Ahh, home from a lovely dinner with awesome friends out in Camden. *rubs belly*
So...first things first, I set off to get to Camden. But was stopped at the door by the sloshing rain outside. Clearly my huge puffy jacket wasn't cut out for that kinda water! So on with the waterproof jacket! Over the headphones and out into the urban wilderness.
The cold/wet/warm sensation on my legs as I hoofed it down to the tube made me smile. It wasn't erotic or anything like that. It's just the fact that I got a sensation for a change (remember I love my skin more than anything that dulls its sensitivity, that includes lycra and latex)
Anyway, got on the tube, no hassle. People staring in confusion or not noticing as they were far too pissed off with the weather to care. And up at Camden where no one ever batters an eyelid to the strange. Camden IS strange (but it isn't because it's fashionable?...you know when something goes around full circle and reaches normality/dullness again?)
I got into the Inspiral Lounge, and promptly found a place with three chairs to "reserve" for the other two when they rocked up.
To "validate" my presence I bought a packet of crisps. The guy at the counter looked at me a few times, then finally said, "can I help you". To which I raised the lightly salted kettle chips and he responded, "ninety five "P" please". I gave him a pound and he put a 5p coin in my hand without uttering a word...just staring at me. I responded with a muffled "Fankmoo".
I think he was confused as to why I was buying food when "apparently" there was no evidence as to how I was going to eat it. This was true for the rest of the people sitting around. Most of them hadn't registered my presence until I de-robed from my outdoor gear and walked up to the food counter. As I returned to my seat they all were unashamedly staring at me. And I sat there, replying to a text message with the bag of chips on a table...just waiting.
...and waiting...
..Until finally, I opened the bag of chips, unzipped my mouth and began to munch contently on the foodstuffs I was shoving into my zip-ridden mouth. Randomly! Some people let out a small sigh of relief, whilst others were still gawping at this black "oddity" that was eating crisps quite contently in front of them as though it were a normal occurrence. It was! Well...for me anyway.
Still, one friend appeared, as drenched as I was and looking at me funny as I was waving emphatically.
"Ah, you're darker than usual! I thought the lights in here were really shit or something".
"no..just in my fully covered zentai instead"
(He'd only seen me on Saturday with the half finished blue zentai and wasn't aware of what I was doing)
Kiss and a hug and we settle down, and he gets me a hot chocolate (yes, I'm a hot chocolate/mocha fiend!) whilst we wait for No. 3 to arrive.
I notice some people still slightly ogling over that I'm now drinking a hot chocolate quite merrily through this zippered orifice and talking to someone who's talking back in an equally normalised manner.
No. 3 arrives!! Moments as she walks through the door her glasses steam up, which is quite amusing as she doesn't know who she's hugging other than the voice. We settle down once again. Most people have resumed their own activities with one or two still glancing over at the "oddness". Then we go up to the counter to get our munch on!
The guy who tendered to my crisps requirement, went into a full blown round of question as to what the hell I'm wearing.
"So, what's this all for?" "I have to say that you totally threw me when you were buying those crisps...I didn't get it." "It's pretty insane! Are you documenting this stuff?" etc. etc. All answered with a smile and suitably honest responses :-)
Although you could see he was freaked out at the fact that ma "pearly whites" were talking to him, but he couldn't see anything else.
Food paid for and going back down to dig into it. It hit me:
"You haven't actually eaten a proper "wet" meal in zentai, in public"
And I got this sudden, "I'm not hungry anymore" feeling rushing around in me. So rather than deal with it internally I state publicly to the other two, "...I've uhm, actually never eaten in zentai in public. I feel like a bit of a dick"
"oh go on...a little messy face isn't going to kill you, you can wash it out if it *really* bothers you" they said, as they were tucking into their plates.
I do love my friends. I know I'm probably really fortunate that the group of people (old and new) I have around me accept that I'm a bit "off/odd" but also push me to be a better person and accept it as I can never be or do "normal"...only for short periods at a time anyway.
So, I say to myself, "c'mon, let's be having ya"...that's not Dutch courage...I'm on the hot chocolate remember!
And it went without a hitch! I had to be a bit more calculated with my portion sizes I'd mount onto the reverse of my fork (yes I eat in a "posh" manner so sue me) because my zipper mouth isn't as big as the gob I was born with. I did have moments where the controlled environment was starting to drive me mad. I just wanted to take off my hood and literally hoover the food (I'm normally a quick eater) but I resisted the urge and carried on! And finished :-)
I was really proud of myself. The other two didn't see it, because I was smiling the whole time anyway as the conversation was far too funny not to. I won't repeat some of the stuff that was said in regards to my zentai but: burqa, burqini, ninja, yelling, stopping, running, more yelling...and other things in "poor taste" were mentioned in various sentences of vast amusement, that would never go down well at some boring "socialite" dinner party event. We'd never go to those unless it was to deliberately stir up the "status quo" on the mundane.
Anyway, bellies suitably full and banter flowing, we decided it was time to go home..and we walked back to the station, a kiss and a hug and went our merry way. I wasn't alone on the tube mind! As one of my friends was going in my direction anyway. So we got onto a tube and sat there chatting away and this really...REALLY intoxicated guy (his face was crimson, his eyes slow to focus and body generally lolling around the place gently) sat directly opposite me was trying ever so hard to focus on me. Frowning like a 3 year old does when he's trying to fit a cube into a circular hole, but to no avail.
No one really battered an eyelid because we were talking. The tube pulled up to her stop and we hugged and bade each other goodbye. At the same time this older gentleman with a walking cane struggled to get on, and impulsively (Momma didn't raise no fool) got up out of my seat and said to him, "please take mine!" poor man looked slightly puzzled but seemed to see that I was genuine and said, "why thank you young lady".
I proceeded to plonk myself in the seat next to the one I vacated and just disappeared for a few minutes into a blank space in my head. That rarely ever happens, so it's nice to be there sometimes.
I walked home with zero incident (as has become the norm now)
Good times...
Oh, also. Pictures from Sunday:
iZ
