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I waited at our agreed meeting place at Gatwick Airport on the appointed Saturday morning. I always arrive at airports long before I need to, so it was no surprise that I had been waiting for over an hour, before the first of my fellow travelling companions came into view. I started to worry a bit because Mark had recently started hinting that he was involved in a problem project, which might upset his plans. “Did you remember the wide angle lens?”. “No problem, I bought along my very best one”, replied Sam. Getting Sam to come along had been a good move. He would be able to provide much better photos for use in my holiday home letting brochure, than the ones I had been using up to that point. We checked in and waited a while longer for Mark. Eventually we decided we had better head for immigration. Once through, Sam stocked up on two duty free allowances of cigarettes. I’m a non smoker, but Sam smokes more than enough for two.
Mark's non participation in our adventure was finally confirmed when the aircraft doors were closed without him having boarded. We lifted off and as soon as the stewardess appeared, Sam ordered a beer. “Lucky you don’t have to drive today” I observed, as I ordered my own beer. I had decided that I needed to educate Sam early on, about the need for the designated driver to remain sober. Previous punishments including a driving ban, bore testament to the fact that Sam is not quite as conscientious as I am, when it comes to observing drinking and driving laws. “Actually, there was something I meant to tell you earlier. I was waiting for Mark to turn up, since I thought it would help to soften the blow”.
“What Blow?” I asked as calmly as I could. “Well actually my driving licence is with the authorities, being endorsed for a traffic offence I committed last week”. “But that means I’m the sole driver”. As the realisation of the implications dawned, I must have looked despondent. But I have to say, Sam didn’t seem particularly phased at the prospect of being the sole drinker. “By the way, I gave up smoking this morning, but with so many duty free cigarettes in my bag, I think I’ll take it up again”. Obviously Sam was not going to let anything deter from his enjoyment of our little trip. We only had time to consume two beers each, before we found ourselves touching down at Charles de Gaulle Airport. page 97 Copyright Frasquenet.com |
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