Oh What A Night !!!

 

Oh, what a night ... Late December I was thirty three ...  What a very special time for me ... As I remember, what a night…

I had just been promoted to an important job. I was in Edinburgh on business and had spent a long day at our regional office. I got to the hotel rather late and I was very very very tired. I got to my room and planned to get a good night's sleep and fly back to London the following morning.

But it was not to be. They had given me a room next to the bridal suite, and there had been a wedding reception at the hotel that evening. What a lot of noise all night from the room next door. 

All the time the married couple next door were discussing the economic situation in Europe and the exchange rate of the £ against the $ and the €.

I tried to get to sleep but to no avail. I searched my luggage for my ear-plugs which I take with me everywhere, especially when I am at a Conference or Business Meeting with our Director. They are distinctive ear-plugs. A red one for the left ear and a blue one for the right ear. I could not find them anywhere. I must have loaned them to my Director who also likes to go to sleep at his weekly meetings.

I looked everywhere in my hotel room for something to put in my ears to cut out the noise from next door. Something led me to the little kitchenette in my room. Next to the coffee-making machine I found a bowl of small sachets filled with sugar to use when making tea or coffee. I scrunched a couple of sugar sachets in my ears in the hope of sweet dreams.

That did not work. In the darkness of my room, whilst I was in bed, I heard a noise in my room. The door opened slowly and someone or something knocked or stumbled against a chair. I my bravery, I quickly got out of bed and ran in the bathroom. For some stupid unthinking reason I hid behind the shower curtain and turned on the shower. Visions of the shower scene in Psycho crossed my mind. 

I was getting soaking wet, whilst in my bedroom the sounds of stumbling against furniture continued. Eventually, I decided that bravery plus courage equals stupidity. Especially when your pyjamas are wet all through. My best top of the range very expensive cotton pyjamas; pink with green polka dots.

I got out of the shower and headed for my bedroom with a bottle of hair shampoo in hand. I'm not sure what I planned to do with it. Perhaps wash the intruder's hair.

On my bed I found a man totally knocked out and fast asleep as a result of heavy drinking. He must have been a guest at the wedding reception given a duplicate key to my room by mistake. 

I was about to wake him up when the lights were switched on and another couple of guests came in. A man and a woman. They were very very merry with drink and no doubt looking for a room where they could discuss Europe's economy.

The woman recognised me. She was from our regional office and we'd been at a meeting at work all day. 

"Oh ... I see you're busy!" she said uncaring about her state of dress, "we'll find another room!"

What could I say? How do I explain my totally wet pyjamas and a sleeping man in my bed? Oh ... and a bottle of shampoo in my hand!

Oh, what a night ... Late December I was thirty three ...  What a very special time for me ... As I remember, what a night…