Just that Summer (It’s Raining Today)

Today is Dragon Boat and dispite the rain of the past two weeks, I was convinced that the weather would pull through. I am obviously deluded.

Two years ago my friends and I headed off to Stanley for the race and it was sunny and warm. There was a bunch of us, and we ended up on some boat that was filled with free booze, free food and a really good sound system plus DJ Curtesy of Snubarts the bar. I lost a brand new CD because I put it in someone I don’t know’s bag thinking it belonged to someone else, and it took us a good few days to work out what happened to it. There was some kissing, some jumping into the water from the top deck and chilling out in all these different boats and one person getting slapped (not me and not by me.) I even managed not to get too sunburnt because I was (and always am) good with the reapplying sublock.

It was the perfect day.

In fact it was the perfect summer.

We spent every weekend on the beach, on boats, wind surfing, learning to surf, wake boarding and going to full moon parties. We would climb hills and play hand drums until sunset then catch a sanpan back to Cheung Chau. At night it was clubs, videos, brownies and dinner.

It really was the perfect summer.

Mike’s now in London, Gelly is in Edinburgh, John is in DC, Tracey in LA, Sophie in Paris, Eddy is sick, my cousin is working 90 hour weeks, Sam’s home with baby and the other people have fallen on the way side because all the glue is gone.

Most of us have passed the 30 mark somewhere in the last 24 months.

The last time I saw Mike we talked about TV.

Not to mention some really not so great things landed on each of us in some way or other. Babies gone, people got sick, relationships ended and work changed.

I guess that’s growing up and putting the years behind you.

Even when it was going on, I remember thinking it was the best summer ever and I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t had one that good before.

What I didn’t know was that I wouldn’t have as good a one the year after.

I am leaving Hong Kong by the end of this one. I already know it won’t be as good because life has moved on.

I guess that could be sad but it’s not.

It was just that summer…