This evening, my friend's Caragh and Mike were having a "We're Moving to Australia, so Come Over and Drink All of Our Booze" party. I used to share a house with Caragh when I was a student at Cambridge, and Mike is her new husband (they got married this past September). I don't stay in touch with them as much as I should, so I was eager to take this last chance to catch up with them, at least for a while.
I had to finish work before I was able to leave for King's Cross, so I figured I would arrive about an hour late. Not what I'd wish when I knew I'd be catching an early train back, but I was doing my best. I made good time to King's Cross, and was excited to be able to use my last voucher that I'd received last February, meaning that my ticket only cost me £5. I thought about just getting a "Day Return" ticket (which would have cost me nothing at all), but given my experience at Sophie and Ian's wedding last September, I decided to hedge my bets and get a ticket that would allow me to return the next day.
My timing was excellent, as only 15 minutes after I'd arrived at the station, a train was departing for Cambridge. So I managed to pull into the station at 7:45 PM, and made it to my friend's house by 8 PM.
I was surprised however, to find that there was almost nobody there, for a party that had supposedly started at 7 PM. In fact, most people did not arrive until 9-10 PM, for a party that had started several hours earlier. I suppose it shows the difference of not worrying about making the last Tube, as no London party would ever kick off that late!
In addition to seeing Caragh, I was delighted when another friend from my first days at Cambridge, Simon, arrived. He will also shortly be leaving Cambridge to move back to Germany, after having lived in the UK now for the past decade. He brought with him to the party his brother Felix, who I had never met in the nearly 10 years I've known Simon. It was surprising, because I'd never really considered that Simon might have a brother, and it was even more of a surprise to meet this VERY German chap (rather cute, actually) who looked not at all like Simon! Late in the evening I found myself in conversation with him, and he absolutely seemed thrilled to find that I spoke both German and Spanish, the two languages that he speaks. Yet it was unfortunate that this guy, who was so clearly into me, discovered this only at the end of the evening, right when Simon was getting grumpy and tired and wanted to go home. Oh well, not like it was going to go anywhere anyway...
It was a real Cambridge reunion, when the third housemate of my first year at Cambridge arrived, James. He brought with him his new girlfriend, who he'd met during his sabbatical in New York last year, and who had recently moved to Cambridge to move in with him. It was funny, because James had long been one of those guys who seemed to be so sweet but who had no luck with women. And now here he was dating this sweet, nice, warm and funny girl who was so devoted to him that she was willing to move countries for him. She was a bit plain-looking, to be honest, but I was really just so warmed by the idea that one of the sweetest guys I've ever known has found an equally sweet girl to be just head-over-heels for him. All nice guys (particularly the ones who have no luck with women) deserve girls like that. I would not be surprised if the two of them end up getting married.
As more people arrived, the party really kicked off, and some of the more musical guys present decided to perform as a barbershop trio (as opposed to the usual quartet). And I know I've said this before, but there's really something about a man who can sing. The baritone in particular, really sort of had me with his low and rumbling voice. They were all genuinely amazing.
Of course, this wasn't the only musical entertainment for the evening, for we were about to get a real treat on the piano. I'd been chatting all evening to this American guy, who went to Brown for undergrad, and who had taken time out from his medical degree (he was going to be a surgeon, I think) to earn a PhD. Because you know, just having one doctorate is not nearly enough.
Anyway, he was nice but his chat was a bit dull, as I struggled to keep the conversation going, he was just so obviously not naturally social and a bit on the shy side. Yet, when he sat down in front of the piano, it was like an entirely different person emerged. Suddenly Chopin, Brahams, and even Gershwin just danced across the keyboard. I saw his fingers do things I hadn't even known were possible, as we got this classical music concert at 2 AM, from a guy who had been drinking all evening! Such a typical Cambridge over-achiever, but I realised I've missed that about Cambridge, being constantly surrounded people who are so brilliant and talented it almost makes you sick. Except you totally love it.
And yes, I was still there at 2 AM, because when I'd made a move to leave at 10:30 PM to catch my train, Caragh had insisted that I should just stay overnight. Given that I'd been clever enough to buy the next-day-return ticket, I didn't take much convincing! But it did make me think of how much better Oxford is than Cambridge in that regard, that the all-night links to London mean you can stay much later at parties without worry. As it was, I was now committed to waiting until 6 AM for the first train back to London in the morning (where I thankfully already had a ticket, hurrah!)
The evening went surprisingly late, as people had quite a bit to drink. I found myself in a drunken conversation (for them anyway, I was taking it easy) with Caragh and her friend Nat, as we recalled tales of the first Christmas I had ever spent in England, which I spent with them at an all-Australian house party in London.
Some guy showed up at around 4 AM with two 20-year olds, who started playing a game of "I Never" that I realised was totally in keeping with 20-year olds (how many times had I played that game when I was in undergrad?) but was one of those things the older set just doesn't do anymore, and was making the concert pianist very uncomfortable (I kind of wondered if he might actually still be a virgin). I realised they weren't even asking very creative questions (everything was about sex), so after a bit I just decided to set them straight and ask more creative and challenging questions, which got more people responding and laughing. Caragh's husband, Mike, complimented me on that later, saying, "Far from being scandalized at the rude behaviour of those boys, she just took it in stride and absolutely schooled them!" I took it as a compliment.
The party came to an abrupt end at about 5 AM, when one of the 20-year old boys had a bit too much to drink and started vomiting. Goodness, I can't remember the last time I was at a party where that happened, and I've been at some very drunken parties! Just one of those things we don't do anymore... So we got him out of the house rather quickly, cleaned up, and then it really sort of ended the party.
Caragh and Mike found me a sleeping bag and some bedding, and so I curled up on the couch on the floor. I almost thought I might just stay awake even longer to catch the 5:45 AM train back to London, but instead I lay down for a little while. Yet I was up again at 7:45 AM, quite eager to catch the 8:15 AM train and head home to go sleep in my own bed. Quite a party, but I was exhausted!
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