Surprise, Surprise!!

I arrived at Heathrow to find that May had forgotten that it was supposed to be the start of the English summer. When the captain announced outside temperatures of 6 degrees, I was glad of the fleece I’d decided to pack at the top of my big pack and the heated air-con inside the terminal building, whilst waiting for it to come off the carousel. It was early and I couldn’t be arsed with the hassle of the tube with so much kit to carry so I took an extortionately expensive black cab to Abbeyfields Close in Park Royal, where I was hoping to make an enjoyable start to a day of freaking people out. First on my list of victims were Charlotte (a former work colleague and close friend) and her boyfriend Jon (after meeting him through Charlotte, he’s become one of my best buddies and an essential ingredient to a good barbeque or lads’ card night).
It was still before 7 when I arrived outside Jon and Charlotte’s door so, rather than wake them up too early, I deposited my bags and hid round a corner to read a book. Eventually, as the time approached a more respectable hour and I started to feel the wintry nip in the air, I took the plunge and knocked on the door.
I could see Jon coming to the door and, when he asked who it was, I gave an unconvincing ‘Parcel for a Miss Decunha’ (Charlotte’s surname). Jon, bleary eyed, swung the door open, spent a few, uncomprehending moments studying my face, before suggesting I go elsewhere in somewhat crude terms and slamming the door in my face. I was delighted at his reaction and in stitches that I’d caught him so obviously unaware and, when he re-opened the door to let me in, I gave him a warm hug and a firm handshake.
Charlotte was still sleepily tucked up in bed and muttered something about having a bad dream but soon got up and seemed as pleased to see me as I was her. The two of them made me feel very welcome and Jon even went so far as to cook me some bacon and eggs, while we sat there and chatted for the first time in 8 months. It was great to be back amongst close friends – people who know me inside-out – and I was gratified to hear Char putting my own thoughts into words when she remarked, ‘It’s like you never left.’ This was exactly how I was feeling and the slight sense of trepidation that I’d felt before this warm welcome immediately dissipated. Of course, the pair of them would have to get off to work before long, so I grabbed a set of keys and walked 2 minutes down the road to the house of our mutual friends, Andy and Katka. These two had been a part of the group with whom I’d first started clubbing in London and I’d introduced them to Jon and Char when I discovered that they lived so close by. Andy has to be one of the most intelligent blokes I know and I’ve whiled away many happy hours with him debating the finer points of world politics. One of my favourite memories comes from an idyllic 10 days last summer (between quitting my job and departing on my trip), sitting glued to the Olympics with him for 12 hour-a-day, soaking up every ounce of sport imaginable. His lovely girlfriend, Katka, hails from Hungary and her affectionate nature and crazy imagination are always highlights of a good night (and usually the following day!) of trance.
My attempts at deception were far more successful here, as both Andy and Katka were expecting several parcels. Andy is never the brightest in the morning and when he came stumbling to the door and heard my ‘Parcelforce, Guvnor’, he eagerly opened the door and stared down at my hands, where he fully expected to see a package. After a second or two, when he’d realised there was no parcel there, he looked up at my face and slow recognition dawned on him. I got just as warm a welcome from him as I had from the other two and, when Katka realised what was going on, she soon jumped out of bed and enveloped me in a whirlwind of hugs and kisses. Of all my friends (mainly due to their employment circumstances and an excellent broadband connection) they’d been in most frequent contact with me over the last eight months and, if anything, we’d become closer in my absence.
I spent the morning tooling around with Andy and enlisting his technical expertise to sort out a few remaining glitches with my laptop. Amongst other things he ordered me a new RAM chip to improve the computer’s speed and downloaded a whole host of software that would protect me from hackers and unwanted advertising. We met Jon for lunch at one of my favourite restaurants in Ealing, The Hare and Tortoise, where they serve a wide selection of Asian foods. I enjoyed sashimi and noodles as well as a few tasty appetisers and the boys remarked that my appetite was as good as ever, despite my huge weight-loss. I confided in them that I suspected I might have a tape-worm as the weight had not returned at all since my trekking had finished 2 weeks previously. However, I agreed that it was much more likely that my metabolism was still working at its higher, Himalayan rate and that I’d soon be back to my former size once I got home and started sitting around again.
After lunch in Ealing, I jumped on the tube to join Don for a second lunch at Canary Wharf. My long-awaited square pie and mash was delicious, but compared not-at-all to the delight of seeing my brother once again. He was pleased that my morning had gone as planned and was eagerly anticipating my evening surprise – the biggest of all! – when I’d be turning up on Sue’s front doorstep. Sue is the most important person in my life and the one, over the months away, who I’d missed most keenly. Before I’d left on my travels, we’d been virtually inseparable and, without any way for her to come out and see me as Don and Dave had been able to, it was her face I was most looking forward to seeing.
I left Don to get back to his work and travelled back to West London to pick up the bag of stuff I’d need for my stay at Sue’s. I’d be back the following day (while Sue was at school, teaching) as I wanted to get in some practice on my record decks, which I’d left in the safe hands of Andy and Katka while I was away.
It was gone 8 o’clock by the time I got to Sue’s and, fortunately, her housemate Mike answered the door and I was able to shush him up before he gave the game away. I knocked on Sue’s bedroom door and pushed it open to find her cross-legged on the bed, surrounded by a bunch of exam papers. She looked up and time seemed to stand still for a few moments before she managed a whispered ‘Oh! My God!’…which she then repeated several times.
I then got my warmest hug of the day and was subjected to a barrage of questions, interspersed with frequent “I can’t believe you here”s. We spent several hours yakking away and catching up on recent news before we took a stroll down across the park so she could show me the maisonette she was going to buy. It looked nice from the outside and, barely 5 minutes from her current flat and her sister’s old house (where we’d spent many happy weekends), it was perfect for transport into London and near enough to the M25 for a quick getaway. It was where I would be living when I finally came home at the end of the summer and the prospect of it was enough for me to wish it was August already.
Much as with my reunion with Don in Kathmandu, we were both far too excited to get to sleep and sat there for hours chatting and just generally enjoying being back in each others company. After 8 amazing months on the road, I knew that my trip home had been perfectly timed and just what I needed. Being surrounded once more by the love and affection of my friends was very life-affirming and I realised, yet again, just how lucky I was to have friends like these. Eventually, the adrenalin wore off and the effects of my long trip from Kathmandu began to have their say. I floated off to sleep in a real, comfortable bed with a warm, fluffy duvet…very, very pleased to be home.