Heading home from a pleasant night in the Shepherd's Bush district (not often you can say that, but we'd been to a great Morroccan restaurant unexpectedly hidden beneath the shopping centre and then to the Vue cinema to see "Romance and Cigarettes" - I was looking forward to the cigarettes and was not disappointed as there were some cigarettes in it) we were caught in the rain.
First we ducked into the BP garage, which now has an M&S Simply Food shop in it. I love M&S as you know but had not as yet checked out this store so this deluge was an opportunity to see what wares they had on display to find out if I am wasting my time heading down to Hammersmith. But there was only a meagre selection of wares on display. A girl was arguing with the man at the checkout as she had apparently bought something which meant she should get a free bottle of water - but from what I could gather there were no more of the right bottles left in the store or maybe that she would get the free water on a second visit. "But I live in Bournemouth," the girl complained, "I'm not coming back from Bournemouth for a bottle of water." Nor though was she just giving up on the bottle of water. She was loud, but she was young and pretty and so the man came out to get her a different bottle of water. She left happy. Hopefully she will spread word of Londoner's generosity when she gets home.
The rain was still falling (she could have just put an empty bottle outside and got her water for free) so we decided to push onwards towards home. But the rain was heavy and so we took shelter under the covered section outside the Shepherd's Bush Empire. "Three Doors Down" had been on that night. I had never heard of them and realised I have not made good on my promise to behave like a 21 year old in the last month. The tour bus was parked up outside waiting for "Three Doors Down" and I considered trying to blag my way on and try and go on tour with them. But instead waited for a break in the weather. A girl was sitting on the steps practically in tears complaining about some man or other. She was a little bit drunk and possibly more emotional than she would have been sober. I enjoyed her distress though. That is the kind of person I am.
I was annoyed I hadn't brought an umbrella with me and we discussed trying to get back home by surreptitiously trying to get under other people's umbrellas without them knowing. The smaller the umbrella the more points you would get. We didn't try it though.
The girls had gone, but now a couple were trying to get back in through the front doors (which had signs making it clear that there would be no readmittance all over them). One of the staff was giving them short shrift. "I've lost my wallet," the girl mouthed through the glass - interesting that she didn't shout it so she would be heard, but mouthed it so the woman on the other side had to lipread.
"Go round to the stage door" the woman mouthed back.
They did so, but were soon back, mouthing the fact that they couldn't get in. The member of staff reluctantly opened the door, but talked to the couple in the most patronising way - almost as if she was still mouthing the words, but now the sound was coming out too. "You have to go round to the stage door" she said loudly and slowly.
"We've been, there's no one there."
"You have to knock loudly and thene wait."
There was a tension there, the member of staff not liking being interrupted and the couple cross about being patronised and anxious about their wallet.
It went on for a little while, but the couple were convinced to try again and alas there was no fight. "Can you just tell us if a wallet has been found?" the man asked.
"There is a wallet," said the woman.
The couple went off to get the wallet. I hope it was their's. And the rain was a bit lighter so we headed off with my raggedy jeans dragging in the puddles.
Shepherd's Bush on a Friday night. Hope you enjoyed it.
