One benefit of being retired is having the time to reflect on things that happened in the past and as I did, into my mind came an episode in a Thai restaurant in Loughborough which may amuse you. It certainly did us after the event.


There we were, Richard, John who as Project Sponser was notionally our boss, and myself staying at the Comfort Friendly Hotel in Loughborough. That hotel itself is a story, but not for today. This particular night, fed up of hotel food off we go into Loughborough town to see what's about.


First stop is a Sports Bar - dark, huge TV screens, lots of noise and a live soccer match. "No girls in here" says John "better move on" until he noticed something much more important - Free Vodka. The rules were 1 vodka for a booking, 2 for a sending off and 3 for a goal for the first person to the bar after each one happened.


Now John was a bit laid back, not one to be seen to be rushing, but free drinks made a difference. He was at the bar like a shot each time something happened. The match finished Liverpool 3 Everton 2, there were 4 bookings and a sending off. He missed out on a goal and the sending off but got the rest, that's seventeen vodkas between the three of us. Not sure if we drank them all but it's hard to imagine we left before we had. Now it's time to eat.


Across the road was a Thai Restaurant. John orders a couple of bottles of Borollo to be going on with while we decide what to eat. The wine mixes well with the vodkas. A very helpful young Taiwanese waitress took us through the menu and explained all the dishes and John gets into conversation with her. We ordered our meal which we all believe was excellent but in reality it could have been anything. The young waitress tells John that she was over here trying to get into university and John, always one to talk to the ladies chatted to her all the way through the meal, almost had her life story before we had finished.


When we came to settle the bill, John took charge and gave her a tip, whether it was the drink and he just confused 10s with 20s I don't know or maybe he just wanted to help her but the tip was over the top to say the least. Me and Richard would never be that cavalier with our money. The girl smiled happily and took the dosh."You could buy a Thai bride for that much" says Richard. How he knew the cost of a Thai bride I am not sure but we let that pass.


Anyway we had just got outside when the girl appears carrying her coat and chasing after us. "Bloody Hell" says John "I've bought her. What can I tell Fiona?" We walk faster, she still chasing us and shouting, we speed up but she's still there, still waving, we think about running away but remember we are grown ups and decide to face the problem so stop and wait for her to catch up.



"John you left your coat" she says handing over a very expensive leather coat. John breathes a sigh of relief and takes the coat. We go back to the Sports Bar in need of a drink but the free vodkas finished so it's back to the hotel.