Ben & Ed’s Scottish Weekend.
Chapter 6
At the top of Waverley steps Ben looked around expectantly, “What do they look like?” I asked, hoping to help find Don or Doug amongst the passengers leaving the station and scattering around us. “Think of the guy on the porridge box, chunky, beard and mop of curly hair, probably not wearing a kilt, tossing the caber or playing the bagpipes though” quipped Ben, moving to the left to get out of the way of the crowd. We stood in the pedestrian seating area, searching, feeling the effects of leaving a warm train and the now much colder and windier climate of Scotland. “Hi… you Benjamin and Edward?” came a voice from behind us, in a broad Scottish accent. We both turned around to see a stocky guy about our age, wearing shorts, check lumberjack shirt open at the neck displaying a decent hairy chest and a thick woollen beanie hat. Ben and I nodded, “Aye… thought so…I’m Andrew, the two Ds asked me to meet you and show you to the apartment, they got called out to deal with an emergency.” We shook hands, and with Andrew looking worriedly at his watch we followed him across Princes Street, up a tram lined street, to the apartment he said was a few minutes’ walk away, “Nae far…Queen Street” he assured us putting his head down into the blowing gusts of the cold northly wind, showing no signs of being cold, despite his exposed, hairy tree trunk like legs and open necked shirt.
Ben and I were freezing our bollocks off, when, as promised Andrew stopped outside a single black Georgian front door, adorned with a cool looking metal stags head knocker, situated between two Dickensian looking shop fronts. We followed him up a flight of stairs to a landing with three doors, presumably entrances to three separate apartments. “Don said to put you in the bigger one overlooking Queen Street, unless you want the one at the back, quieter… but with a magnificent view of a brick wall” laughed Andrew, taking a key from a bunch of keys in his massive hand. It was only slightly warmer inside, mainly due to the absence of the wind, I was hoping the apartment was heated as I could see my huff here on the landing.
Andrew opened the door standing to one side to let us into the very comfortable cosy apartment, although in here I could still see Bens, Andrews and my breath. Andrew frowned, “Fuck they’ve nae put on the heating” he mumbled, breathing out to demonstrate, unnecessarily in my case, how cold it was in the apartment. “Yea take a look around while I find how to turn on the heating” he said apologetically and disappeared back onto the landing, again looking anxiously at his watch.
The apartment consisted of one large bedroom, containing an enormous super-sized bed, wardrobe and drawers and a door leading to a small en-suit shower, toilet and basin. The main lounge was furnished with one large sofa and a TV at one end and a small kitchenette at the other, ideal for a few nights city break, which we presumed was its normal purpose. It was a good ten minutes before Andrew returned, “Aye you’ve hot water but I cannae get the rads on” he groaned apologetically, “I’ll get some more blankets from one of the other apartments, is that ok till morning” Ben and I nodded, “a quick shower and straight to bed is in order I think” laughed Ben, picking up his backpack and wandering into the bedroom.
Andrew came in carrying a pile of tartan blankets and popped them on the end of the bed. “Anything else?” he asked looking at his watch again. “Fuck, what time do you make it? I think my watch has stopped” he mumbled. “Half twelve” I replied, looking at my inherited, trusty Grandad’s Omega Seamaster, “Shit, I knew I should have bought the company car, parking here is a fucking nightmare, if I rush I can get home and get a couple of hours kip before coming back in the morning in the car, to take you to the company office to see the two DDs” he looked up “Ive missed the last tram and now the last bus” he groaned. “How far have you got to go?” asked Ben. “Nae far… three maybe four miles, if I hurry it’ll take nae more than an hour or so, if I walk fast”, Ben was just about to reply, “Sod that Andrew you might as well stay here” I said, knowing Ben was about to suggest the same thing……….
To be continued
R😊
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