And there it was tucked into the flap of my passport cover.
A small piece of black string perhaps 8 inches long.
I recognised it as soon as I pulled it out .
2019 Sitges
Snogging a guy called Jon on the beach lounger
That was my one and only proper venture into a recent romance
Four years ago now.
He was getting over a destructive gaslighting relationship and was not only brittle and very sad, but had insight and an openness to new beginnings
He was staying on another two weeks on his own.
I was flying back the next day
And so pragmatic me saw it as a holiday snog, nothing more, a couple of days after we me
But he was tall and good looking and emotionally intelligent and
It did me the world of good, even though I thought he was out of my league
To be fair to him, he never gave that impression.
He tied the black string around my left wrist when we were curled up on the sun lounger
It should be red, he told me, in order to ward off the evil eye
Black isn’t as powerful, but it will do the job well enough.
I’m not a lover of bracelets, I can’t even wear a watch, but I liked it’s simplicity even though as a nurse I couldn’t wear it full time
And yesterday there it was , curled up in my passport cover.
Jon lives in Brighton with his new boyfriend now, they met the week after I left.
We all met up in London a few years ago, for a drink between jaunts.
Jon looked happy, but his boyfriend didn’t trust me as far as he could throw me
And it was what it was
I’ve been wearing the string, as will do so until my next shift
Funny what you remember.