April 2003: Final preparations

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 13 December 2007 23:35:08

So, three weeks before the weeding, I had scuppered my chances of becoming a Driving Instructor for the forseeable future. A few weeks before this, Tina had lost her job. Things were stressful enough without having to make final plans for the wedding.

The organisation I was working for was balancing on a knife edge. They relied almost entirely on funding from the Local Authority, but the new budget was to be announced and rumour were spreading that our funding was to be cut. I was working as a temp, and the reason I'd stayed as long as I did was because they were deliberately not filling the permanent post until they knew for certain that funding was available.

When I failed my third attempt at Part 2, I hoped I could fall back on the job I already had and apply for the permanent position. However, the day after my test, we got confirmation that the council had not included us in their budget and the scheme would probably have to close and we would all be out of work.

R was fantastic. He called me into his office and explained the full implications of this. He told me that there was enough money in the pot for the organisation to carry on for another 6 - 9 months, so in the short term our jobs were safe. He also advised me that as a temp, my job was the most vulnerable when they had to start shedding people, but not to worry too much in the immediate short term. His exact words were "I can't sack a man who's about to get married". He assured me not to worry about anything until after the wedding, but suggested that once it was out of the way I should start looking for something else, and that I could take as much time off for job interviews as I needed and that he would still pay me for that time.

Last minute weeding plans went full steam ahead. The rings had been delivered. The hotel for the reception was booked. Tina & I had compiled the Order of Service ourselves (more about that later) and spent an entire Saturday afternoon photocopying and stapling them.

One week before the wedding, on a Saturday morning, I received what I first thought was a disturbing letter. Well, two in fact. They were both identical, from the local Council sending a final warning about the unpaid parking tickets on my car. (Over the next few days, I was to receive nine more of these letters). At leat I knew where my car was. The first thing I did was to go and find it to make sure it was still roadworthy before informing the Police that it had been recovered. I was relieved to find it was OK. It had 11 parking tickets plastered to the windscreen. The battery had been taken from it. Bizarrely, so had the Haynes manual that had been left on the back seat. Perhaps a manual for a 1986 Vauxhall Nova is worth something in the criminal underworld.

I was happy.

That evening was my stag night at the Head of Steam in Euston. A fine pub with a wonderful selection of Real Ales where we had held a number of shipmeets in the past. Much ale was consumed that evening.

The final final preparations took place on the Friday night before the wedding. As we were in an interregnum at church, the Churchwarden was busy sorting out the registers. The aforementioned Geoff came along to see the church and help with the rehearsal and to advise the CW with the preparation of the registers. He had come to London specially and was staying for the weekend with Stephen, my Best Man.

After the rehearsal, Stephen, Geoff and I went for a pint. Also in the pub was Steve, another old friend who was Chief Usher. In many ways, this was more enjoyable than the stag night: Sitting in my local, enjoying a few pints with my three oldest friends.