Chapter 23. Anxiety part 3. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Be gamble aware.

Thursday 27th November, no gym today yet. Its packed already and I love making excuses.

Contacted Adult Social Care Wakefield today to register my mum as a vulnerable adult. My brother has changed her phone numer following my call four weeks ago. I constantly kick myself for mucking up the recording. In addition, since my brother John's conversation with dad, he sits in his chair by the window and cries himself to sleep. What my brother has done is cruel and wrong.

Meanwhile back in the Summer of 2020 - end of the first lockdown -Lambo is recovering from his slipped disk and a friend is about to arrive to lift his anxiety and depression.

Lambo 2020

A friend in need is a friend indeed. A friend with weed is better. 

Monday 20th July 2020, Grove medical practice Sherborne Dorset.doctor’s surgery 0940.   If you missed part 2 click here.

The slipped disk in the last chapter has eased but the knee and shoulder are a constant reminder of the dark side of rugby. ‘Colin Lambert for Dr Middle’ comes over the speaker. I am greeted by Charlie in a space suite. I close my eyes, biting hard on my face mask as the first of two cortisone injections goes in. Shoulder first, knee second. This is magic stuff, taken many times in my rugby days and now its job is to get me walking and moving again. Two days to start and three weeks to dancing again, I hope.

Only three pints yesterday, so mood is brighter. My phone rings.

‘Yo Lambo, it’s James how you doing?

‘I’m good thank you, (I lied) how are you?’

I’m good thank you (he lied).

James is an old mate, more of an acquaintance than friend, who works a full-time yacht skipper. My first Atlantic crossing, on a client’s boat, had James as skipper. My lasting memory of the trip is James surfing down waves, one hand on the wheel, Vodka & Marlborough in the other. Scared or what. He also sailed on my boat, me as skipper (all my boats were dry) from Palma Spain to Dartmouth. He’s fun and we have a laugh. Covid has cancelled his last job and was homeless for two weeks.

James also lives out of his car, with a storage unit in Southampton. His arrival two days later gave me just the kick up the bum that was needed, I had to tidy up for a start.

In ten days we de-cluttered the entire house, he cut the lawn and created a semblance of order. I cooked, he cleaned up.  We reminisced, laughed, drank way too much (he ho) and his bag of weed was just perfect.

We talked deep into the night and discussed addictions, at which point he admitted he was not good! Why do we perform that, I'm ok your ok, daft ritual on meeting? His gambling losses (£10,000 at worst point) had taken a toll, especially with no income for six months. Horses and golf were his thing, sometime football or tennis. He was not a happy bunny at all. We walked, talked and sat by the pond sharing his stash of Super Silver Haze. He took the photo above. 

Two days later he was away to his next delivery trip.

However, James had shifted my mood considerably, we even cycled up the dreaded hill (the one I crunched my knee on) without pain in my back I was back moving, depression lifted and…

I instructed a solicitor to help make contact with my grandchildren and agreed to drive to Yorkshire, on my dads invite, to meet my two brothers whom I have had almost no contact since they refused to attend my wedding (to Sheila) and then tried to invoke a LPA (Lasting Power of Attorney) on my dad, when he was in hospital in 2018. 

Next I needed to visit Sheila's flat in Richmond without my anxiety returning.

And, the point I am making is;

A friend in need is a friend indeed. 

Have a good day.

Colin

 Ps. A 'friend in need' is a song by the band Placebo. Pure Morning.