Jamie said it was high time I made a life for myself instead of being cooped up in the same old, same old job and environment -like living in a miserable tiny bachelor flat, paying the earth for rent and working myself to the bone with Sainsbury's supermarket store as a warehouse assistant.
"It is okay for you," I told him, "you earn a good salary and live in a mansion compared with my dump."
Jamie is a Company executive and is loaded. I met him at the local bowling alley and he was quite impressed I licked him by three games.
"Well Mark you can easily remedy that, if that is what you want. No good moaning about your circumstances. You got to be positive in this life if you want to get anywhere."
"It is so fucking easy for you, like you were born with s silver spoon in your mouth with parents to set you up in University and a good job, but me? I had nothing like that. My folks were poor. Try thinking about that Jamie before you makes judgements!"
We got to have many discussions like that during our meetings at the bowling alley and coffee afterwards. Oddly, despite our differences we got on like a house on fire and he told me he likes someone who would answer him back, In his vocation employees would not say boo to a goose for fear of losing their jobs.
He said he liked me for that and would like to give me some hints on how to adopt a positive attitude towards life and how to really get on.
Generally at first I took his interest in me simply as a natural friendship because we seemed compatible with each other. I had no idea that his intention was any other than a plain friendship and nothing more.
And yet, having said that, I realise I have this sort of chemical attraction with him, and I liked being near to him. But did that mean anything more than simply liking and getting on with each other.
When our conversations got around to meaningful relationships I then realised there was something more afoot than just a casual friendship. He queried why I had not been out with a girl, but I said I was always too busy in my life and the idea did not particularly attract me anyway.