#52 A couple of towers
By text: Merry Christmas. Hey, how're you? What're you up to? Sounds good. Nice to hear from you. Take care... ... do you want to meet up again? Yeah ok. This weekend? Sure.
Three days later.
It was 5pm on Saturday and I had just left the house. The phone buzzed. 'Hey it's me. Really sorry to cancel tonight but I don't feel great. Think it was some pizza I had earlier'. 'That's fine really, it happens, just get some rest'. I kept walking.
Nothing to lose.
The two hour journey to Windsor & Eton passed pretty quickly. I'm quite a peaceful traveller, having associated the bus or train with plenty of happy memories as a kid. It was pleasant walking around the town and the old high streets, even at refrigerator temperature. I grabbed some food and then sat on the second floor of a pub overlooking the castle.
9pm
'So I decided to make the trip anyway, had a wander round... nice place'. 'Oh. Wow'. 'How're you feeling?' 'Better... will you stay there much longer?'. I checked the trains. 'Could do'. 'Ok, I'll come and meet you but need to wash my hair first. If you get bored, you could catch the train to Slough and then to Maidenhead'. 'Ok will do'.
At 10:30pm, I jumped off of the evening's fifth train and sent a text. 'Hey, I'm here, how're you doing?'. Half an hour passed. I paced around the near empty station, several times, charged the phone for ten minutes from a socket just below the payphone and memorised part of the 1967 Civic Amenities Act from a sign about fly tipping. 'Will be there shortly, just de-icing'.
At 11:30pm the car pulled up at the station layby and I hopped into the passenger seat.