West London Girl

WLG’s jailbird boyfriend

March
12

‘You would never send someone round to get tenants out of your flat because they owed you four months' rent’

‘Welcome to Bali,’ Hot Danish said as we waited at the baggage carousel alone, having beaten the two-hour queue by giving money to a middleman who paid the customs. ‘I think the customs ensure there’s a long queue on purpose,’ he added. It seemed that our hotel was in on it too, offering a VIP fast-track arrival service.

What’s happening in Ukraine right now still seems to be out of reach, but I’ve recently heard lots of stories during my recent travels for work. One entrepreneur, who hails from Hungary but is now mostly based in South America, openly told me that Viktor Orbán, the PM of Hungary, is a Mafioso. Like one of those people who doesn’t realise racism still exists, I’m one of those naïve people who is shocked by blatant corruption.

Hot Danish recently asked if I’d stay with him if he went to prison. ‘It depends on the reason you’re there,’ I said. ‘If you had killed someone then I’d have second thoughts about you.’ HD looked hurt: he had clearly only been looking for reassurance of my loyalty. ‘You are the straightest person I know,’ I laughed. ‘You would never send someone round to get tenants out of your flat because they owed you four months’ rent.’ And there are a few more things I’ve done in the past that HD wouldn’t…

Travelling makes you realise just how small the world is (who hasn’t bumped into someone they know in a far-flung destination?). It also makes you realise that we all have some tics from our own particular culture. The experience has also made me reflect on what kind of person I would be in a more challenging environment… And how important it is to take note of Albert Einstein’s words, ‘The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.’