Just good friends

Thank you for visiting. Writing this is helpful, I find - it makes me focus on the good times. If you're reading this, I hope you find it interesting.

Sci-fi conventions have changed a lot over the past 20-something years. Nowadays the conventions are mostly run by professional event organisers for profit. There used to be two "official" British Star Trek conventions a year, with one being held over the early May Bank Holiday weekend and another over the August Bank Holiday. They ran from Friday afternoon to Monday and were organised and run by fans for the benefit of charity. I'd longed to go to a full convention for a very long time, but they were usually held too far away for me to attend. However, the 1996 spring convention was to be in Cardiff, which meant that we didn't have to stay overnight in an hotel. It turned out that David was going as well so we arranged to meet up at the convention at the Cardiff International Arena (as it was then known).

I have a very clear memory of turning away from the registration desk to find David standing behind me, dressed in his Next Generation uniform, right hand raised in a Vulcan salute.

It was a great weekend. There were talks from celebrity guests, showings of episodes that hadn't yet been broadcast in the UK, Dealers' rooms (where you could get Star Trek merchandise - no internet shopping in those days!), the longest queue for autographs you've ever seen, and a party on Saturday and Sunday nights. During the day we went our own ways, but met up for the parties. David was a good dancer and I was thrilled to have a dancing partner - my ex flat-out refused to dance at all and I loved to dance. I was eternally grateful when he rescued me from a Klingon who had taken a fancy to me, much to my ex's amusement. I didn't think it was so funny.

I repaid the favour when he spotted a young man who'd made a pass at him in the auditorium by linking my arm in his and pretending to be his girlfriend. David always managed to pull at conventions - unfortunately, he only attracted other men!

At this time we really were just good friends, but looking back, perhaps this was the beginning of something. But I'll save that for next time.

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