By the end of week two I had started working and got myself a pair of trainers to start running again!
I visited a few pubs with friends I'd met at the hostel! And walked Arthur's seat!
The next weekend (beginning of week three) I found myself without a place to sleep yet again... Everything is booked, and with my short term planning I can't seem to be able to find rooms for less than a 100 pounds... A man staying at the same hostel as me during the week invited me to go with him for a hike in the highlands! The place looked amazing so I gladly accepted the offer! He was going for two nights and I told him I could only go for one as I was working on the Tuesday and I didn't want to worry about making it back or be extremely tired! He said that it was alright. On the morning we were meant to depart I met him at our rendez-vous point and he showed me the map of where we were going! He then had to leave to go meet his son for an hour and grab a sleeping bag for me. Something about the map was bothering me so I went on the OS maps website to look at the place and the length of the hike. He told me it was 5 hours to get to the first cabin and then a 4 hours hike for me to get back into town the next day to catch my bus back to Edinburgh. After looking at the paths I realized that it was more of a 18 hours hike back into town... I was not pleased and decided not to go. I texted him but he never got my message before getting back. When I explained this to him he said "Right, I forgot you were only staying for one night." He did mentioned a few times how he never invites people to hike with him, only his sons and how he wanted to offer me this gift. I started to be a bit pissed off that he kept trying to "pressure" me into changing my mind. I kept telling him that I had this filling in the pit of my stomach telling me not to go. He then said we could do a different hike which meant staying closer to the town and I felt like he wanted me to go to much for me to feel comfortable at this point. (Also the fact that his ex-wife was giving us a lift and that she was a bit upset at the fact that a young girl was hiking with him and that apparently he likes French girls... It got a bit too weird for me.) So he went alone, asking me to watch over his son's sleeping bag until he'd return to town on Monday.
So as I had no where to go I just started walking to the other side of town, the Leith walk & had a lovely picnic in the park while people watching. The guy called me asking if he could give my number to his son as he'd need the sleeping bag that night for a party he was throwing, I said yes and waited for the call or text.
I circled back into town, stopped in a park and face-timed my dad. After a while, I went to the train station where I skyped with my brother for a few hours. By 11pm, the dude's son hadn't contacted me so I started walking towards the airport where I thought I'd stay for the night until I could go back to the hostel!
It's going to be a two hours walk, non-stop to the airport with my big bag... After 20 minutes, the urge to pee comes... Walking in a residence area at that point, there is no public toilets in sight. I hold my bladder, silently praying for a bathroom... or a bush... I reach a point where I have to physically hold my pee in when I pass a b&b with a bar. I rush inside, noting that they put up Christmas decorations in the lobby before Halloween as even pass. I get to the bar prepared to ask to use the restroom with tears in my eyes, but I see no one behind the bar... Only four men drinking their pint while watching the sport network! I just rush to the bathroom commanding my bladder to not fail me! I reach the bathroom, run to the stall, undo my pants and... for fuck's sake I forgot I'd put on a one piece to keep me warmer since I was going to be homeless for one night. At that point I'm grinding my teeth together and hurrying to undress as I'm about to cry and wet myself. Oh, the sweet relief that came with emptying my bladder felt like heaven!
I kept walking for a while and then stop and sat on a bench for a bit, I was so tired it was 1am and I just wanted to sleep. I forced myself to keep going and after an other 45 minutes I stopped again to sit on a bench. I know I'm close to the airport and I knew if I'd stay at that bench I'd fall asleep... I had to walk along the motorway and I had to cross it 5 times because the sidewalks bit would stop on one side and reappear on the other one... (Lucky it was night and no one was driving!) I also saw 2 wild rabbits on this walk, looking so beautiful running in the moonlight, in the grass boarding the roads! I finally made it to the airport! Every bench was taken by sleeping travelers so I cuddled up on the floor with my bag as a pillow and the sleeping bag covering me! At 5am they wake you up because the airport is "opening" and you need to sit up... I sleepily look around and see people sleeping in a sitting position on the benches... So I make my way to a bench where two men where already falling into Morpheus' arms! I dozed off and woke-up drooling on my bag! At 7:45am I decided to take the bus back into town because fuck walking! I reached the bus stop, looked at the schedule and the bus should be there in 15! Forty-five minutes later, no sign of the bus and it turns out this bus stop is no more in use... Christ! So, I start walking (and almost crying from tiredness). I reach an other bus stop by the motorway. A bus came 15 minutes later. I asked the driver if he was going into town. He said no and I think he saw the despair in my face and offered me a free ride to where I could get an other bus to drive me into town! What a lovely man! I managed to catch the other bus and made it to the hostel where I napped in the afternoon!
The morning after..!