We decided to keep our little meeting with Pink a secret. To be completely honest at first neither of us believed it had actually happened, and we also weren’t sure if the tickets would materialise. We would add them to the list on Saturday – when we actually had them in our hands – just in case. It always paid to err on the side of caution in those situations.
I honestly don’t know how I kept my mouth shut about meeting Pink, I didn’t even tell Itchy – convinced he’d blab to Whippet. Friday was spent making lists of everything we had to do on Saturday. I felt the need to make it up to Charlie for being so unprepared with the shopping trip.
Saturday morning came, I was wide awake early 4am to be precise. I was up & dressed before Itchy had moved an eyelid. I was so wired I decided to try and burn off some energy by going for a run, I put on my Nike run shorts and a singlet. Put my Ipod into my armband and the headphones in. Just as I was lacing up my trainers Itchy woke and gave me a puzzled look.
“I’m just gonna go for a quick run to burn off some energy” I said
“Well I can think of better ways to burn off energy” he winked.
“Oh can you now? Well you should’ve woke up earlier then” I laughed.
He sat up in bed with his hair all ruffled, exposing his bare chest and the sleeve tattoo on his left shoulder & bicep. He looked so hot at that moment, I waivered on jumping back into bed with him.
“Hang on then and I’ll come with you” he said, pulling back the covers and slipping on his boxers.
“No, its fine. You have to work in a bit. You relax for a while, have your coffee and watch the surf and I’ll be back in half an hour – before you leave for work” I smiled. The truth was he was such a distraction. I needed to just put in my headphones, turn up the music and go. Training with professional athletes was never fun for anyone but professional athletes.
By the time I returned, Itchy was sat on the balcony checking the surf reports on his phone. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went to join him. He’d already showered and was dressed in his lifeguard uniform ready for work. We chatted for a little while about what the plans were for the day. Itchy was working at Bondi with Kerrbox, Deano, Hoppo & Reidy. We’d managed to rope the lifeguards that weren’t rostered on to help set up the room. The event was due to start at 6pm with the auction due to start at 7:30pm, but there was a lot to do in the meantime. The room had no stage as such and we hadn’t been able to decorate beforehand as the venue had another event on the previous night. We were allowed into the room at noon to set up, that only gave us 6 hours to build a stage, set up the chairs and tables, sort out the sound and lighting and decorate the room. We also had to allow ourselves enough time to change into our outfits and look presentable – we were both co-hosting with Whippet. Whippet had kindly volunteered his services as an emcee. He was so much more comfortable with a microphone than either me or Charlie. He’d been a child actor before his lifeguarding career so was also more comfortable in the spotlight.
Charlie arrived at my apartment at 11am. She’d brought pastries from the bakery down the street and her outfit for changing into that evening. She’d also brought her suitcase.
“What the hell have you got in there?” I asked as she wheeled the little trolley across the apartment
“Erm, well I have accessories, Jewellery, Make-up, Straighteners, curlers, shoes and a couple of bags because I couldn’t decide which one goes best with my dress”
“Oh I see, I thought for a second there that you were moving in” I teased
We’d decided it was going to be easier (and quicker) for us to both dash back to my apartment to get changed, rather than for Charlie have to go home to her own apartment which was further away. We were sat on the balcony going through the lists of things to do when Charlie received a text.
Hey, It’s Alicia – Pink, I just wanted to say that I have the tickets that I promised and I was hoping to drop them off personally this evening. I’ve managed to clear a couple of hours from my schedule and I’d love to come along and help if that’s ok?
“Oh my god, read this” Charlie squealed as she chucked her phone at me.
I read the message and then had to read it again to make sure I’d read it correctly.
“That is amazing” I said “Wait til Whippet finds out she’s coming. He’s really gonna lose it. Oh hang on. I have an idea.”
“Yeah he’s nuts about her. Go on tell me your idea” Charlie replied
“Well what if we didn’t tell Whip that she was coming? What if we left that as a surprise, maybe while he’s on stage?”
“Ha ha that would be GOLD!!!”
Charlie replied to Pink and she said she’d be there at 8, we would sneak her in a back door so no-one knew she was there until the surprise had been sprung. We gathered our stuff together got changed into scruffy shorts and tees and headed over to the Beach Road Hotel. By the time we arrived the guys were already there and had made a start. Beardy & Bisho were building the stage, Mouse, Maxi & Jesse were putting the tables together and arranging the seating. There were a few more guys hanging the decorations around the room. Thankfully some of the wives and girlfriends had come along to help with the table decorations and arrangements. A local florist had kindly donated a centrepiece for each of the tables. It seemed like the whole community was lending a hand. I was totally floored by the generosity of people.
