2006-12-29
Those who know me will be aware that I never drink too much – just too scared of being sick. The week running up to Christmas though I think I bounced along quite happily just topping up to ‘my’ level and quite often finding myself one of the last to leave. I’m there in all the photos and can remember at least two conversations with tiddly girls who told me:‘Y’know Kevin…you’re not as straight faced and miserable as everyone thinks you are… Why aren’t you cool and fun like this all the time…?’
And that just repeats conversations had at the same time with different people in other years.
So the sequence goes Thursday: big lunch (avoided the wine knowing we’d be going to the pub after)…pub till 8. Friday: party at the office across town (this is the one Jo came to briefly) dancing and drinking till one. Saturday quiet, Sunday few drinks with neighbours…Monday, Tuesday quiet…Wednesday after work session with old boss and a few people who’ve left during the year. I meant to go for one to show face, ended up having six (including a couple of Morgan Spiced Rums). Thursday free drink and buffet in the office (we are a beer company after all) which went on…and on and could have got messy. Last to leave (although I declined entreaties to go on to a club). Friday: the traditional Christmas Eve gathering (in a pub we only go to on that day) with friends Kenny, Robbie and the Fat Man. We start at lunchtime and see how it goes – this time Spherical Tim put in an appearance and as he drinks like a shoal of fish the pace was accelerated too quickly making me bail out at about six. Saturday quiet, Christmas Eve Sunday was drinks (mulled wine mostly) at friends of Lynne’s but I didn’t have anything because I was ringing at midnight.
This is something I haven’t mentioned. A few weeks ago, after a gap of twentyfive years I went back to church bell ringing. A church in town which just got its bells rehung was advertising for people to learn to ring and as it was something I used to really enjoy as a teenager I thought I’d give it ago. Surprisingly it all came back to me very quickly – just like falling off a bike it seems you never forget. I have to admit one of the attractions of this church is that you can get in and out to the bell ropes without having to go into the church itself – I’m the opposite of religious so I’m never going to actually go to the service to which I call the faithful. And this is proper ringing – bells that go through the full 360 degrees and could quite easily kill you if you let go of the rope. OK – I’ll stop boring you with campanology right there. The point was… I was, for once, abstemious on Christmas Eve.
But it wasn’t my drinking that had the biggest effect that week. I left you last time with the news that Jo was offered job with another company at a greatly increased salary, and certain that she was about to leave I was swithering with the thought that it probably was for the best, that if she decided not to take it we would both suffer from here on. It felt like a corner turned.
Late on Monday afternoon the Director we work for returned from a boozy lunch with some bankers. The first person he met as he lurched from the lift was Jo about to leave to collect her boys from nursery. He was ‘tired and emotional’ – the latter probably because he’s just been served with his second divorce and is starting on the custody process for his two young children. It is rather sad really – he really is a nice and amiable guy and seems to care. Unfortunately he’s more devoted to his work than either of his two wives have been able t tolerate.
‘Jo! Oh Jo! You’re leaving!…You can’t leave us Jo…You can’t do it. We can’t let you go…’
The few remaining people in the office were then treated to the spectacle of a Director of one of the UK’s leading companies, down on his knees imploring one of his middle managers not to leave the company. It was all in good fun and strangely not embarrassing, and Jo was actually really flattered.
Next morning it turned out he’d gone on to phone the HR Director on holiday in Spain and told him to find a way to make Jo stay, and as the entire HR department live in dread of their boss by Tuesday lunchtime Jo had the promise of a salary increase (not quite bridging the gap to the other job though) and other incentives in the future to stay.
Unless she’s changed her mind over Christmas that’s where we are. Those last few days together didn’t convince me that it’s really what she wants. And I wll have to work at believing it’s for the best.