19 Comments
User's avatar
Victoria's avatar

So if you live in South London and are waiting for a bus - don’t even think about having the G&T can in your Waitrose bag. However shite your day. You will feel like you’re back at school again and in big trouble with the headmistress

Expand full comment
Victoria's avatar

Wasnt really a small humiliation - was quite a big one

Expand full comment
Victoria's avatar

Just an ordinary primary - but apparently South London is big on “safeguarding”. When my daughter was at home safe with her dad. They had a long few days of whether to call social services. For one gin can. I don’t drink any more - maybe it scared it out of me. Feel a lot better for sobriety though - a shitty day is a shitty day and a drink doesn’t help, but you know that better than me

Expand full comment
Justin Myers's avatar

WHAT?!? Wtf is it to do with them? How posh is your daughter’s school exactly?! That is actually insane behaviour on their part.

Expand full comment
Victoria's avatar

If you were in Scotland where I’m from they wouldn’t even know whose mother you were

Expand full comment
Victoria's avatar

Bloody South London

Expand full comment
Victoria's avatar

Shitty even. Some TA had seen me and reported me

Expand full comment
Victoria's avatar

I was having a G&T can outside of Waitrose waiting for a bus and the next day I got called in by the headmistress of my daughters school for “inappropriate behaviour in public”. “We are concerned for you” she said. And asked if I wanted my daughter present. It was a can of G&T at 8pm and I had had a shorty day at work

Expand full comment
Chrissy Jay's avatar

Am actually hysterical. I do hope you have a pair of labradoodles called Janice and Fiona. Or maybe name your balls after these ladies.

Expand full comment
Justin Myers's avatar

Hahaha! Thanks for reading.

Expand full comment
Andrew Wright's avatar

Oh lawd. My life already.

I'll just offer this one from my stock pile: Family holiday. I was 11. My brother had been taking boxing lessons which meant when he wasn't in the ring he was using me to practice on. After my 11th punch in the upper arm of the day, I'd had enough. We were outside a shop that sold tourist tat in Cornwall, and my brother was playing hit 'n run: He hit me, then ran away.

Biding my time, I waited for the moment when I knew I could land a punch on his arm without him dodging it and laughing at me. WHACK! Got the bugger.

EXCEPT... an old lady yelled "HEY!" The person I had just punched was wearing an identical blue raincoat to my brother. They were female. They were at least sixty years older. Like a rabbit in the headlights, mortified, what could I say? "Sorry, I thought you were someone else"? So, doing as my brother always did - I ran away.

Expand full comment
Justin Myers's avatar

Hahaha oh my! Proof that violence never solves anything!

Expand full comment
Andrew Wright's avatar

I'd just like to add "peace and love to all OAPs out there". Bloody lucky I didn't go for a head shot... *hides face in deep deep shame*

Expand full comment
Elaine R. Frieman's avatar

The book club meeting and the uni lectures. 🙈😱

Expand full comment
Justin Myers's avatar

No place for a fragile ego in this business!

Expand full comment
Elaine R. Frieman's avatar

I think anyone who can be so savage has never been a writer. Yikes! 🙈 besides, your writing is brilliant. 🤩🫶🏻

Expand full comment
Justin Myers's avatar

Ha you’re very kind, thank you.

Expand full comment
Total Rewrite's avatar

Thank gawd for this post Justin. Having awoken early to texts from US telling me, a resounding NO to a tv idea I had thought was a shoo-in, I was clinging on to the whole 'if its for you... ' that my Irish mother feels is HER mantra. Not a humiliation as such - just crushing realisation that every idea one has in telly is the same as some other fucker has done. This post cheered me no end. NOT at your humiliations, but the clever wit with which you told said tales.

Expand full comment
Justin Myers's avatar

oh no I'm so sorry things haven't worked out for the TV idea – thank you so much for reading!

Expand full comment