Bromley
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Maybe not the right place for it, but my A Suitable Wardrobe Will story, while i'm thinking of it...
Years ago I happened to be in a particular Italian city at the same time Will was in that city, so I sent him an email asking if I could buy him a drink and chat. He agreed to meet, but he gave off enough an impression of reluctance that I wrote back offering to cancel. He said it would be fine as long as we could meet at the hotel bar where he was staying. He wasn't feeling well. He was very tired. No problem.
I had very little money at this time, so I had to walk instead of taking a taxi. This hotel was way out there, and up at the top of a small mountain. I arrived very late. I had no phone to send Will a message, so he had been waiting alone at the bar for a long time. The bartender was kind of cleaning up around him. He let me know how annoyed he was, (fair), we talked for a bit, and then he said he was feeling too tired to go on. He had to go to sleep. I apologized for my lateness, thanked him profusely for meeting with me, and offered to get the drinks. The bartender brought me the check and it was like, €450 or something. I did not own €450. At this moment I maybe owned €35.
I sat there looking at my options while Will gathered himself to leave. I realized I had no choice-- I had to tell him, while he was on his way out of the room, that I did not own €450, and that I could not, in fact, get the drinks. I had to actually hand him the bill while he looked at me. The whole time he didn't say anything. And then he had to wait around for the bartender to return. I lingered, because it just seemed too rude to leave. We stood there in silence together for a minute, and then he said something like, "what are you still doing here". I'm sure he's forgotten about it, but I still get sweaty remembering this mortifying occasion.
Years ago I happened to be in a particular Italian city at the same time Will was in that city, so I sent him an email asking if I could buy him a drink and chat. He agreed to meet, but he gave off enough an impression of reluctance that I wrote back offering to cancel. He said it would be fine as long as we could meet at the hotel bar where he was staying. He wasn't feeling well. He was very tired. No problem.
I had very little money at this time, so I had to walk instead of taking a taxi. This hotel was way out there, and up at the top of a small mountain. I arrived very late. I had no phone to send Will a message, so he had been waiting alone at the bar for a long time. The bartender was kind of cleaning up around him. He let me know how annoyed he was, (fair), we talked for a bit, and then he said he was feeling too tired to go on. He had to go to sleep. I apologized for my lateness, thanked him profusely for meeting with me, and offered to get the drinks. The bartender brought me the check and it was like, €450 or something. I did not own €450. At this moment I maybe owned €35.
I sat there looking at my options while Will gathered himself to leave. I realized I had no choice-- I had to tell him, while he was on his way out of the room, that I did not own €450, and that I could not, in fact, get the drinks. I had to actually hand him the bill while he looked at me. The whole time he didn't say anything. And then he had to wait around for the bartender to return. I lingered, because it just seemed too rude to leave. We stood there in silence together for a minute, and then he said something like, "what are you still doing here". I'm sure he's forgotten about it, but I still get sweaty remembering this mortifying occasion.