I got some books this week, so I went to my “studios” to read them.
The first one was in a pub in Coleraine on Monday, and the second was on a the train to Belfast on Friday.
The Old Courthouse
This was in the Weatherspoons, then Granny Annies group and now is unchained. Repainted and smart, but devoid of atmosphere, so it could be a good study place.
Another train to Belfast
I didn’t get my table seat until we reached Ballymena. A group of young lads beat me to it and took both table seats.
Four small girls took the table seat beside me and the parents of one pair sat one row in front of me.
They were lovely girls, one pair about six and the other about 8. Very shy at first, then jumping all around later. The two younger ones, Fia and Annie, started swinging on the seat arm-rests between the two rows.
At first in time, then against, kicking each other and giggling. Annie said, ” if Mollie is rude to you again, Fia, be rude back at her,”
The older pair were more sedate. One said, “if you put your tongue to the top of your mouth, you can make a (?) sound and it hurts”. They all tried it. Annie had two front teeth missing, stuck her tongue through the middle, and they all laughed again.
The Empire, Belfast
In Belfast I went to the Empire. Jackie Rayner was playing and she as usual played a good set for a late afternoon-early evening crowd, They were mostly older folk, wanting their favourite songs from the 60s to the 90s, and some would dance too.
Jackie Rayner at The Empire
I wanted to make some short videos and edit them later with my new camera, but I was unsuccessful. That camera has so many possibilities, but that makes it so difficult to set up for video. I hoped to get it sorted for the workshop in Berlin in 2 weeks. I intended to go to another music venue and get some more video, but I was so frustrated that I went and caught the train back home.
Belfast to Coleraine
On the way home a girl about 20 sat at the table across the aisle. We were quiet most of the way, me in another Perec tome and she on her phone.
Eventually I got up and as I tried to take a photo of my table – my studio, the train lurched and I almost fell on her table. She spoke for the first time, ” this train is always bumpy.” I said, “and just when I wanted to take a photo”.
The train stopped at Antrim. She got up and said, ” I didn’t bring a coat today, I hope it’s warm enough. I had one yesterday and it was too warm”. I said, “I think it’s warm enough now”.
The last part of the journey
At Ballymoney two young lads entered the train and sat at the table across the aisle. It’s just 10 minutes to Coleraine. Teenagers aren’t interesting, so I went back to my Perec.
Then I heard, “… I pulled her back and she swore at me …”.
A lover’s fight? A teenage spat? Not interesting.
” … but you can’t go back, it’s the end …”.
The end of a romance? Wounded macho pride? Boring.
His friend said, “who else was there? Was Kevin there? Did he not do anything?”
“Grace was there, So was Kevin. He just stood there”.
Still banal, still boring.
“I ran up the stairs and grabbed her.” Still teenage antics. ” and stopped her. She swore at me, and that’s what I’ll always remember, her anger with me. And I had stopped her committing suicide”.
I looked up. The boys looked at me. No longer boring.
The train pulled into Coleraine and we all got off.
