The Beginning (part 1) Strictly speaking the beginning for me was back in 1968, but so far as the events that led to my current situation are concerned the beginning was in January of this year. Towards the end of last year my second divorce came through and I began looking for a new job that would take me away from the place and people that had been home for the previous five years. It wasn't that I particularly disliked the people or the place, it's just that they did not seem to suit my revisited single status. I was looking for a fresh start. This took me to London for a series of job interviews set up for me by a city based agency that specializes in my kind of work. It was just after the new year and the market appeared to be good for people with my skills. Most of the interviews went well and I decided to extend my original one week stay to two so I could check out some of the more interesting prospects and be available for any follow up interviews that may be required. I stayed in a nice hotel not far from Victoria Station and enjoyed the time between interviews seeing the sights and doing a bit of random exploration. I have never been much of a tourist type and prefer mostly just to wander and see what comes up. It was after one such excursion out to Kew Gardens that I met Adam. I was waiting for the train back into London. It was getting on a bit and the platform was cold, dark and pretty much deserted. This guy came up to me and asked for light - which I didn't have - and then started to make small talk about this and that. I can generally get along with anyone and Adam, as he introduced himself, was pleasant enough. We seemed to like the same music and books and continued to chat once on the train. After a while he told me he was going to a party and asked if I fancied going along. I hesitated somewhat at which he reassured me that it would be a pretty straight crowd, "Definitely more like an episode of 'Friends' than the 'Rocky Horror Show'", were his exact words. The venue was close to a tube station anyway, so if I got bored I could easily leave. I took him up on his offer and went along. He was quite right. The party was in a flat a few minutes walk from Barons Court tube station. It was an average thirtysomething's party with slightly more wine than lager available and more snacks than you could shake a stick at. Anyway, I found a place on a comfy couch with the sister of the host and drank and talked away the evening. At some point or other Adam told me the last tube would be leaving in half an hour, so I said a few good-byes, exchanged a telephone number or two and made my way out. It may well just have been the wine and my recently acquired paranoia, but I think it relevant to mention that on my way down the stairs I encountered a most striking woman, I was descending the narrow stairway with an exaggerated care and looking at her remarkably pale face when the automatic light went out. I lost my footing and crashed heavily into the woman who grabbed me with surprising strength and held me steady while I regained my footing. Cursing my clumsiness and apologizing profusely I felt my way down the rest of the stairs and out onto the street. From that point on my memories get vaguer. I definitely remember feeling more and more nauseous, and that I ended up getting off the tube before my stop to relieve my stomach of it's contents. I also recall laying flat out on the pavement somewhere and feeling it start to rain. Later I remember someone dragging me to my feet and supporting me and leading me to someplace out of the rain. The next thing I recall with any clarity is waking under a pile of soggy cardboard under a bridge near Embankment. There were several tramps moving slowly about and one or two staring at me in an uncomfortable way. Aside from a savage headache and some fading stomach cramps I felt okay and wandered off to find a public toilet I could clean myself up in. I discovered that my wallet, watch and loose change had been taken but that a single-sheet flyer for the book and comic shop "Forbidden Planet" had been folded and put in my back pocket. As I wasn't too far from the shop I took a walk up Tottenham Court road and soon came across a guy handing out flyers. He recognized me, immediately smiled and came up to me. He commented that I looked extremely well considering how I had been the previous evening. He returned my valuables saying that they would undoubtedly have been stolen had he left them. I learned his name was Nick and that he could usually be found around Embankment by night and distributing flyers by day. I thanked him and offered him some cash from the wallet. He declined but said I could buy him a drink next time I was around. I promised I would and have kept that promise several times since. I then made my way back to my hotel room where I cleaned up and stretched out on the bed. I fully expected to sleep the day away but instead I lay there feeling wide-awake and increasingly fit and invigorated. >>> continued