ON TRACK TO PERFECT FRIENDS

 So Saturday morning. Taxi’s trains booked. Assistance too. Half way assistance, anyway. Dogs let out and bottles packed with Doggy doodle bags. Our dogs were so hyper. Even though they didn’t have a clue where they were going. I think because Wagga was going, Long Chops thought we were off to a walk or to visit Hubs Dad again, like last week. She was wild. Oh boy, these dogs had some work to do today.

 

We knew the taxi driver. He is a pal of Hubs. He is the owner of the company we use. So a lovely drive to the town.

 

We were told once again that this day was the worst of the year to travel. OH great. But I was excited as we were meeting with our best friends.

 

As we got out of the taxi, my Wagga, head to the ground as ever, stood still to allow me to put on her harness. Once again into the noise of the station a place we were, only fourteen hours earlier.

 

Oh the people? The drunks? The gypsies? Haha. We were warned to watch out for them. They come once a year for this horse racing meeting and they are awful.

 

All of the staff were dreading this day. Well we got on the train, and sat together. A good start, right? Unlike yesterday. I knew this part of travel would be fine, as we had assistance booked, but coming home? Different. So I was shaking with that thought.

 

We went to the door of the train to get off and I put Waggs on a long leash so she could have a clear jump off and hopefully miss the gap.

 

I tell you I’m like a new born foal. My brain tells me to go one way; my legs do something entirely different.

 

Few we were off. Someone was there to meet with us from the station. He showed us a seat to wait for our connection. It was there we were to meet with our Trix and like.

 

They were on the next train, it was funny as Trix phoned me and asked as we pulled into her station, were we on that train pulling out of her hometown? We said yes, where was she? She answered on the platform. They were to catch the next train, so she asked if we would wave. Haha haha. Of course we didn’t as they would have as much chance of seeing us doing that out from the window as we had seeing them.

 

So, we were in Newcastle. Now, how would Trix and like find us? Well, the person who met us from the train also met with them and coupled us together….

 

On the next train and after twenty minutes time to get off again. Heart pounding. Hopeless me.

 

Got off and to hear the voice of Emma, our hosts daughter. Oh bless her. She asked who wanted her arm. Well before she could say Jack Robinson, or anyone else had the chance to answer, I said me please.

 

Well, poor Trix and Like had only their white cane. Me with guide dog?  Oh, they are so professional at being blind, me?

Well, I’m simply me.

 

So lift and a set of steps later, and then in Emma’s car!

 We arrived at our friends JB’s house. Oh it’s been three years plus since we were there, at JB’s house. At other gatherings, other houses. An yet as soon as I walked through the door, I was at home.

 

Our lovely friends from school were having a gathering. There were seven of us. And JB’s two daughters and a really friendly guy who is the boyfriend of Emma.

 

We ate, and had a drink. Trix and I were on the pop as both of us are non-drinkers get drunk on milk. The weather was lovely. We sat in JB’s garden which overlooks the cricket field. There was a game on at the time and it was typically English. Emma and her bf went as Em had to work. Her bf is great. It was lovely to hear the old Northumberland accent from him, brought back memories of my darling Dad. Mr. Clock took JB’s young daughter to the shops for pancakes and school items.

 

We were all there just time to reflect. My perfect environment of our blind friends. No one to judge no one to stare or act all awkward just us being us. A small group of relatively intelligent individuals. Having conversations as quotes normal people would. Then laughter that filled the air with a rainbow of colourful memories!

 

JB went to her local shop and bought some sweeties. Bless her she brought them back for me and I was like a child. The biggest smile upon my face. They were from an old fashioned shop. Selling sweets from yesteryear.

 

Mr. Clock returned with gifts. He is the most generous person. He too went to the old fashioned shop and brought us all a bag of delights. We ate gorgeous food home made by JB. A real thought provoking afternoon. Home from home. With our wonderful forever friends. Genuine and full of inspiration. Each friend has a story of loss sadness grief and yet, Absolute positivity.

 

 All of my friends either work or have had, great jobs and don’t work now because they made good financial decisions some years ago. My friends who do work, and that is all but one. Have really good jobs. One in particular can do so much better as this person is really really intelligent. But for a blind person to get work is so much more challenging than it is for a sighted person to find employment. Then it was time for Hub to be silly with the little girl of JB. He asked her to paint his toe nails as he had them done when we went on holiday by our youngest daughter. Really, we came right through France London and so on with a man in glittery toes popping through his sandals. Oh, off came the glitter and new toes. Oh how embarrassing. Well, she thought it was hilarious to paint some pink. Some lilac and some red. Then she said he had hairy feet next thing he knew, out came a razor. Oh my word? I must say, little Sarah with a razor blade was rather frightening.

 And when she finished, she said it looked like a dog had shed its fur. Hahahahhahahahehehehehehe.

 

Oh sad, it was time to catch our mini bus.

 

Said goodbyes and we got in the bus with Trix and like who also were going to the same station as we were.

 

Oh the fun continued. Well, the driver took down a ramp for us to climb in the bus. I must say, it did make it easier. Well as hub climbed in with his toes, it was apparent that the driver saw them, who was an elderly typical strong minded Northerner. I’m sure he was thinking one of two things, either this man is gay, or, poor soul, he’s blind and doesn’t know he has different coloured nails going on.

 

Well, off we went, to the station. Out from the bus and to find the platform. I was so nervous. Like bless him picked this up and so kindly reassured me that I would be Okay. He is so loving and caring.

 

Honestly, if you had seen us all? If there were any CCTV cameras, I wonder what they would make of us. No one was at the station. It is unmanned. Quite scary if you can see, let alone if you can’t.

 

 Oh I was so proud of my little group. They were amazing. They found where we needed to be, and Hub wondered off. Heck, don’t do this to me? Oh there were the tracks. The trains were coming in and where was Hub? Well he only went a little way up the platform as it was all open. He called for us, he had found a shelter as it looked or in our case felt as though it was going to rain.

 

And then the fun and hilarity continued. Hub was in the shelter, we were trying to get to him. “How did you get in?” we all asked. He said he just did. Helpful? Well how? There were bars and gates preventing us. There were no people, at least no voices. Oh the three of us who were on the outside of the shelter were just laughing as we battled with bars and regalia to find the dry place as the heavens opened.

 

I was asking Wagga to find the way, but of course the fence like bars were our waist level so Waggs could find forward and she did, only trouble was, I wasn’t with her. Haha. Don’t panic, I had her leash at all times and harness. I had to pull her out and say, no, find forward. At last she did and the three musketeers got to where Hub was, but if you could have seen us? We must have looked comical. Then, as we all stood, I told the guys to stop making me laugh, or I would wet myself. I was out of control which is great as it removed for a while the nerves. Then, oh boy, then. Voices all occurred. Well. Suddenly where from? I mean no footsteps. Were they there all of the time? Oh my Goodness. Please. No? Haha haha.  Seriously, I mean, oh no. as you know if you are blind or partially sighted, we enter a room and it’s all noisy, then everyone stops to stare. Groping at the blind folk. How do they do it? How will they get over here? How do they even get out of their houses in fact, do they have houses? Or are they from a home? Are they out on day care?  SO on and so for the Well, had they all seen us, Hub and I with dogs, Trix and Like with white canes? Had they seen us battling with trying to get into where was I’m sure to a sighted person a very easy place to enter. Had they heard us shouting to Hub, how you got in here and worse? Had they heard me telling our friends I was going to wet myself? Oh no……

 

Well then our train pulled. In. Time to be serious. Oh my heart. How big would the gap be? How on earth would we find the door? Close your eyes and hear the train. The engine and now imagine yourself trying to find the door on a train that wasn’t there for your pleasure. It had to move after seconds. Hub Trix and Like were amazing. Like was so helpful and Trix bless her kept asking if I was OK now bear in mind, they are also blind. But that is the best thing about having blind friends. We all stick together and we all know what we are all feeling. Well. Onto the train. It was the same price for us to travel home first class. Why?

 Not sure. Sometimes it just is.

 

Well Trix and Like went to the right, us the left. I was gutted. I wanted them to be with us? I said to Hub as I looked behind to them, “oh no, can’t they come with us?” Well, the state of me. I was shaking, since I fell earlier this year on the track, I am scared of trains. And as I said just to find the door to me was an impossibility. So the elderly gent, who was a Gard on the train, put his hand on my shoulder and reassured me that he would get our friends and bring them to us. I then tried to find Hub. Oh I’m so pathetic. Really I hate myself for it. I panic so much when I can’t find him. And what really makes me cross is he is so good that he forgets sometimes how I’m not like him. So he has his seat. I’m calling his name. He is not answering for a few seconds to me seems like thirty or more. At last, I hear his voice. I get into the seat. I can’t even imagine how afraid I looked. Then a voice who was sitting in front of me asked if I was OK and did I want a drink of tea or coffee? Well, the way she asked me I felt as though a Mum had given me a cuddle. Yes I needed so badly a drink of hot coffee. We were quite wet and it would help in so many ways. Well then I heard our friends coming and oh my fear turned to relief.

 

All four of us had a coffee. They laughed as I asked for a sugar. I don’t take it but on this occasion? Spoo’oo’oon it in please? We were also given biscuits and then like took out his bag of treats that Mr. Clock gave him and we shared sweeties like little children.

 

To travel first class was such an honour. A pleasure. No swearing, no drunks, clean and cosy. Safe and most enjoyable.

 

Mind you, it’s a good job we couldn’t see out from our window. Apparently the lightning struck the overhead cables/wires. Time for our dearest friends to leave the train, a couple of stops before us. Said farewell and time to reflect our beautiful day. A day with our family. Our friends are that for sure. We have known one another since we were at school. So since we were six. Trix was my best friend at school. She was the one I first spoke to in the nasty dormitory of our boarding school. And now she has a wonderful Husband, who is so alike my Husband in many ways. They are both charismatic and highly intelligent. They could almost be brothers.

 

I just wish we could have more days like that. But I guess they perhaps wouldn’t be so special? Hmm. Second thoughts they would always be special.