My girlfriend bumped into Nic on the street as he drove off with his Honda Reverse 650cc to deliver some Forever Living products to customers. He told her to pop in later today to pick up the house keys because he would not be around upon my arrival. I could stay in the double bedroom on the first floor next to the lounge over the weekend. Nic knew her host family reasonably well, so trusting her with the house key seemed justifiable. However, instead of listening to the man by following precise and simple instructions, she had something much more exciting or necessary to do.
On Thursday evening, the night before my departure, Uglich and Kopo came over.
We threw a small goodbye party at my mother’s house on my territory in the basement. Kopo drove us to McDonald’s. We picked up some burgers and chips, returned to my room, and had a bowl. Time flew by, and at 11 pm, a text message arrived, informing me she could not pick up the key because Nic was not at home. My flight was at 9:30 in the morning. I went to town with her. She had the whole week to sort this out but waited until the last second, which is simply unacceptable. I told her to pitch a tent in front of his house if necessary and wait for him to return home. The cables hung out of my neck from my shouting and emotions. What if he had already left town and returned on Monday? Where will I be sleeping? I brought her back to reality. She admitted to her mistake and acknowledged that this would be the wrong time to activate any defence mechanism. She just simply said: “Ok, I am sorry. I will sort this out, and you will have the key. “
I received a phone call at 1 am. The key was in my girlfriend’s possession. I knew I would be safe until Monday morning at least, and the part went until dawn. This was the only time Kopo slept in my house! In the morning, he drove me to the airport. Uglich accompanied us as well.
I had my Yamaha FG-360 acoustic western guitar on me, which travelled in the cabin for no extra charge, and an oversize rucksack, which I had to take to the big and bulky drop-off. We shook hands, cracked a few jokes, and I disappeared into the labyrinth of duty-free shops at the international airport of Schwechat, Austria. Then, I boarded the Austrian Airlines flight to London Heathrow. With mixed feelings and utterly terrified, I sat on my first-ever flight. They sprayed the entire wings of the plane with some liquid, which seemed weird to me. I must admit, I flew hundreds of times after that and never experienced this again. They only used a de-icing spray, but it looked extraordinary to me at that.
They finished it, and we just took off! I had a window seat.
The first and last time I saw metal cutlery provided on an aeroplane. This I welcomed, and I knew the airline would not need to wash up that cutlery after I finished my meal. They disappeared and slid straight into my pocket. Those are a couple of items I do not need to worry about buying! I nicked the earphones, too, I must admit. There was no issue with taking a full-size acoustic guitar at no extra charge. Now they ask you to buy an additional ticket for the guitar. I also clearly remember having a huge chef’s kitchen knife in the guitar bag next to its neck. These practices stopped, of course, after the terrible 9/11 incident.
On the aeroplane, I looked around, trying to make eye contact and get into a conversation. A few days before my departure, I dreamt I would meet someone on the flight who would offer me accommodation. With this mindset, I had nothing to do but pick off the person who would put me up. Unfortunately, the dream did not give me a clear picture of a person’s face or physic, not even their gender, so it became difficult. I sat next to an elderly woman, and I went into a marathon of a conversation. Still, she went to London to visit her son, so it would have been inappropriate to push her too far. She told me proudly that her son is an engineer, so I figured their house should be big enough. Little did I know about England, the property market, and the accommodation situation. In all honesty, I could have pushed her, but since my girlfriend had the keys, I felt safe, so I did not want to go all in on her.
Kopo dropped Uglich back home and asked him for his mobile number. Both were my mates, but we only met if I organised it. In my absence, they never met, nor did they convey or exchange any information! Both were equally good friends but on entirely different levels. They did not share any common interests or passions at all. I talked about electronics and building things with Uglich, but music, creativity, and deep conversations felt more appropriate with Kopo.
Kopo knew little about electronics, and neither showed any interest in building PCBs. Uglich couldn’t play a single note on any instrument, nor would he go into a deep, soulful conversation. I cater to their needs and entertain them, and they engage me on entirely different levels and areas. We had a cracking time when we went out together, doing silly things. Swapping the numbers was a crucial and life-changing moment in everybody’s lives, including mine. This has a little repercussion, but it will become critical in the ongoing story.
Looking into the future is simply questioning, but if they hadn’t changed those numbers, things would have turned out differently in my life, my girlfriend’s life, and possibly in Uglich’s and Kopo’s. I know this sounds spooky. How and why would a phone number exchange between two people who have met several times before being of such importance? It seems strange, and I agree, but I strongly believe in destiny. It changed everything! It was only a short time before I understood why Kopo asked for Uglich’s number. With the benefit of hindsight, everything had to happen for a reason, but back then, it tore me apart and shattered my heart. Then a tough dark time descended upon me, which made the ultimate survivor warrior out of me. The relevance of the number swap will be evident in the story’s flow.
To keep you focused and hooked, beloved readers! On November 11, 2000, early morning at the airport in Vienna, was the very last time I saw or talked to my best friend, Kopo.
RIP – You Stranger, You Legend, You Martyr!