[
It was day 10 in Delhi with the last of our money running out, a ticket for Nikki but none for me - just another useless telex from Asian Greyhound telling me to go to the post office for the non-existent ticket (we had gone to the post office so often they had tea and chapattis waiting for us) - and it was my birthday! The thought of Nikki flying away the next day and being left alone with no way home, brought me to the lowest ebb - so I booked an international phone call home. It must seem extraordinary to those brought up in the age of mobiles and Internet to wonder how this could be such a major event, but this was the era when telex was the eighth wonder of the world. My parents (coping with the aftermath of Granny's death) were not at home, but luckily I got brother Rory, who was trying to finish an essay before returning to college, and a little surprised to get a hysterical outpouring from his sister in India. He was the hero of the hour.]
Rory piping with his daughter Lorna on Skye, 2009
SATURDAY 8TH JANUARY, 1977 - MY 19TH BIRTHDAY!
"
My birthday! Nikki got call from the Embassy saying £100 available in rupees because of irate telex from the Foreign Office, but must draw all at once and not convertible to dollars or pounds again! [So we never made trip out to Embassy]
Went to Ariana [Afghan Airways] -
Nikki's P.T.A for new ticket come! Flight Sunday morning 7.30!
No ticket for me.
Nikki went a bought me a card and I bought Spike Milligan book. Decided to collect cases from airport. Very upsetting to go there and not fly! Felt miserable.
Back in afternoon to B.A - yet another telex saying Mrs Flynn [of Asian Greyhound] says go to Post Office [for ticket]!
Burst into tears! Couldn't stop or be cheered up. Decided to ring home. Booked a call through -
got [brother] Rory - asked him to get Dad to buy ticket in London today -
urgent, no money etc - felt better for call."
No comments:
Post a Comment