I bumped into a University friend at the gym this morning. I thought I had seen her relatively recently, if I had had to guess I would have said in the last couple of years. But it must have been longer than that as she has a two and a half year old daughter. And she had no idea that I'd had a serious girlfriend, let alone got married. It must have been over five years since I'd last seen her. Time flies and bends and concertinas in on itself.
It's funny the way that people drift in and out of your life, sometimes to reappear, but sometimes not. There's no indication that some partings may be the final ones and that you've seen some of your friends and acquaintances for the last time. Life isn't a film and you don't get meaningful or clean partings. You say goodbye to someone sometimes, not knowing that you'll never see them again. And you might not even meet in the afterlife if you end up going in opposite directions. Let's face it I have little chance of going upstairs and the best I can hope for is that I might be able to loiter under the staircase without anyone from downstairs noticing me and telling me I have to come inside where it's nice and warm. If anything a little bit warm. I think my University friend will be definitely going to Heaven if there is one. So was today's goodbye in the gym our last.
Probably not, I'll probably see her in the gym again. But the point I am making is that in most cases we don't know when that last meeting will be. Who we have lost and who we will find again.
I've crossed paths with a few people from my past this week - all the others in Pret a Manger in the Westfield, where I've been going to work. A familiar man came up to me and said, "Remember me?" It took me a second but I worked out who he was just as he revealed his first name and I completed the puzzle with his surname. It was Matthew who had directed a play I was in at University. He married one of the darlings of the drama scene and has two teenage kids now. I think I might have met him at a party since University, but otherwise there was a man who I had known well who I might easily have never seen again, but who I would not have remembered when we had actually said goodbye for the last time. A few minutes later, a more familiar face (though someone I hardly know) popped up by my table to say hello. It was Shane Richie from off of Eastenders and Up To Something (my first TV credit, as Dave Schneider performed some of my University sketches on the show). It took me a second to remember his name and I think I called him Shaun (don't think he noticed though) and I was surprised he even knew who I was (I hadn't ever been in to the filming of "Up To Something"). We had done a gig together in about 1990 at Ealing college, but I didn't think he'd know me from that. I mentioned it and he clearly didn't recall it. But he did say we'd been on the same bill of a charity night at some point. I didn't really remember. He was really pleasant and friendly, saying he's thinking of getting back into stand up. He slapped me on the back as he left and I awkwardly touched his arm. Our final parting? I didn't think of it at the time, but perhaps. Or maybe the future holds plans for us that neither of us know about.
A couple of days later I bumped into Simon Day from off of the Fast Show in the same sandwich emporium. I reckon if I hung around in that place for long enough I might chance across nearly everyone who I've ever known in my life. I bet Satish Patel will go in there before he dies. But would I recognise him? And would I have chosen that moment to visit Pret's adequate toilet, which amusingly instructs people (in cartoon form) not to put nappies or sanitary towels in the toilet but to use the bin provided, but also adds an illustration asking them not to put toilet paper in the sanitary towel bin. It's a confusing world. I can't imagine it matters too much if you put toilet paper in there, if it's OK to put nappies in. I just like the fact that someone had to draw those cartoons and that also (I am guessing) the second one was added after the first one had proved inadequate.
Anyway, Simon Day. Not bad. Maybe it's just the hangout of actors and comedians who appeared in 1990s sketch shows. The more up to date stars are probably in Eat.
Who will I bump into next? But more interestingly perhaps, who will I never bump into again, until we've both skulking on the staircase of purgatory?
