I had never eaten Sichuan food so was looking forward to meeting up with some other ex-pats at a Sichuan restaurant. In fact I had worked out the route and it involved a change of bus, number 82 and then 31. I don’t mind long bus journeys if I have my iPod and the music is loud enough to block out the noise. However, on this evening even my iPod at full blast couldn’t drown out the noise coming from a frantic, crazed maniac who jumped onto the bus, started shouting at the driver and then tried to fight with him. The two other men on the bus tried to hold the man back and an elderly woman and I exchanged knowing glances as I sat there wondering what on earth had got him so mad. It took a good 10 minutes to get him off the bus and we set off again.
My destination reached, my iPod and I got off the bus and headed for the shopping mall and the Sichuan restaurant on the second floor. Owing to the fight on the bus I was late but I was still happy as I had my iPod full blast in my ears and was losing myself in “Girlfriend in a coma” by the Smiths. Into the lift I go, and thankfully there isn’t anyone else, so I press the button for floor 2 and stand at the back of the lift looking at the door waiting for it to open. The best thing about being in a lift on your own is that nobody can see you so, with The Smith’s screaming “Girlfriend in a coma” into my head, I started singing and dancing wildly (I am not a natural dancer and only do so when nobody is looking).
“This lift is taking ages” I thought, but continued with my singing and wild dancing, iPod still at full volume. Then a tap on my shoulder tore me out of my own world. I turned round to find a waitress inviting my out of the lift. Yes, it was one of those lifts which you enter one side and leave the other! And to top it all, the lift opens straight into the restaurant. How long had the diners been watching me flailing my arms around and shouting “Girlfriend in a coma, I know I know it’s really serious”.
Red faced I rushed past to an upstairs room where I found a cold beer and sat quietly, iPod off.