And then I had to spend the night on the streets in Melbourne or in the casino/hospital.

When I arrive home late the sky is brisk and clear. The moon shines bright, it only doesn’t shine on my key. I can’t find it anywhere. I text my host and wait if she comes home tonight. A call also goes unanswered, but it’s late at night. I call another friend, who calls another friend but also there I can’t stay. She gives me the number of a hostel, nearby-ish. The hostel has space left and I walk through the night. A little bit disappointed by this end of the otherwise fantastic evening, but I got a place to stay. So no worries.
The friend calls me whether I’m okay and yes I am. “Have a good night and I’m sorry to make you worried. ”
Two times of ringing and I can enter the hostel. In the reception aka laundry room a girl greets me.
‘Locked out of the house isn’t nice. Would a 8 bedroom dorm do for you?”
“Perfect”
“Can I have your passport?”
“Hmmm, that one is still inside the house.”
“I can’t do without your passport.”
“Are there other ways to prove I’m being me?”
The copy of my passport on my laptop won’t do and I also don’t have another form of identification on me.
“Sorry, can’t check you in. We’ve had more people with the same issue. You can go to the casino and order a drink there, they are open 24 hours. Or go to the hospital down the road.”
I close the door behind me. The temperature was still 8 degrees but that was how it was. I laugh about how unreal the situation has become: “This story is getting better and better.” At the 7 eleven the man behind the counter said I couldn’t sit to top my credit inside the store. I walk a bit down the street. Happy talking and music comes from a bar. The sign of the bar reads opening hours till 3. That sounds good. In the backyard people where sitting at a bench. Sure I could join. Putting a good supply of cookies on a bar table at 1.30 am also helped in making friends. We talk, we laugh, drink and draw.
When it’s time to leave I ask Eva. “Do you maybe know anywhere where I could crash tonight?” Her friend adds “She’s locked outside the house.” Eva smiles. “You can crash at my couch. I’ve done this in Glasgow all the time.”