The Calm Before The Storm

Backblipping

My brother busboy got me set up for the day with a slice sausage roll and tea before taking me to Markinch station to catch the train to Edinburgh. Bb knew which train I'd be on and his friends Cameron and Richard were going to come to the station too to say hello.

I always enjoy the train ride across the Forth, stopping at all the familiar stations and I think back to when I did that commute every day when I lived in Kirkcaldy and worked in Edinburgh. I settled into my seat and in twenty minutes later in Burntisland I reached for my phone to text Bb that I was on the train. Panic! No little black back across my body! I only had my back back and an extra bag with the tartan bedding. So, no phone, no money, no cards, nada!  I remembered I'd gone to the toilet in the station and so thought my bag could either be there or perhaps in busboy's car in the passenger footwell. What to do? Continue on to Edinburgh and get Bb's help in calling the station? Get off the train and head back to Markinch? I only knew Bb's number (Spanish of course!) off by heart. Could I ask to borrow somebody's mobile?  Then I saw the ticket inspector in the next carriage. I ran up the train and told him I had a very important question for him. Could he call Markinch station and ask about my bag?  He was very calm and said he could, but all the station numbers are now in an app and he'd have to call another station first and then get the Markinch number. Ok. I waited. We trundled on past more stations. He had to do other things at the same time. He lent my his work phone to call Bb, but foreign numbers were blocked. I kept thinking of all the things in my bag, all the things I'd have to cancel and how I couldn't justify buying another new iPhone.  He got through to Markinch and I could hear the lady on the other end speaking and he nodded and smiled. A young lad had found my bag in the toilet and handed it into the lady in the ticket office. Such relief. The ticket collector told me to get off the train there and there, run over the bridge onto the platform and I'd get a train back to Markinch in 2 mins. I could have kissed him. When I got back to Markinch, I thanked the lady profusely, checked the things in my bag were all there - they were - and texted Bb to explain what had happened. Such a relief. I then set off to Edinburgh again and I didn't even need to buy another ticket. Now that I'm back home in Barcelona again, I'm going to make contact with Markinch station again and see if I can offer a reward to the young lad if they can find him. 

The rest of the day went by in a blur - lovely to see Bb's smiling face again on the platform! We spent a few hours wandering around old haunts in Edinburgh and ended up in Cafe Royal for a cheese board lunch. It was nice weather, cold but sunny. Then to Dot's and dinner at Left Field. My extra is of Cafe Royal and I may add an extra one of dinner.