Fantasy Island

A few days ago I returned from another flying visit to the Isle of Man. This time, that is technically accurate as I did choose to fly this time. Makes a world of difference, especially as the planes in both directions were half empty and I could stretch my legs out. (or were they half full...?)

The reason I'm writing this blog entry is because of Newton's Third Law of Motion. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In reality that can translate as: For every act of pleasure, there is an equal and opposite act of pain.

I was travelling this time to stay with Lee, Laura and Tyler and to meet the new arrival, baby Jake. Also on the "to meet" list were Jackie (of course), Ali, a face from the past, and Glenn, an old work mate and one of my most loyal drinking buddies. It's these last three that help define Newton's principal. Lets take them in alphabetical order:

I had arranged to meet Ali for a drink on the day I arrived. I don't honestly know what preconceived ideas I had about seeing her again. She has always been on my mind since our brief liason. I think it was that nagging doubt in my head telling me the first time might have worked out differently if it hadn't been bad timing. I needed to know if something was there. A phoenix from the ashes so to speak. Had things moved on, or was this a chance to start something new?

The meeting was fantastic. No embarassing silences, just lots of chat. Nostalgic in places, looking forward in others. She is still as beautiful as ever, and it didn't take me long to realise my feelings for her hadn't really changed. But time has past, and it was clear that there was no point even attempting a relationship. I'm no longer local and she is off travelling again soon. We parted on good terms, and I hope she keeps in touch. For the first part of Newton's Principal though, it had ended with a hint of sadness that a chapter in my life was closing, probably for good.

...the equal and opposite pleasure? I met some random friends after seeing Ali, Sarah-Jayne included. She is a lovely girl, and has been going through a tough time recently. She's heavily pregnant, but the father has all but abandoned her. We chatted for ages and I didn't realise but occasionally I was rubbing her bump. When she left to go home, I got a text message. It was Sarah-Jayne inviting me back to her's to keep her bump company. She had enjoyed chatting to me, and adored the belly rubs. To cut a long story short, I ended up keeping her 'company' all night (I'll leave out the details because my Mum is probably reading this!!) Now, we text and message constantly, and things seem to be developing at a nice steady pace.

Ok, Part II, Glenn. We arranged to meet in his lunch-hour on the Friday for a beer or three and to catch up. Seeing Glenn again after nearly two years was great. That's the pleasure part.

..and here's the pain. His nearest pub was the QuarterBridge and I was staying at the far end of Farmhill (for non-Manx people that's about 35 mins on foot). I got to the rendezvous slightly before him, and when he showed up the pub still hadn't opened. In fact it looked almost deralict. The QB is not exactly near any other pubs, but we trekked off to the next nearest, The Pinewood in Pulrose. (Not anyone's first choice of drinking establishment, but needs must when you've been walking all morning and you're gasping for a drink!). When we arrived there, the brewery delivery van was unloading, and the pub...... was closed!

"Doesn't open til about 4 mate", said the delivery driver.

Next nearest would have been the Heron which is in....Farmhill, three quarters of the way back to where I set off from in the first place. In total I had been walking for an hour and a half, almost non-stop. No drink, no food and I was wearing completely the wrong trainers. But at least I did get to catch up with Glenn.

Finally, Jackie. Pleasure is the easy bit. She came out after work on the Thursday, we stayed out til the pubs shut (including a short lock-in at the last pub) and I got a cab back to Lee and Laura's. Jackie has this ability to put a smile on the faces of everyone in the room, without even trying. It was a fantastic night. A bit of pool, a jukebox, random chatter... you can't ask for more than that. Sarah-Jayne came back out for a while, and I got Jackie's seal of approval on that situation too (which means a lot).

..and the pain? Jackie missed her bus back to Port Erin, came back to the pub, carried on drinking but refused every offer of a spare bed for the night. Instead she chose to use her office keys to sleep at work. Consequence? She has had the office keys taken off her, as well as her job. The guilt I feel for this situation is off the scale.

Extra examples of Newtons principal from the trip:

Pleasure: Saw Nev again now he's back from the USA. Didn't even realise he was back. A great bloke. As he was back working in the pub, managed to catch up fully.
Pain: Ant (another great bloke) split from his girlfriend during the trip.

Pleasure: Met up briefly with Julie and Jasmine, and found out things were going a bit better between her and Jonathan.
Pain: Martin and Emma have started living apart, and neither knows if things will work out between them anymore.

...isn't life complicated?