A Weekend With Jack

Sam here….

Jack has a mirror posts to this, from his perspective. Read part one here & part two here.

So what a weekend. You all know Jack from Butterflies & Hurricanes, I presume. I went to his city (Tom, you know what city, don’t say in the comments please) to spend the weekend with him. I should explain from the start.

Jack commented on my blog last May, and I commented back, we MSN’d and he seemed nice. I found myself drawn into conversation with him. He was so intention less, he really wanted to see me right, he wanted me to have the best opportunity. He gave the advice my parents should without the judgment.

I was due to go to his city in February with friends anyway, and so I thought I could meet him  for a coffee or something. I said to my parents that I would be going away with the lads in February and they said it was ok. The guys pulled out due to other engagements and appointments, but before I said it to my parents, Jack asked me why I didn’t just go over myself for the weekend with him.

Now, I know meeting people off the internet, paedophiles, I’ll wake up without kidneys, I’ll be murdered, he could be anyone, blah blah blah, but I trusted him and my judgment. Flights were booked, and Jack generously paid for them.

I printed my tickets and kept up the pretence that I was going with the guys. All I had to do was remember my lie and wait.

I also had to think about the airport situation. How would I explain being at the airport by myself?

So, I was shitting it, going into the airport, but I kept walking anyway, curiosity got the better of me. My dad was injured and my mother had to chair a meeting the morning of Friday the 13th, so I got the bus to the airport myself, that was departing solved.

The flight was eventless, occupied by The Snapper(it was a book first) by Roddy Doyle & No Doubts ‘Tragic Kingdom’.  So I land and I ring him. He answers after an eternity and I tell him baggage belt 12. He tells me to look to my left, and I see this well dressed man with a huge smile waving to me. I grab my bag, get through customs and hug him.

The first thing I thought was ‘He seems nice, I haven’t been stood up, and it’s not as awkward as I thought it would be’. So he drives me to his apartment. Let me tell you kids. It’s in a new development, one floor from the top. It was spotless. You couldn’t find dirt if you went looking for it. Think glass, silver, stained wood, and low sharp corners everywhere. It was lovely. So we talked, I made his apartment messy by dumping my open bag on his bedroom floor.

So we mooch to the shops, get a few things and I text people in Ireland, telling the handful of friends who know the real story, that he’s not a psycho killer, and they needn't open the envelope pinned to my notice board, with a memory stick with all his info and my chat history from him on MSN on it. It wasn’t necessary.

So after an amazing dinner, we went to a Casino and on to a bar. His city is a lovely mix of old and new, so there’s a great atmosphere there. Visited a few late night tourist traps, before finally going home.

Saturday morning, we woke up, had breakfast, and went to the city centre. Jack showed me around, I saw what there was to see. We ate, laughed, talked and just got to know each other in person. Saturday night, we went out to the city, he showed me the popular bars, and I kept comparing them to the bars in Dublin. A side note about the bars: Cheaper than here, and double the portioning. Like you’d get double the vodka in a drink here for the same price in Ireland. Saturday night was interesting, and I certainly won’t forget it quickly. I crossed a few things off my to-do list for sure.

Sunday was the day we planned to do magic mushrooms. Jack had been growing them in his apartment for personal consumption. He did them a few weeks ago, and wanted me to experience them too. Sunday afternoon, we went to a sort of museum, a bit of culture, and that was interesting. We headed home, and himself made mushroom smoothies while we watched Monty Pythons’ Life of Brian. After about ten minutes I was hysterically laughing. The drugs had kicked in, and I was on my first trip. If I try to explain what happened on this trip, I wouldn’t do it justice. We couldn’t figure out what nine on the clock meant, his curtains were looking at me, and the rug on his living room floor kept me amused for hours! Once the trip was over, we went and got food, and headed to bed, feeling happy, mature and refreshed. I’d felt like I’d just woken up from a good dream, and I realised how good my life was, and that I was actually happy, no matter what.

So then Monday was mainly spent arsing around the apartment, and the city. About 2 hours before I was due at the airport, we had a chat, and just sorted a few things out. I’m closer to him now than I was before, and I just wish I could tell people without them getting snotty and judgmental because I met someone from the internet.

I am definitely going back if he’ll have me?