Pen Pals

I had a very entertaining day at the bar yesterday. I made a new friend, his name is Bill, he's about 87 years old, and he's an absolute babe.

It all started when he came in on Saturday and whilst the bar was quiet during the afternoon, he sat and ordered about fifteen 'double scotch on the rocks'. I served him every time and he tipped me $2 for each and every drink I poured (sadly our tips are pooled, so every time I had the pain of dropping the coin into the tip jar) and he struck up a friendly conversation with me. Turns out he's an avid music fan and told me that he's just come from watching 'South Pacific' at the Opera House. It's his favourite musical and he's seen it performed over 30 times all over Europe, however this was his Australian debut and he was VERY excited about how good it was. The lead female singer is apparently amazing guys, he recommends this production highly, shall we go!? We soon became best buds and chatted away merrily until Happy Hour struck and I had to actually do some work. He's an ex-army Captain and lives in Plymouth in Devon - what are the chances! - and we bonded over our love/hate relationship for the south of England. He was the funniest little man with teeny weeny eyes but enormous glasses which made him look like a human bush baby, and the strangest little pencil moustache I have ever seen.

On Sunday, he came back and stood in exactly the same place at the bar, and the same happened again. The bar was dead, even through happy hour as the weather was rubbish (and no one comes to Circular Quay when its even slightly cold) and so we chatted away for most of the afternoon. When he had to leave, he did the equivalent for his generation of 'add me on Facebook' and gave me his address so that we could be pen pals! He also took my home address (not my Australian one because I'm moving here soon and don't know what my future address will be), and promised to send me a Christmas card and postcards from all over the world (Mum take note, you'll need to be forwarding them out here to me!). He gave me a big kiss on the cheek and pressed another $2 coin in my hand and shuffled out the door, pissed as a fart but happy as anything.

Everyone else working on the bar thought it was absolutely hilarious, but they'll be jealous when I get my Christmas card and they don't! I just hope he keeps his word....! Watch this space for Bill updates. I miss him already.

B