I nearly did a runner when I saw him coming towards me. He was not what I was really expecting but I stayed, don’t ask me why but I did.
Each time we were going out I was most of the time having the usual glass of wine, he was only having orange juice, coca-cola or a glass of water. At first it didn’t bother me. .I told myself that the man simply didn’t like wine and nothing else.
After a while I started to think that something was definitely not right and I asked him: “Why don’t you ever have a glass of wine?” He smiled and said, I don’t drink alcohol” Ok fair enough, some people don’t like alcohol, some like me do. It still hadn’t rung a bell in my head.

He was/is one of the most charming person on earth, with his baby face, his gentle manners and that silly grin on his face.
I of course asked him what his job was (I was a student freshly arrived from Côte D’Ivoire. This was back in February 2003) and he told me he was a therapist. A thera-what? Never heard the word before… aaaah un thérapeute (the name in french). Oh ok. Well what do they do people called thera-thingy. No idea! At that period of my life I wasn’t really into technology if not at all. The internet for me was only to check my emails or look for a job but not more than that, not even Msn Messenger. However nowadays, someone spits out a word I don’t know I google it straight away ^_^ I am one of those who will be completely LOST and I mean LOST without Google.

I was imaging him going to work dressed up in jeans and a polo shirt even a simple t-shirt or something quite similar but boy was I surprised the first time I saw him going to work. The man was wearing a suit, a black suit with a tie! I obviously asked him where he was going dressed like this on a Saturday. Work was what he said simply. “You work on a Saturday?? Yes I do, I work everyday.” What is that therapist job then? He left and I saw his business card on the bed. His name was written under a logo which had 2 arrows and a name which I assume was the company’s name and right under was his title. He was not a therapist he was a Managing Director. The MD of the thera-thingy place.

Of course I had never heard of it.

He also used (and still does!) to leave me in bed very early every Tuesday morning dressed in his suit going God knew where. I thought it was for work but I had to ask him one day what this was all about. Was he meeting another woman, if yes why so early? Is that an english thing? He told me he was going to his meeting. Your meeting? At this time? What kind of meeting is this? I know the English start work for most of them at 9am not before. I can’t remember what he said and I obviously didn’t care/listen as I don’t recall a thing. I should have, it would have saved me a lot of time trying to understand him.

Every Tuesday morning he goes to a Self Help Group in Sydney Street in Chelsea. The meeting is held at St Lukes Church. I have never been to his meeting and hope to go there one day.