Leaving on a Jet Plane

Stu's best mate is moving to Trinidad next week, as you do.  It suits Martin very well that after years of seriously playing the field he finally manages to settle down in the Caribbean - liking his style.

The imminent bezzie separation is obviously very traumatic, except it's not, because they are boys.  Apart from a slight increase in 'liking' of Facebook photos of the pair of them and some drunken song posting, you wouldn't really know it is happening.

Martin is an amazing bloke.  He was our best man.  I remember being so touched the night before our wedding when he presented Stu and I with individual gifts.  How thoughtful.  He bought me the most beautiful silver compact mirror that I carry everywhere with me to this day.  Typical Martin though, as I got a little bit emosh when I was thanking him he said: "Well, I couldn't decide between that and a vibrator, but I figured that you probably already had a vibrator."  Thanks mate.

It is his leaving do tonight which I bowed out of on grounds of the kids, but to be honest I think I'm way past the kind of caper he has planned.  It starts at 10pm.  I probably need not say anymore, but I will, it finishes at 6am tomorrow morning!  Really!  I think somebody needs to remind him that we are all nearly 40.  Stuart has had his head shaved and headed off into darkest Peckham to send his bezzie off in style.  I'm ruining his street cred here I know but if the truth be told he is slightly worried about the crazy finish time too.  This is quite a new occurrence for Stu, until a very few years ago he would party like a bastard for at least 12 hours at a time without batting an eyelid.  I guess it catches up with all of us in the end.

Stu is meant to be bringing Martin back here with him tomorrow to say goodbye to me and the kids.  I'll believe it when it happens, as when I didn't have kids the most horrendous end to an all night bender would be a house with somebody else's small kids in it.  Maybe he is more of a man than I am however...

Martin, we love you, we'll miss you.  Even though I hardly ever see you, your presence in the country will be mourned, especially by Stu, even though he may not admit it until about 5.55am tomorrow.  Real shame the wages are so low in Trinidad that you'll never be able to come back again so I guess we will have to dump the kids on someone and force ourselves out to the Caribbean at some point - it would only be fair to Stu.