Bed// Work// Devon// Unrequited

I write this from my bed. Actually it's my sister's bed but I've stolen it for the past week. The bedroom's dark and I can just hear the odd rumble of Sunday nightbuses passing down Oldham Street. I'm the only one in the flat tonight, everything is silent.

The past week has been quite something. I started work in Bolton, for a telesales company. We call other businesses and try to sell them toilet rolls with the idea that 12% of the proceeds go to charity. It's a strange place to work, everybody's quite laid back, and as it's in Bolton rather than Manchester there's a bit of a smalltown mentality to the place and the people who work there, not what I was expecting at all when I first moved up here but it could be alright.

Last week I made two sales on the first day I started which I was pretty pleased with, however I made none the following two days. It's still early though, this week is the crunch week, if I make no sales this week then I'll need to discuss things with the team leader, either work out a way to up my game or leave. The people who work there are a good bunch, the girls are very flirty, very outspoken as well, it might be a northern thing I suppose. As soon as I started there they pounced on me and haven't let up since. There are only two other guys there in their 20s and each of them is going out with someone who works there. There's only one other girl in that little group who's single but she's only 18 which puts me off. I've been acting a bit awkward and shy around them as well so no doubt she wouldn't be interested. That age gap is too big though really. We'll see.

Next week then, crunch week. If I make at least 6 sales over the whole week I'd be happy. The following week is a bank holiday, then I'll work for the Tuesday, then go back to Devon on the Wednesday. It's Dad's birthday on the Thursday so I'm spending a few days down there. Dad is actually in hospital at the moment, he got a chest infection which closed his throat up again so he was taken into hospital by ambulance in the early hours of last Sunday morning. He's hopefully going back home the middle of the coming week. Mum's been home alone since which upset me a little, if this had happened just over a month ago I would have been home to give them a bit of support, it's hard getting used to not being on hand for them but I guess that's the way things work. Very much looking forward to getting back for Dad's birthday because of this anyway. I'm hoping I might be able to hook up with some people from Sainsburys as well, and maybe Matt D for a night out in Bideford. Paul's going to be back the whole time I am, and Kirsty and Dave are visiting for the weekend too, so all in all it'll be a busy week.

After that, job permitting, I shall be house hunting! Are we up to date now? Cool. It's 11pm so I should think about getting some sleep in a moment. Oh yes, I saw Cemetry Junction at the cinema last night, the film Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant wrote and produced. It was good, very much a smalltown boy wanting to escape to the great wide world kind of film. I love films like that, the Billy Liar scenario. Probably because it's very close to home for me.

The first ever novel I write will be my own version of that story. With an unrequited love thrown in for good measure, there's always an unrequited love in my tales. Art imitating life.