chapter 2

A late start had a different routine.
He'd get up too late for breakfast, appreciating the lie in after such an early start the day before. He'd get ready slowly and sit down to have a light lunch on his own before head headed out to work.
He would only be there for an hour or two before visiting started. Visitors usually brought 'thank you' gifts of a box of chocolates or a box of biscuits. Quite often, they couldn't get on with dressings and such with the visitor being in, so they'd make use of the time, sitting down, having a cup of coffee and some choclately treats while he discussed patient treatment plans and procedures with his mentor.
Once the visitors had gone, it was back to work. The teas came up on a trolley from the kitchen somewhere between five and six.
Having not had a proper meal since lunchtime, it was difficult to keep a hold on his appetite and help himself to leftover chips. Once the teas were tidied away, it was time to start the staff breaks.
Simon had made himself a few sandwiches or a salad as a so called 'packed lunch' that morning, even though this was supposed to be the main meal of the day.
As with lunch time on an early start, he was encouraged to leave the ward for his break. He only had half an hour and no access to cooking facilities to heat up a ready meal, so it had to be a packed lunch. He would walk over to the canteen and be tempted by the cooked meals on offer, but he could not afford to waste the food in his bag. Nevertheless, sometimes, when the queue was not quite so long, he would succumb to a nice sponge either custard. He would have to walk home again tonight!
Another round of visitors on his return brought more biscuits, sweets or chocolates, put out for staff to help themselves. So he did.
There were only four staff on duty, but one box of chocolates, with two layers, could be consumed between them in an hour... that is except for the strawberry and orange creams. The night staff could have them.
On his walk home, Simon faced many temptations. He had to pass several pubs as he made his way through the city centre. During the week he didn't mind so much, but on a Friday or Saturday night, he knew his mates would be inside enjoying themselves.
He could not justify going in and spending all his money on drink and getting home really late, especially when he was on an early start the next morning.
He could not go into work the next morning hungover, potentially still drunk and stinking of beer. It was unprofessional, especially when you were working so closely with other human beings.
However, he did not want to lose his friends. He wanted to appear sociable, so he would pop into one or two of the pubs on his way home. If they were there, he would have a swift half with them, then head home. There was no harm in that!
As he walked along the street to his flat, he could smell the delicacies of the local takeaways. The Chinese was just over the road from where he lived. The fish shop was around the corner and the pizza place was in the next street. He would have to head further afield for an Indian, but it was still only another street away.
Simon's stomach would often grumble. If he'd managed to stave off giving into the chocolate sponge in the canteen, he found it very difficult not to give in to temptation.
Jennifer would often have a meal ready for him coming in, despite the late hour, but she would sometimes have gone out with her friends and left him to fend for himself. He could not be bothered to cook so late. Facing another round of sandwiches was not very exciting, so off to the takeout it would be!
He could not choose anything on the menu. He was still living on a budget. Chips and gravy, chips and curry sauce would do. Or if he was feeling flush he would have a chop sued roll, chips and gravy. The spring roll was full of all the leftover ingredients from the other meals and only cost him a couple of quid.
Simon did have a bit of a social life with Jennifer. If he was not working late on a Friday or Saturday, they would head into the town themselves, have a few drinks and even head out to a club. Even so, they had to be careful. They would arrive at the pub for around half seven or eight o'clock and have at least half an hour of concerted drinking before heading out to a club.
They had to get to the club before nine o'clock because the entry prices went up after that, making their night out prohibitively expensive.
Once there, they would buy one half of lager each and make it last as long as they could. The beer was watered down and expensive. They could not afford to get drunk in the clubs.
At twoish in the morning, they would head home. They were faced with a difficult decision. Did they splash ou and get a taxi home, or walk home, but be tempted to buy a kebab on their way. The walk and the kebab was the cheapest option.