present, and got up early in order to enjoy breakfast with Dad before I set off. I got to the station with plenty of time to spare before the train was due, in order to get the ticket. I put my debt card in and...
and the machine asked for a booking number.
A tiny bit of background. Last time I booked tickets online (chronicled here in fact), it didn't ask for one (which dates it). You just put your card in and the tickets came out, just like at the cinema. I was flabbergasted. Fortunately, I had time so I called Dad... who didn't answer. I tried him twice more before giving up and calling Jeremy. Luckily, he was in and so I asked him to log into my hotmail account, gave him my password and told him to give me my booking number.
He read it off and I tried to input it.... repeatedly. The damn machine wouldn't react to my touch in the slightest. I'd managed to get it to read two or three digits before it would decide that my time was up and clear my efforts. By this time, the train had come in, so I was a little panicky and between you and me, when I panic, I get angry. I was about to thump the machine when I heard it. my boarding call followed by the beeping of the doors and then...
The train was gone.
Panic transformed into blind panic, so I called Oma. Dad happened to be there, and he appeared by my side a few minutes later, put the code in successfully the first time (bastard) and got my tickets before announcing he would drive me up to Carlisle. That was all there was to it. We were racing my train. I rang Kerri to let her know about the delay before relaxing a little and chatting with Dad.
We made very good time. Dad dropped me off and I asked a guard where the train up to Glasgow was. He pointed to one and I climbed aboard, secure in my knowledge that soon, I would be meeting up with Kerri and beginning my holiday in earnest.
Of course, it was the wrong bloody train.
The doors closed and the train set off... back the way I'd just come. A second or so later, the driver announced we were on our way to London just as the Conductor appeared. I sheepishly admitted that I was on the wrong train and he gave me one of the most withering looks I've ever received, and I've gotten looks off some of the best. This guy was simply not impressed, and to show it, he took my ticket off me (bastard).
Fortunately for me, the train wasn't an express, and I headed off to Lancashire. The driver said we'd be there in about 20 minutes, but did not take into account the fact a train ahead of us broke down. Once again, I rang Kerri to let her know I'd be even later. By this point, she had to go to work, and practically begged her mother to pick me up when I finally arrived.
About an hour after boarding the train to London (and telling Jeremy I'd given up on Scotland and was headed to the Capital for the weekend instead), I arrived in Lancashire. Of course, I did the smart thing and called Dad to let him know. He promised to put some more money into my account, so I'd actually have something to spend in Scotland, before telling me to just buy a ticket and go have fun.
Thus calmed, I followed his advice and finally arrived in Scotland without further incident, until Kerri rang and told me to get a train to Cumbernauld. I was in Glasgow Central, and the trip involved going to another station in Glasgow. Initially I had no clue where this 'Queen Street' was, until she said 'Do you know where Forbidden Planet is?'
I have a Forbidden Planet sense. Once I've been to one, I will NEVER forget where it is and always be able to find my way back to it. Fortunately, we'd gone on a previous visit, so I knew exactly where it was and how to get there. I told her so, and she pointed me in the right direction. To cut the rest of the story short, I arrived at the station, Kerri's mum was there to meet me and after a quick stop off at Kerri's work place to let her know I was alive, I finally began my holiday in Scotland.
To put a little perspective into this tale, my original estimated time of arrival was about 1-ish in the afternoon. I got there at about 18:10pm. But the most important thing - I had fun. Her birthday was fun, we made and I painted the Solar System. Good times were had and that's the important thing.
Well, that and having a laugh at my expense.
Live long and prosper
