Victoria Station Stinks Less Than Old Compton Street

[dotinthesky]

After work, yesterday, a walk through Soho with Kevin, in search of a restaurant. Failure; Kevin goes home. Old Compton Street, with its flock of gays standing around, preening and eyeing the meat, makes me nervous: I don't like being so openly judged. Then an hour standing in Victoria's Coach station, overwhelmed by urine stink. An old man rifles through the garbage, drinks half a bottle of Fanta and eats the crumbs from a packet of crisps. People arrive from all over Britain, except Henrique (but the information guy said that's where the Stanstead Express dropped off, and he wouldn't lie to me, would he?)

Henrique calls. He has been standing two blocks away. Take the Tube, exhausted with explanations about where the bombs blew the trains, whom I knew that got killed, and my strategies of survival. At home, show him his mattress in the TV room, cook him dinner, teach him how to use the shower, assure him it is ok to use Kevin's computer for the Internet, talk about friends in Brasil, about his month-long trip across Europe.

Watch a little bit of the American version of Queer as Folk, but have to turn off the TV when a scene pops up of men buttfucking each other in some nightclub - Sissy Allison is in the room and she's family!

Collapse in bed, struck down by heat and too many thoughts about my family in Brasil. My dad is flying there today - he's going to try to make my mom sign a divorce, as well as check on all the renovations she's been doing at the farm (so she can start her B&B business.) When he comes back, he's going to give me his 4-year-old laptop and a manky old printer. I'm not complaining: you never check the teeth of a horse given to you as a gift.

Comments

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

He's still financing my mom, only until she gets her business on the way. One of the reasons she decided to start a Guesthouse was so she could make her own money and not rely on him anymore... but she has needed a lot of money so far to build the place up. Also, my youngest brother requires nursing, medication, etc, which costs money. I guess he's forgotten that. I think it will be good for him to go there because it will become clearer for him what she's trying to achieve, and he might become less stingy.

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

gosh, hopefully! I was all momentarily pissed off for your mom. like, wtf does he have to say about what she's doing?! but then I realized he must be paying alimony and believes that gives him some sort of say in what she's doing. however, if he's giving more than he's "supposed to" I guess I understand. or if there's no alimony plan set up.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there's no alimony plan yet and that's part of the reason he's going there: he wants to convince her to sign divorce papers. I guess it will be a stressful week for them.

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

how long have they been separated? yeah, it probably will...

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Probably 5-6 years? It's been a long time.

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

but how long were they married? 5-6 years won't be very long for a long marriage.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

They would have been married for 34 years this year. :o/

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

erg...

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

dammit, there was some little observance I made while riding the subway last night that I wanted to describe for you, but I've forgotten it. Really, I need to write this stuff down as it's happening, don't I?

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Try freewriting! I always remember my dreams when I just start writing non-stop on my paper journal... it could dislodge your memory and make you remember it. ;-)

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

hmmm...that's been suggested before, but for some reason I never do it.