Didn't see that coming

Steven Arnot was 21 when he met 20-year-old Alice Bailey at Springvale's local nightclub, Lazers, which was part of the Waltzing Matilda Hotel. After meeting each other through friends, the pair got on very well, and when they were both slightly drunk, they ended up ‘pashing on’ for a while before exchanging telephone numbers.

Alice was a petite local girl from Dandenong North. She was the second eldest of four children. When they met, she had been a nurse at Caulfield Hospital for two years. Their relationship grew, and they enjoyed each other's company. Sex came naturally between the pair. Alice enjoyed Steven’s desire to make sure she felt loved, and their physical moments were satisfying.

The pair had been together for three years before moving into their new home in Narre Warren. Before that, they rented a Californian bungalow-style house in Oakleigh, and after two years of living together, they became engaged. They continued to live at their home in Oakleigh for another year, working their jobs and following the Richmond Tigers, a Club they both supported in the Australian Rules Football League. They more than loved the Tigers; they purchased a coterie membership in the ‘3121 Club’, 3121 being the postcode for Richmond. It is an elite membership where you could have a meal and listen to past and current Richmond champions in exclusive rooms.

After five years together, the couple decided to get married. The plans went into full swing, and the date was four months away. Alice chose a vineyard in Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. They tallied up 80 guests for the wedding, including a Civil celebrant, an MC, and a two-piece cover band. The arrangements went very well, and the day came quickly.

After the wedding, the couple flew to London for their Honeymoon. After landing, they took a bus from Heathrow to the Z Hotel in the Soho District of London. After settling in, Steven went for a shower. When he came out, he saw Alice on her mobile phone. Steven was slightly bemused, thinking she may have called her parents to let them know they had arrived safely. He let the moment pass.

But that was not the truth. Alice turned around and had guilt written all over her face. Stephen asked her what she had done. Alice then admitted that she had been seeing a married man from work at the Caulfield Hospital for the last six months. She also revealed that the trip to London and the distance from this fellow made her realise how much she loved the man.

Steven was mature enough to realise what was before him despite the shock. Firstly, they agreed to split immediately. Ten days remained on the Hotel booking, so they needed to make choices.

Alice decided to go home. The next day, she organised a flight back to Melbourne. She would find another Hotel, and that would be it. She flew back to Melbourne, and her married lover left his family and children to be with Alice. The pair eventually married, and they had a family of their own.

Steven felt that the previous five years had been a total waste. Of course, he was sad about what had happened but couldn’t understand why Alice hadn’t brought up her situation earlier. ‘Wonder if this bloke was at the wedding,’ he asked himself, looking for slight comfort. He never asked the man’s name, nor did he drop a tear during the sadness that overcame him for the next few days.

He remembered his old man telling him one day that ‘you must be kind to yourself because it’s too easy to give bad thoughts wings.’

After the initial shock and the sadness wore off, Steven ‘straightened himself out’, taking bus tours around the vast city and having dinners at local pubs. One night, he watched a soccer friendly between England and Scotland in a local full of Poms. He could have been a dead man if he decided to barrack for Scotland that night, so he was smart enough to barrack for England. His big smile and willingness to join the soccer dance of jumping up and down at intervals won him many friends. The Poms were particularly excited when any kick was close to the goal, especially when England scored a goal.

It was a big night for Steven. He’d never drunk so many pints of beer, which he thought initially tasted ‘shocking’ but persevered to keep up in the shout. But the shout was expensive. Four pints of beer cost 32 English pounds—about 64 Aussie dollars!

He stumbled back to his Hotel room at about 3 am and slept until about 11 am. He woke with an acute hangover and didn’t feel well again until 4 pm. Two of the blokes met him outside the Hotel, and after everyone verbally stirred each other over their hangovers, they caught a bus to Windsor.

Windsor was the home of the UK Royal family, and Steven found the visit memorable because the royal ushers were dressed like English soldiers from his Napoleonic War scenes. It was an experience that swelled his cheeks with the fondest memories of his painted soldiers marching in unison before his eyes.

The group returned to London later in the afternoon and enjoyed another session in another local pub in London. It was during this session that Steven started having misogynist thoughts. He realised he hated what had happened to him and would never trust another female again.

Two days later, he caught a high-speed train to Edinburgh. As the scenery fleetingly passed, the beautiful lime-green, low-rolling hills were topped with tiny white houses and black rooves. Several sheep were dotted across the fields, and they surrounded the houses. The white fencing turned the whole scene into a beautiful work of art.

The ancient beauty of Edinburgh’s old town was surreal. The walks around the city had backdrops of tiny, two-level, terraced brick homes with smoking chimneys that were made for fairytales and darker myths. Walking to the east unveiled a decisive view of the continuous windswept north seas. It was exhilarating. He believed the stoned roads and homes took him to a place long ago, perhaps to a place where Western culture began. Overall, It was as good as London but on another level. There was nothing even close in Melbourne.

He stayed at the Old Waverley Hotel, a three-star hotel opposite the gothic-styled Scott Monument, which looked like the Thunderbird 3 rocket.

The following evening, he enjoyed a couple of beers and dinner at Mathers Bar on Queensferry Street, which had been recommended before he left Melbourne.

The Fringe Festival's various street comedy and musical acts were marvellously entertaining before he attended the Edinburgh Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle.

The arena appeared to be no bigger than half a soccer pitch. Most of the performances helped him reminisce about his schoolboy love of the Napoleonic Wars.

A lone piper on the castle’s parapets introduced the proceedings and piped over thirty local Scottish soldiers onto the arena in perfect unison. The contest began with the audience being entertained by a night of marching, which included synchronised displays from troops worldwide. The Kiwis won.

He arrived in London two days later and caught a plane from Heathrow the next morning. He was returning to Melbourne with many thoughts and prepared himself for many embarrassing questions. He hadn’t even told his parents. There would be some tough days ahead dealing with his mental health. And work, which could be more complicated than dealing with his parents.

His immediate task was to complete his divorce from Alice. He delegated the divorce administration to his solicitor, and Arnot was never interested in whether she would follow up on her tryst with her married colleague.

The couple’s house in Narre Warren was sold with just enough funds left to cover the mortgage.

Steven’s return to Melbourne was difficult. Although he had plenty of support from family and friends, it was the sudden question from those who didn’t know, “How’s married life?’ and ‘How’s Alice?’ The number of questions about Alice gradually kept his broken heart on the brink. He had to stop this way of thinking and straighten himself out for a strong future ahead of him.

So he resigned and started a new job with the Commonwealth Bank in the city.