A New Group of Friends
It was now four o’clock and I had finally finished my lectures for the day and was on my way back to the apartment. The campus was quite quiet now and I only passed by two students on my journey home. I went to peer in the window and was very unimpressed by what I saw. Patrick and Lucy were on the couch gazing into each others eyes.
I quickly shouted out for Patrick to open the doors for me before I witnessed something I didn’t want to see. As Patrick went to open the doors I could see that Lucy had gone back into her room.
Patrick opened the external door with a large grin but it quickly disappeared when I asked him if he had started to cook the dinner. He replied that he would get to it straight away. I told him that I would go into my bedroom and study until it was ready. I noticed that Patrick was wearing cologne and clean shaven so I knew what he was thinking but was unsure how to react. Hopefully Lucy wasn’t similarly interested.
I spent the time reviewing economic notes but mostly thinking about Statistics During the lecture a book was recommended so I decided that it was one of the books that I would definitely purchase. Fortunately Economics seemed to make intrinsic sense to me so I was confident that I could breeze through it.
Then I could hear Patrick calling me. It was the usual sausages and bacon. They were quickly devoured and then I told Patrick my plan as he was hoisting me into the air to go to the toilet. He laughed in astonishment and asked why didn’t I just stay in the flat with Lucy. I told him that there wasn’t enough time to talk about it and that this was what I was doing.
The reason I didn’t want to stay with Lucy was because it could then be looked upon as her having to “mind” me and this could at worst be possibly used against me in the future. For instance at worst she could lodge a complaint to the accommodation management that she was expected to help me and at best it would sour our relationship over time. Undoubtedly this would not occur if this was a one time event but it was likely to happen throughout the year and therefore I thought it best to try and cope on my own. Only time would tell if I am correct.
The bar was fairly empty as I entered. Settling on a table near the side of the bar I asked Patrick to get me a vodka and orange with three empty glasses so that I could stack them up. I only liked a small portion of orange as I liked the strong taste of liquor.
On his return I told him to leave the notes loose in my pocket rather than putting them into my wallet. This way if I met a friend or someone trustworthy they could easily get at my money if I wanted another drink. With a small laugh Patrick said that one of the barmen thought him very weird for asking for empty glasses and he had to spend a few minutes explaining what they were for.
Patrick then set up my drink. The empty glasses were stacked up near the edge of the table and my drink was placed on top. Then with the use of a straw and me leaning to my left in the wheelchair I would be able to get a drink when I wanted one. Then Patrick looked at his watch and said he was off and that he would see me next week.
I was now alone and almost immediately I began to wonder if this was a good idea. But I quickly dispersed such thoughts knowing that it was too late to alter course now. Sipping from my drink I stated to wonder if everybody would be looking at me wondering why I was in a pub on my own.
But after just a short while with the music blaring I began to feel much more at home. The barman even came over to ask if I wanted another drink to which I replied yes. He brought over the drink and took a loose note from my pocket as I had planned and left the change back into it. The bar was getting busier now with more and more people gradually coming in. There were beautiful women everywhere I looked in the prime of their lives.
It was a strange way to meet someone new. A group of lads stopped and started chatting in front of me. This blocked my view of a lovely group of ladies and when one of them noticed he immediately apologised and asked the other guys to move to mutual laughter. He then asked my name and told me that his was Casey. I was happy to have someone to talk to even though I was enjoying immersing myself in the music and getting intoxicated.
Never before had I met a guy called Casey. Up till then I would have thought it was a girls name and he seemed to sense this when I told him that I didn’t hear him properly the first time. He continued telling me that it was a name that had been passed down through the generations. His father and grandfather had the same name.
Casey who was a few years older than me was of medium height and had receding black hair. He talked fast and incessantly, rarely stopping even for a breath. I quickly learned that he was an Arts Student studying English and History. He said that he and the rest of the lads there were out having a few drinks. Then he asked if I was on my own to which I responded that I was. Immediately he suggested that I should join them which I nodded in agreement to.
I was then introduced to the other three lads there. The first was John who seemed quite shy, shabbily dressed but tall and physically imposing. He was much older than the rest of us, probably in his late forties with his original long black hair visibly greying. He gave a simple nod in acknowledgement of my presence.
Next was Eamonn who immediately smiled and asked how I was. He was a typical student who liked bit of craic. Finally there was Mick, a giant bespectacled man visibly balding who was least six foot three and had a face I thought only a mother could love.
It didn’t take long for the conversation to change to politics. They had just come from the first meeting of the year of the college’s Fianna Fail Cumann. Fianna Fail officially called Fianna Fail – The Republican Party are the largest political party in the country but are currently in opposition. The Cumann are the grass roots of the party and they cover the country. A national election is expected later in the year which I am quite looking forward to as it will be my first opportunity to vote.
Casey soon queries my own political affiliation. Nervously I informed him that I joined Young Fine Gael, the youth wing of Ireland’s second largest party and Fianna Fail`s main opponents. Both are centre parties and in truth little divides them except memories of the Irish Civil War which was now of little relevance to my generation.
However as I had expected my response led to humorous cat calls of “Blueshirt” and “West Brit” from a smiling Casey.
Fianna Fail came from the side that lost the Civil War, cementing the partition of Ireland into the Irish Free State (later to become The Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland. Fine Gael emerged from Cumann na Gaedhael, whose side had won The Civil War.
I replied that Michael Collins (Irish hero from War of Independence) was my inspiration which shut him up for a few seconds as he nodded in agreement.
He then switched the conversation to what I was studying & where I was staying. I replied that I was studying Commerce which I was enjoying and staying on campus. Casey then informed me that he was studying Third Year Arts and that his accommodation was a ten minute walk off campus.
I knew that Casey would turn out to be a good and useful friend when he offered to go to the bar when I had finished my drink. The bar was now packed and it would take him about five minutes before he would be back to me I reckoned. I told him that my money was in my pocket and he showed me what he was taking.
Before he left he patted Eamonn on the back and told him to keep me company. Eamonn is very chatty and after the usual student conversation about college the conversation quickly turns to sport, soccer in particular and we discover that we are both Liverpool supporters leading us to sing out “You’ll never walk alone”.
Then Eamonn rushes off when he spots a girl he knows as if instinct suddenly propelled him away. For a few minutes I am alone with my thoughts once again staring at my empty glass and starting to feel quite intoxicated.
“So you’re a blueshirt?” quipped John with mock disdain out of nowhere, “What are your thoughts on this so called peace process?”.
“I think it’s a good thing. What’s the point of people endlessly getting murdered in a war that will never be won militarily?” I replied matter of fact.
When I looked up at him I could tell that he was less than impressed with my response.
“I think it’s a sell out. They robbed our lands and now we are being sold out!” he replied in a drunkenly.
Then Casey emerged from the crowd with my drink and immediately held the straw up to my mouth so that I could have a drink from it. He laughed when he heard what we had been talking about telling me that John takes these things very seriously.
John butted in stating Irish freedom was important and that he wasn’t prepared to put his head in the sand like everybody else but Casey just shrugged him off. Instead he was more concerned about how hot it was getting due to the large crowd in the pub and the that fact that they were only providing plastic glasses. Seemingly this was the standard practice in the pub when it got crowded in case a fight broke out and the glass was used as an offensive weapon.
Casey didn’t like the plastic glasses at all stating that the pints didn’t quite taste the same coming from them and why should a Student Bar require their use when pubs in the dodgiest and most run down parts of Dublin don’t This led to a full blown conversation about Student politics.
A committee ran the Student Bar. The committee was made up of Student Representatives who were elected, College nominees and Bar Staff representatives. However nearly every the Student Representatives changed meaning that they had to learn everything from scratch each year and only had a short term focus. Over the years the Bar Staff had gradually won concessions such as the use of plastic glasses.
It was getting late now and I asked Casey what time it was. Shouting over the music he old that it was now ten thirty. I felt immediate disappointment knowing that it was now time to head back to the apartment.
Leanne, the Personal Assistant (PA) I was due to meet at ten was in her mid fifties. She wasn`t fully confident about using a hoist so I had planned on being fairly level headed on my return but that plan was now down the drain. I had told her that I might be there a bit after ten but I didn`t want to leave it any longer in case she panicked thinking something might have happened to me or whatever else would go through her mind.
With that I told Casey that I had to go much to his bewilderment. I kept my explanation simple saying that I had to meet somebody, thinking the background noise too loud to try to explain the truth.
“I`ll let you out through the fire escape rather than going through that crowd,” he said pointing behind me. I had just enough room to manoeuvre the wheelchair round saying goodbye to the other lads at the same time. Casey had already opened the fire escape door and a burst of fresh air suddenly brushed against my face.
I drove through the fire escape and then turned round. Casey instinctively grabbed my coat which was wrapped on the back of the wheelchair and threw it over me. He asked would I be alright getting back to the apartment on my own to which I responded that I would be. I then said goodbye to Casey who told me that he`d keep an eye out of for me in future before rentering the pub.
It was only now in the fresh air and on my own that I could tell that I was quite intoxicated. I decided to drive slowly back to the apartment taking care not to drive off a curb. Fortunately it was only a short journey and I was soon looking through the front window into the main room of the apartment trying to get Leanne`s attention so that she would open the doors for me.
I could see her walking up and down the room for no obvious reason. Eventually she looked in my direction and held her hand aloft to acknowledge that I was outside and immediately went to open the doors. She greeted me with a big “hello”.
I made a conscious decision to try and act as sober as possible. This meant that I would try to say as little as possible because if I spoke alot it would be obvious that my speech was slurred and I likely would make very little sense. As I entered the apartment Leanne asked me if I would like a cup of tea. Deciding I should wait a few minutes before having to answer any complex question Leanne might have about the hoist I answered in the affirmative.
Sitting at the table I began to feel a bit light headed and found the room moving around me. I tried to keep my eyes focussed on the one spot at the wall as I found this helped in previous similar situations. Leanne asked me how my day had gone to which I gave the terse response of “ok” trying not to go into any specifics.
Leanne held the cup of tea to my mouth and I slowly sipped from it. After a few minutes I began to feel better but I didn`t finish my cup of tea. It was as if my body didn`t believe me that there was no alcohol in it.
Then the process of going to bed began. It was just as well that I was still lucid because I had to remind Leanne what the correct hooks on the sling were and which lever to use to open the legs of the hoist. However it didn`t seem long before my head was on my pillow and my legs being slowly lowered due to my stiff hips.
It didn’t take me long to fall asleep and I didn’t even notice Leanne going to bed. I woke up half through the night with my stomach in turmoil. I knew that I was close to throwing up. I thought about calling Leanne but was sure she would panic and by the time I would be in a useful position it would be too late.
So I did what I had done previously which was to stay as still as possible and keep swallowing the small amounts of water coming into my mouth as quickly as possible. This had previously stopped the feeling of wanting to throw up after a few minutes.
Fortunately it worked on this occassion once again but I thought to myself that I would have to be more careful in future about the amount of alcohol I consumed. It would not have been a good idea for Leanne to have to clean my sick from drinking in the first week working with me. Then I thought about how I acted when I came back to the flat barely speaking a word and probably looking totally out of it. Hopefully she didn`t notice or else mind too much. In any event there was nothing I could now do about it in the middle of the night.
Soon I had fallen asleep once again and there were no further interruptions till the morning.
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