Violence in the Playground

I don't go out often in the evenings as I just don't seem to have the capacity for booze any more and my recovery rate is considerably longer than it used to be.  I just can't face waking up in the morning feeling like death and taking half a day before I'm even starting to function.

However, that's not to say that I never go out and I did a few weekends ago, ostensibly just for a couple of sun-downer drinks but it then ended up, as it invariably does, as a full blown session.

We ended up in bar (not too late) over the water which is open 24 hours a day and were at a table of around 8 of us enjoying some light hearted conversation and banter and a few laughs.

This guy comes in with his floosy and sits down at the table.  Not having met him before I commented that his accent sounded like he was from the same part of the world that I was from and he acknowledged he was from London.

He then started talking about football (yawn) and prattling on about West Ham.

Apparently, during some light-hearted banter he took umbrage because I insulted West Ham (I think I said "up the Spurs" or something equally nasty) and so he offered me outside in order, and I quote,  'to defend West Ham's honour' (I'm not making this up).  I told him disdainfully that I wasn't going to fight him over a football team that I knew nothing about and besides, I'd grown out of fighting in the playground over football arguments ever since I'd left primary school.  And furthermore, I mentioned that I thought that sort of football attitude had died in the 70s.  Which seemed to do nothing but inflame the situation somewhat.  Besides, I was very drunk and wearing flip-flops and didn't want to go home and bleed all over the bed sheets.  Or be responsible for him hitting his head on a kerb, dying and me having to spend 30 years (i.e. the rest of my life) in a Filipino gaol. Twat.  

And I just couldn't come to terms with the idea of rolling around in a pub car park over something I said about a football team.  And I told him so.  It was just plain ridiculous.  But articulate argument definitely wasn't his forte.  So I told him I was willing to apologise for whatever it was I had said about his precious football team if it would smooth the matter over and we could all go back to enjoying the evening.  But he wasn't prepared to accept that and just sat there scowling with a face like a slapped arse.

Eventually, the evening picked up and every one was merry again.

Anyway, at the end of the evening he came over and apologised to me but I could only grudgingly accept as he'd taken the edge of what should have been a great evening and I'm still stewing over the incident principally because a prat had decided to seat himself at our table and then acted like a moron.  

One of the best things about being in Asia is being able to go to pubs/clubs/bars without even a hint of the threat of trouble or violence.  It's a revealing fact that the first time I experience it in this part of the world is from a fellow countryman.  One of the reasons I'm in this part of the world in order to get away from dickheads like that.