Monday, June 15, 2009

Not. Happy. Jan.

So I had a corker of a weekend. Something worth blogging about! Yay me.

Two groups within our building had been planning a 'friendly' soccer match. It got cancelled because of the weather, rescheduled, cancelled... you get the picture. Finally, after about a month and a half, it was game on. Most of my close friends were on the team, so of course I headed down to watch.

It was not friendly. But it was hell fun to watch. Then we headed back to work for the real fun... free beer.

Yep. FREE BEER.

How anti diet. I started on light. That lasted all of about, oh, one beer. Then I started on the heavies. Slowly people began to filter off as the night wore on. The food was eaten, and before long it was me and a friend of mine, playing pool, finishing the last of the bevvies.

We headed to the pub. More drinking ensued. He was flirty, as was I, I imagine. A few beers and I'm anyones. I have some vague recollections of meeting new people (who's names I figured out this morning), having them buy me rounds. I bitched about my (endlessly messy) roomie. I tried to convince people to go to a strip club in the cross. Which resulted in a very manly conversation about how awesome boobs were - with a girl, who was also straight. That in turn became questions about whether I was straight or not. I remember watching my mate play pool. It was cold. He disappeared, as did I about 20 minutes later. I figure I had about 12 beers under my belt.

Ew. Anti diet.

So I headed off. Trundled myself from the pub near work and headed home. I boarded my train. Only to feel instantly queasy. I tried to stay awake. In vain. I fell asleep.

I woke up wondering where the hell I was. It didn't look like any station I knew. It wasn't. I'd slept past my stop. And the eight ones after that too. Landing myself in the middle of a really, really bad part of Sydney. Fuuuccckkk.

I stumbled off the train hoping to catch one heading back in the other direction. Nobody around. I walk outside the station. There is an old guy closing up his newsagency. I ask him what platform to catch the city bound trains at. He just looks at me... no more trains this late, catch a bus.

I swear, I have never sobered up so fast in my life. There I was, bad neighborhood, drunk, cold, alone... vulnerable. Rape had gone beyond a possibility and into a liklihood.

I rang a guy friend of mine. We are (now were) really close, and he lived a suburb over. His phone rang out. I didn't know if he was asleep or screening calls. I rang back immediately. Still no response.

Shiiit. I rang another mate of mine. She'd been on the piss but I was desperate. I told her where I was, and that trains weren't running any more. She told me to wait where I was, and she was heading out the door immediately.

I sat myself at the base of the stairs, drunk, cold, alone... vulnerable.

Every 5 minutes a car would go past. Some slowed down and stared. A few yelled shit out the window. One car pulled up to wait for someone. A taxi pulled up across the road and the driver sat and stared at me. I was grateful for the waiting car. The taxi driver stared at me for what felt like a lifetime. Finally he pulled out. I texted Dee to see how long she'd be. She told me 10 minutes. She was there in 4.

I scrambled into the car, freezing and coughing my lungs up, but safe. I managed to get home at 2.30am. Dee didn't let me give her a goodbye hug. I was sick.

I spoke to the first person I'd called today. Turns out the stupid arsehole was screening my calls. Screening multiple calls from a platonic friend who never ever rang him, in the early hours of the morning. Surely that would send alarm bells ringing?