I’m going to share a travel story.
During a lot of my time in college I worked two part time jobs. I was a janitor in the morning and a dishwasher at night. One summer, the university was still open but I wasn’t taking any classes so I upped my restaurant hours. Toward the end of summer I had enough extra money to buy something or go somewhere so I decided to go to London.
I had a friend who went there and he told me about a youth hostel. I called information in England and got their number, called them, made a reservation and got directions from a specific stop on the tube. For some reason I thought it was funny that an automated voice with an English accent said, “The number you require is...”.
I can’t remember what airport I arrived at but the train ride to get to the underground was pretty long. I enjoyed looking out the window. Some old man tried to talk to me but I didn’t want to talk or seem rude either. I had this go-to gesture back then of putting a peace sign over my heart that was meant to be friendly - I didn’t know back then that a backhanded peace sign was the British bird. It didn’t get me in any trouble.
My underground line was a big loop. It was just one stop but after one stop I realized I was going the wrong way. Instead of switching off I decided to just ride through the entire loop which took over an hour I think. Then when I put my ticket through it beeped. I started to explain what I had done but the cop or subway worker or whoever it was just waved me through.
The desk at the hostel praised me for having so little luggage. I had a couple change of clothes and a walkman, some cassettes, and toiletries. Just a small bag. They joked about how much **** most Americans bring.
Right away in the hostel, I met a beautiful college girl from the midwest and we hit it off. We even slept together in the same single bed that first night. She told me right away that she had been raped and asked if we could just sleep in our clothes and if I would hold her. I was so honored she wanted to do that.
It turned out she was on some kind of exchange deal where she already had a flat arranged and she offered me to stay with her for free. That night she asked if I would masturbate in front of her so she could watch. I went to the end of the bed and started up a very well-known routine and she took her shirt off. After that night we feel into a pattern of soft kisses and above the waist caresses. It never went any further.
Some of the shows we saw were The Pixies at Brixton Academy, Half Man Half Biscuit at a punk venue, and Flux of Pink Indians at a matinee show in a bar. At the Flux show a punk rock girl tore the pocket off my shirt and punched me in the jaw.
One time my temporary girlfriend and I climbed over a fence to sneak into a park that was closed for the night. Some passing drivers saw us and honked their horns and shouted cheers of approval from their windows. We just sat in the park and talked though.
On the flight home an engine blew out and we had to return to London. They had me set up for the next flight but I was scared to get back on because when that engine blew out it was scary and the landing was real bumpy. So I got really ****ing drunk during the wait. The next flight was uneventful.
Oh there was one thing that happened in the airport. Security asked me about my trip and where I stayed and I said I stayed with a woman I met. Then they asked where I got my walkman and I said my girlfriend gave it to me. I meant my American girlfriend like a year ago but they thought I met a woman who planted a potential explosive on me. A long flight without my own music was becoming a very real possibility but in the end they let me keep it.
That was my first trip overseas.
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