This evening was a Magdalene in the City event, which I always look forward to. Since it was taking place in Canary Wharf, I made plans to have drinks with Joel beforehand (since he apparently lives in Canary Wharf now), and then go to the event.
I always get nervous when Joel calls me before we're supposed to meet up, as it usually means he is about to cancel on me. So you can imagine my trepidation when at 4:30 PM my phone rang... Indeed, he'd slipped or done something bad to himself again (he'd been on crutches the last time I saw him), and so was now going to the hospital instead of to the event. I was bummed, obviously, but knew I was sure at least to still see Doro and a few other familiar faces there...
So I was a bit bummed then to get a text from Doro as I was walking to the Tube, saying she wasn't going to make it. When I informed her that Joel had cancelled as well and now I was going to have to have enough fun for both of them, she replied, "Am sure your two fans will help you. ;) Could you please let them know I won't make it?"
When I inquired about my two fans, she wrote, "The two guys you always meet?"
Oh yes... And indeed, once I arrived (marveling at the people in suits streaming out of the sterile glass-and-steel office, realising that people like that have to go to the office EVERY DAY), I was shortly joined by Fan #1, one of my favourite people. You might recall I wrote about these guys before, and so I was thrilled that even if I was to be abandoned by Joel and Doro, I was obviously now still going to have a fun night.
We chatted a bit and I asked him about the kids (2 years old and six months now), and just this and that, until the panel session that had taken place before the drinks reception let out, and we were joined by Fan #2. I must say, I like Fan #2 now that he's had a kid, and ever since we had that random run-in and heart-to-heart in the Bond Street Tube station.
Apparently College had brought a bunch of current students down in a bus for this session, and so the Master came too. When he walked in, he spotted me and gave me a friendly nod of recognition, which impressed the Fan Club.
In fact, this became a running joke later in the evening about how I know EVERYBODY, to the point that Fan #2 tried to introduce me to some random old bloke (who I will admit, I didn't recognise), but as soon as he spotted me he claimed to remember me and know me. I suppose it really helps to be a pretty girl sometimes, as all of the old men will make it a point to know you!
Mostly though, I chatted to the Fan Club, bringing people I knew into the conversation throughout the evening (people I'd met at the Magdalene dinner I'd hosted, or even people obviously needing someone to talk to, who turned out to have been at Magdalene at the same time as the Fan Club).
At one point I did get pulled out into a conversation with some old dude, whose wife had gone to Dartmouth. And it turns out that she was from the same year as the trustee who I'd organized the talk of recently, but I COULD NOT remember the Trustee's name. Michael Bloomberg's girlfriend, a class of '77, but the name just wasn't coming to me. Too much wine perhaps, or just one of those facts that you know is rattling around in your head but you're too used to being able to look things up on your phone to bother remembering them.
Yet, this was another example of, "I'm glad I'm clever." I knew the name was in my head somewhere, and all I had to do was chase it down in that brain of mine. So I kept engaging the guy in conversation, getting him to talk more, while internally I was frantically flipping through my mental dictionary. "Nancy? Grace? Gina?" And then all of a sudden, there it was. So at the perfect point in the conversation, I slipped in, "Your wife must know Diana Taylor, who was here giving a talk recently." Boom. Perfect. The guy was thrilled, instant recognition, and then he insisted on getting my card. I LOVE being smart sometimes.
As per usual, the event ended far too quickly, but not before we'd consumed a good portion of canapes (really quite good) and had quite a few refills on our wine from the helpfully circulating waiters. I'd admired the view, and not gotten a chance to talk to half the people I wanted to, but had thoroughly enjoyed the company of the Fan Club. And you know what? In the end, I'm almost glad that Joel and Doro cancelled, as it left me free to enjoy the Fan Club and be the Three Musketeers as usual.
So there was no question that we would be going on for drinks, and I knew that there was a Cafe Rouge in the area. Mostly because I had once been there for a date with an ex-boyfriend. And kind of weirdly, when we came in and asked to be seated, they put us in the exact same table I'd been at with the ex. Which was kind of awesome in a way, as it totally re-did all of my memories of that place. I'll never think of the ex should I ever go back there again, I'll just remember this wild and crazy night.
Someone had the good sense to order some glasses of water, and then Fan #1 settled down to the serious business of choosing a wine. Once we had agreed on red, he said, "Well, I think we should go with what I know will be A's favourite." And as he pointed to one on the menu for the waitresses benefit, even though I couldn't see it, I wondered if he knew me that well. I looked up hopefully. "Malbec?" And he gave me a wink and a smile, as indeed, that's what he'd ordered. I love it when men can read my mind like that. And how cool is it that this guy knows my preferences in wine?
With the important things taken care of, we all ordered steak and pomme frites (so French!) and then proceeded to have an absolutely hilarious dinner, where I just couldn't stop laughing the entire time. At some point, I don't know why, we got out my phone and decided to start texting Doro...the poor girl was inundated with drunken texts, none of which I wrote. Seemed like a hilarious idea at the time, and thankfully it was only Doro who we were bothering, not some cute guy...
Of course, while Doro got the brunt of it, at around midnight one of the guys managed to text Joel, "Am I ok in your eyes?" (Not sure what that was about). To which Joel appropriately responded, "Eh?"
Which at 1 AM inspired me to write, "I think I may have handed over my phone to two great Magdalene men who you should have met tonight. They are awesome, but perhaps more drunk than I am (and I'm pretty drunk). I said they were supposed to meet you, but you bailed. Nevertheless they said you sounded awesome. The Master gave me a kiss tonight. Everyone who loves me was there but you! Will shut up now, those waiters who keep refilling your wine glass are dangerous." A few more ill-advised messages followed at 1:30 AM, and I woke up this morning to a response from Joel: "Oh this is all very funny." My apologies were only met with, "Not at all. These texts are completely normal. I'll never mention them in any kind of loose recourse to embarrassing banter. Really I won't." Ah, thank goodness it's Joel...the best part about good friends is you can make an idiot of yourself with them and they still love you anyway.
Still, it was Doro who really got the worst of it, with the Fan Club texting her about hot they were...it was really funny. At least because it is Doro who is so clever, she wrote me at one point, "Are you still in charge of your phone, Miss L?" Ah, that girl is a smart one.
After we drank our first bottle of wine, we ordered another, and then after that retired to the bar in the restaurant, where the guys ordered something ridiculously strong like brandy... We then started taking funny iPhone pictures, and even convinced the waitress to take a photo with us. Totally random.
Finally at around midnight, although we were having so much fun we would have loved to have continued the party, they shooed us out of the restaurant, and we sort of admitted defeat and it was time to go home. Although not before running into a random girl who was taking photographs outside the Canary Wharf station, and after we randomly photo-bombed some of her shots, she ended up taking photos of the three of us. So totally bizarre, but the best part was that she got Fan #2's card and e-mailed the photos to us the next morning!
Made it home just past 1 AM, texted the Fan Club so they knew I was home safely, and replied to an e-mail the Young Dutchman had sent me. (Ill advised, but thankfully it's the Young Dutchman, so I know he wouldn't care). Even sent a work e-mail, but thankfully was able to keep that one sounding normal.
Went to bed guzzling water with my head spinning, but I don't think I would have changed a second of it. What a fantastic night!
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