Last night, post root canal, I went back to my flat and feverishly cooked a random pasta curry sausage thing. It was yummy, but I think I did it because it was easy. I was more tired than I was aware after the procedure.
Knowing I had an early start, I turned in early and set my alarm. I was meeting James at the archway in Waterloo at half 9 having already picked up a transit van from New Cross.
At 7 my alarm went off. I haven’t done this for years, but I incorporated it into my dream. I reset the alarm for something absurd like 2pm. I rolled over and into that sweet sweet terrible second sleep, and there I lay until 9:46 when the phone woke me up.
It was James. All the realisations happened at once. My first words this morning, into the phone, were “It’s bad, James.” James is the type to roll with it. “How bad?” “I slept through my alarm,” I remember myself saying. “Van in an hour.” “Do you mean you’ll be here with the van in an hour?” “Don’t know. Got to rush. Will tell you.”
At 9:50 I was out the door, in the clothes I wore yesterday. I had my car key. No coffee. No water. No breakfast.
By 10:33 I was in New Cross with all the paperwork done. Pace Van Hire are not in much of a hurry. The guy wasn’t there to show me the van, and when he finally showed up he wanted exhaustive photos of the van from all possible angles while I was absolutely losing my shit. I really really hate being late. With the chaotic life I’ve chosen, there are some boundaries I needed to set early, and one of them was to never be late. If you’re reliable you can get away with being a bit more chaotic.
I got to the arch by eleven, and we chucked a load in. We got the van to Kings Road. Caroline has a new space there, running studios and an events space. It’s cavernous. James and I hauled a huge leather sofa up the stairs. I was panting and drenched. We got the rest out. I ran for a coffee. Back to the arch.
Things settled. Thankfully everyone was very understanding. I’ve been reliable for them for long enough that I had one strike in the bag. But we had to work at a much faster rate than I was ready for, and come early evening I badly needed the egg and watercress sandwich I finally put into myself.
Three loads we took. I had to load the final one myself. Dropped off after dark and then had to get the van back through the early bits of rush hour, being seriously bullied by bus drivers on the Old Kent Road.
Home at last now, and wondering what happened to my body. I was lifting through the legs but that stuff was heavy. A good day though and I always like a solid graft. It just would have been possible to be kinder to myself if I hadn’t rolled over. I’m blaming the anesthetic. Pasta, bath, electric blanket, dreams.
AlBarclay 