Down in the bar, Sar and I spotted Shell and some friends she had made at the con. Shell introduced everyone and the new arrivals sat down for a drink. Don’t get too excited. I think Claire, the Queen of Excitement, only had a ginger ale. It should have been a Coke, but I momentarily forgot about the caffeine addiction. Well, whatever I drank seemed to keep me lucid enough to carry on a conversation. However, I hadn’t been chatting long when Kathye arrived and told me that Kirsty was looking for me. I pondered a moment about what I might have done wrong then went with Kathye.
Kirsty and a number of my friends were standing around this little table that was just beyond the elevators. Kirsty beckoned to us then explained that she had bought a thank you card for Robert and was asking all of us to sign and kiss it. Then she brandished a red lipstick and her meaning became clear. Kathye and I had both brought lipsticks of our own, so we went up to our rooms to fetch them, signing and kissing the card when we returned. In fact, I think quite a few ladies signed and kissed the card. I’d say there were at least ten people in what Kirsty dubbed the “Pinkie Club”.
Supper was slightly chaotic, and not just because of the extra lipstick. As the Silver Arrow Committee was trying to juggle a meal, an auction and celebrities (including a surprise guest), things were bound to be a little disorganized. However, many of the Guy groupies (and some non-groupies like Sar, Patti and Ange) managed to squeeze around a table at the back of the hall. And as we had some time to kill before the buffet was set up, I know I appreciated the extra conversation. Though when supper was ready, we didn’t waste any time on talk, but focused on our stomachs. As I don’t like eggs, I skipped the quiche, but the pizza appetizers, sausage rolls and buttered buns weren’t bad. Okay, I’ve had better, but who needed food when so much excitement still lay ahead. No, food wasn’t an issue but drinks were. Anita and I decided to seek out a bar.
The bar inside the hall wasn’t open yet, so we headed to the bar in the lounge. Anita ordered a fruit juice thing. Claire was bad and ordered a pint of Strongbow. While we were waiting for our drinks, Robert Addie appeared. We tried to play it cool and just glance at him from the corner of our eyes. I think we might have played it too cool because he disappeared about 20 seconds later. Maybe he finally remembered who I was and freaked out. As I thought I saw him pat his shirt pocket, there’s a distinct possibility that he had forgotten his wallet or was mugged by an extremely friendly fan. Uh, I’ll just move on, shall I?
Yes, you’re absolutely right. This is one of the Seven Pens of Wayland.
As soon as we returned to the banquet hall, we learned that Michael Praed was signing autographs. I took quick sip of Strongbow, put my glass down on the table and clutched my SA2003 programme in my stubby, little hand. Michael Praed and surprise guest, Judi Trott, had arrived before supper, but had spent some quiet time in the bar with the other guests – free for a brief period from their fans. However, now it was an entirely different story. Pushing aside plates that no doubt contained half-finished meals, the celebs prepared to meet their fans. In Michael Praed’s case, it was a massive line that seemed to stretch forever. Well, “forever” if you were standing in it. Fortunately, I had Anita for company, so it wasn’t too bad. We also got a sneak peek at some items that were going to be auctioned off when we passed a table of RoS-related goodies.
Eventually, the only person who stood between Michael and me was the Belgian fan, Saskia, who was wearing a blue medieval dress and matching hairnet. She was trying to catch Eric’s attention so he’d be ready to take a picture and, well, waiting to get an autograph. She was about to take her turn when Michael announced that he needed to go to the loo…and disappeared! Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, a woman detained him at the door for a few minutes on his return. No one in the line was impressed by her behaviour. And in case you think we were over-reacting, we had been told that Michael could only stay for about 20 minutes before he had to catch a train back to London and some sleep before the early morning rehearsal of the play he was in. So, in other words, the clock was ticking.
I didn’t realize this at the time, but apparently Sar and Kathye were having tons of fun at our expense. Instead of getting autographs, they decided to kick back at the table and provide a running commentary of our journey through the massive queue. They charted our progress carefully and the suspense built as we moved closer and closer to Michael. Claire and Anita are almost at the front of the line. Will they make it in time to get an autograph?, etc. I know they thought it was priceless when Michael left the room and we exchanged looks of horror. I’m sure that in about ten years, I’ll think it’s funny too. *g*
Michael finally returned and the line heaved a collective sigh of relief. Saskia sat down beside Michael Praed, while Anita and I mentally urged her to move quickly. I thought I would scream when Eric started taking pictures, but the photo session was mercifully quick. Then it was my turn…
Now *I’m* meeting Michael Praed!!! *
Despite the nervous flutter in my stomach, I thought I remained calm, cool and collected and didn’t act like an idiot at all. That was before I saw Kirsty’s pictures and took in the gigantic goofy grin plastered on my face. If you think the picture you’re looking at now is bad, you should see the other one! Anywaaaay, Michael was obviously used to dealing with crazed women because he was incredibly sweet to me. He immediately said, “Well, hello there!” and looked at the other signatures in my programme. “Oh, so your name’s Claire,” he added, before he spilled some of his cigarette ash. He apologized at once and brushed it off my programme. "Smoking! Filthy habit!" he said. He told me that it’s evil and that he was a nicotine addict. Having watched Herne Bear succumb to the lure of nicotine the night before, I was tempted to agree, but I said instead, “Well, at least you know it’s evil.” It was then that he asked me in a very serious voice if I smoked myself. As I’ve been allergic to smoke and tobacco my whole life and usually avoid smokers like the plague, I could give him an honest no. He said I must never start and I told him I wouldn’t. *Sigh* Not only was Michael still incredibly handsome, but he seemed to care about my health too!
As you can see, meeting Michael Praed had no lasting side effects…
As I rose from the chair in a daze, I began to understand why women fell for Michael Praed – and fell hard. Of course, the infatuation didn’t last more than a few seconds. I’m a Guy groupie and, so, I’m completely immune to the lasting side effects of Praedism. No, meeting Michael Praed didn’t affect me at all. *Clears throat* It was some comfort that Anita, a fellow Guy groupie, was also excited about meeting Michael, though she wasn’t cursed with goofy grin syndrome like I was.
Michael signed Anita’s programme and they chatted for a few moments. She was actually lucky to meet Michael at all because he only managed to meet a couple more fans before Janet announced that he had to leave if he was going to catch his 9:30 train. There was a loud moan of protest in the hall, and I felt bad for the remaining people, like Patti, who missed out. However, Michael promised that if they could trust Janet (joking that he wouldn’t), he would send autograph pictures to them through her. Then he said how wonderful it was to be at the con and how he hoped there would be another one where they’d have time to do things properly and where the whole cast could come.
As Michael made his way out of the hall, he kissed Judi on the cheek and then kissed her three children and said how beautiful they were. He even shook Robert Addie’s hand and said they would have to meet up soon.
Judi and her children meet the fans. I’m sorry but her eldest daughter didn’t quite make it into the shot…
After Michael left, I didn’t have the heart or energy to join the line meeting Judi. She seemed to have enough on her plate with three children in tow and the fans she was meeting. However, I had to have her picture, at least. I felt bad but I took one of her when she wasn’t looking, though I think she may have sensed I was there. Well, it serves her right for looking so damn good after all these years! I swear she hasn’t aged day! She looked fantastic! She was also friendly and gracious to the fans. When her youngest daughter grew tired, Judi held her while she signed autographs and had pictures taken. Rina said that when she went up for a photo, Judi asked if she could continue to hold her daughter, which was fine with Rina, of course.
Apparently, her children did manage to find some entertainment for themselves during the autograph and photo session. During the auction, I overheard a mother say that her kids had gone up to play with Judi’s children. Judi only discovered this when she saw the tablecloth moving at her table. When she looked under, she was surprised to find her children playing down there. However, the children could only play for so long before Judi had to leave as well…
* Photo provided by Kirsty Robertson
