Ace Rent a van is in New Cross. It’s my new standard as, unlike my old regular van rental people, they don’t mind that I picked up those stupid points for driving uninsured. Their vans are workhorses though. It’s popular. They keep their prices reasonable for short trips, and they even have a loyalty scheme. It’s often crowded there in the mornings.
I had one of their long wheel base transits booked up, but a litany of minor fuckups meant that nothing was ready when I came to pick it up at arsehole o’clock in the morning. Somebody hadn’t brought my one back. Somebody else had returned theirs with the step at the back kicked in. They’d got caught up in a protest and somebody didn’t like vans. Eventually they let me take the broken one out. It was just cosmetic damage. The van was fine apart from a lack of air conditioning. I’ve been spoilt by Bergman.
I’ve been wishing for summer weather, and the Gods have a sense of humour. It was a beautiful day all day and I was in that van with no air con burning up to Cardiff and back with my strange cargoes.
That van… It cooked me. I’m exhausted. I had thought that perhaps I could fit my cargo in Bergman, but daleks are much bigger than you think, even in four pieces. And beggars can’t be choosers with van hire in London. It was in the back deconstructed and unlikely to exterminate me. I was in the cab trying not to die of heat mostly with the windows down unless I was shouting at somebody over the speakerphone.
At the drop off, Jeff clocked that I needed water. “You’d think a van that new would have air-con,” he says. I wince. He gets me two litres of precious precious liquid out of his campervan. We load in my return cargo. He’s a nice guy, Geoff. He used to holiday in Jersey. Now he works in a warehouse full of strange yet familiar things and he gives me a small box of them to take back to London. Since it’s coming in I’ll be careful about mentioning what it is that I brought back in case it spoils some sort of plot twist.
With my load it was mission tin-can once again. Back in London by half six and empty. Finally home just after nine wishing that I was already asleep.
I’ve always got stamina for long drives. On the news once again they were talking about lorry driver shortages and I was thinking about it but knowing that I couldn’t commit the time away from acting. Still, good to have a long day of driving work today for something creative. I’m so tired now though. It’s like I’ve had all the moisture cooked out of me. Water and sleep. Maybe a lie in tomorrow morning. All will be well. Zzzz
AlBarclay 