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gothams3rdrobinSo I said I was gonna post about seeing Robert again after twelve years....
We used to hang around in the music classroom at lunchtimes, a group of us who were all different ages, listening to Queen and messing around on the instruments. I can't even remember exactly how I came to join the little 'gang' - just that it was just after Freddie Mercury died and we were all pretty gutted.
Last time I saw Robert, I was fifteen and travelled up to Birmingham on my own for the first time ever. I remember being very nervous when I saw the signpost for Digbeth coach station.
It'd only been a handful of months since I'd previously seen him, as he'd moved away with his parents during the summer holidays. And I'd been shocked as hell to get a phone call from him inviting me up to the concert, but then he owed me for not making it to the local one during the summer.
My mother was not pleased at having to come along to a rock concert.... *chuckles*
My first thought on seeing him was to wonder what the hell he'd done to his hair - he'd obviously decided to bleach it for some reason. He looked at my amused stare and told me not to say a word! *laughs*
I actually had more interaction with his little sister Becky than with him, since I was more comfortable with her anyway. But I remember a lot of little moments about the night; the impropmtu singsong we did of '39, Becky and me playing some made-up hand game to keep the circulation going on a cold november evening, Robert giving a roadie a note in the hope he'd pass it on to Brian....
I thought that last was unlikely, but I didn't see any point saying anything.
After the gig, Robert's mother gave us some hot chicken drumsticks to eat, which really hit the spot. We watched that wierd self-titled US sitcom Billy Connolly did before I crashed on a chair-bed in Becky's room. Next morning, Robert and I had some breakfast before he took me back to the coach station - I still can't believe he nuked his cornflakes, rather than just warm up the milk...*shudders*
As we walked across Birmingham town centre, I remember casting sideways glances at him, trying to decide how I felt about him. I'd always been in awe of him, 'cause he was the 'cool kid' in the gang, and such an awesome musician. I guess he was my first experience of puppy-love, but I knew it didn't go any deeper than that. Hell, I was fifteen and still very much of the opinion all boys had cooties.
This time out, I felt more excited than nervous when we reached Birmingham. The place looked just as I remembered it. My only concern was how I was gonna locate Rob. He couldn't come meet me off the coach, so we'd arranged to meet near the train station up the road. He got there sooner than planned, but still pretty much the same time I did so it was cool. Had some problems locating him though, as I didn't know what car he was driving, or whether I'd still recognise him!
Finally, he managed to direct me to him over the phone. He hadn't changed much at all, to be honest! I said as much to him, and he seemed surprised.
We talked quite easily all the way there, not bothering to put any music on for a couple of hours. We stopped at a service station and had some food, where I learned he's vegetarian these days. I commented on this, as I remembered the chicken clearly, and he was a little surprised. Mind you, I can't recall for certain if he ate any of it himself.
Interesting that my recollection of the first visit was clearer than his - my long-term memory is hideous.
Once we hit London, we started needing to consult the instructions on how to get to the carpark, so I did my best to help. We made a few wrong turns, through no fault of our own really. It's kinda hard to follow turns when you can't see any street markings any place!
I did feel like something of a third wheel when we were with his mates, but that's as much my own shyness as anything else. I was much more comfortable in their presence by the time we were trekking back to the carpark, and the ride back to Birmingham was quite funny at times.
Robert surprised me again by letting me sleep in his son Jamie's bed for the night, as Jamie was with grandparents. Both times I'd visited I'd expected to sleep on the couch with a blanket, and both times better arrangements had been put together. It was quite touching.
Next morning, I woke up to the sound of Robert taking his daughter Rhian out. Realising it was starting to get late, I got myself up and dressed and wandered downstairs. There I met his wife Jane, who's about seven months pregnant. She's an absolutely delightful woman, and we chatted together very easily. Even more so when Robert got back from dropping Rhian off a few minutes later.
Eventually it was time for me to go back to the coach station. I was sorry the weekend was over, but glad to be heading home to my little one.
It was great to see Rob again, and I'm grateful for the awesome weekend. I hope we get to do it again some time!
We used to hang around in the music classroom at lunchtimes, a group of us who were all different ages, listening to Queen and messing around on the instruments. I can't even remember exactly how I came to join the little 'gang' - just that it was just after Freddie Mercury died and we were all pretty gutted.
Last time I saw Robert, I was fifteen and travelled up to Birmingham on my own for the first time ever. I remember being very nervous when I saw the signpost for Digbeth coach station.
It'd only been a handful of months since I'd previously seen him, as he'd moved away with his parents during the summer holidays. And I'd been shocked as hell to get a phone call from him inviting me up to the concert, but then he owed me for not making it to the local one during the summer.
My mother was not pleased at having to come along to a rock concert.... *chuckles*
My first thought on seeing him was to wonder what the hell he'd done to his hair - he'd obviously decided to bleach it for some reason. He looked at my amused stare and told me not to say a word! *laughs*
I actually had more interaction with his little sister Becky than with him, since I was more comfortable with her anyway. But I remember a lot of little moments about the night; the impropmtu singsong we did of '39, Becky and me playing some made-up hand game to keep the circulation going on a cold november evening, Robert giving a roadie a note in the hope he'd pass it on to Brian....
I thought that last was unlikely, but I didn't see any point saying anything.
After the gig, Robert's mother gave us some hot chicken drumsticks to eat, which really hit the spot. We watched that wierd self-titled US sitcom Billy Connolly did before I crashed on a chair-bed in Becky's room. Next morning, Robert and I had some breakfast before he took me back to the coach station - I still can't believe he nuked his cornflakes, rather than just warm up the milk...*shudders*
As we walked across Birmingham town centre, I remember casting sideways glances at him, trying to decide how I felt about him. I'd always been in awe of him, 'cause he was the 'cool kid' in the gang, and such an awesome musician. I guess he was my first experience of puppy-love, but I knew it didn't go any deeper than that. Hell, I was fifteen and still very much of the opinion all boys had cooties.
This time out, I felt more excited than nervous when we reached Birmingham. The place looked just as I remembered it. My only concern was how I was gonna locate Rob. He couldn't come meet me off the coach, so we'd arranged to meet near the train station up the road. He got there sooner than planned, but still pretty much the same time I did so it was cool. Had some problems locating him though, as I didn't know what car he was driving, or whether I'd still recognise him!
Finally, he managed to direct me to him over the phone. He hadn't changed much at all, to be honest! I said as much to him, and he seemed surprised.
We talked quite easily all the way there, not bothering to put any music on for a couple of hours. We stopped at a service station and had some food, where I learned he's vegetarian these days. I commented on this, as I remembered the chicken clearly, and he was a little surprised. Mind you, I can't recall for certain if he ate any of it himself.
Interesting that my recollection of the first visit was clearer than his - my long-term memory is hideous.
Once we hit London, we started needing to consult the instructions on how to get to the carpark, so I did my best to help. We made a few wrong turns, through no fault of our own really. It's kinda hard to follow turns when you can't see any street markings any place!
I did feel like something of a third wheel when we were with his mates, but that's as much my own shyness as anything else. I was much more comfortable in their presence by the time we were trekking back to the carpark, and the ride back to Birmingham was quite funny at times.
Robert surprised me again by letting me sleep in his son Jamie's bed for the night, as Jamie was with grandparents. Both times I'd visited I'd expected to sleep on the couch with a blanket, and both times better arrangements had been put together. It was quite touching.
Next morning, I woke up to the sound of Robert taking his daughter Rhian out. Realising it was starting to get late, I got myself up and dressed and wandered downstairs. There I met his wife Jane, who's about seven months pregnant. She's an absolutely delightful woman, and we chatted together very easily. Even more so when Robert got back from dropping Rhian off a few minutes later.
Eventually it was time for me to go back to the coach station. I was sorry the weekend was over, but glad to be heading home to my little one.
It was great to see Rob again, and I'm grateful for the awesome weekend. I hope we get to do it again some time!
