Disclaimer: I love my colleagues. They are normally efficient, sensible, considerate specimens of humanity. But not tonight!
I technically started maternity leave today but came back up to London (work part of the week) for a work-related function. This was a closing party for a court I have spent a lot of time at over the years. I probably won't be back from maternity leave in the same capacity due to childcare costs so there are a lot of people connected with this court that I will probably never see again and I wanted to say goodbye. I was originally the only one from my office who was planning on going to this party - the others don't go to this court regularly and don't know the people I wanted to see. However, when I said I was going everyone came up with the bright idea that we should all go, go out for dinner before hand and do a joint my-last-day/Christmas dinner/trip to the party.
This seemed like a good idea but I did point out all along that I had to get a latish train back home so would not be able to stay late at the party - everyone agreed we would have an early and quick dinner and get to the party early.
For some reason everyone kept faffing about before leaving the office. Nothing work-related, just general faff - looking at something on the internet, last minute discussions about things, lengthy debate about whether the restaurant we were going to was actually the best place to go. We got to the restaurant about half an hour later than planned. Quick dinner then turned into two and a half hour lingering session with people obviously not particularly keen to get on to the party. I said I would go on ahead and they could all stay and have drinks or follow me later. No, no no, we are coming now. It took another half hour to get out of the restaurant. We got to the party an hour and a half late, giving me precisely half an hour to run around like a lunatic and try to see everyone I wanted to see.
I then said I needed to head off - everyone else then decided they would leave with me instead of staying. Fair enough. Except they didn't leave. I got my stuff ready and went back and said I was going. No, no no, we are coming now. And then they didn't. I made another couple of attempts to get out on my own. No, no, no, wait for us. More chatting to people. I eventually headed out of the door with them in hot pursuit. I said I would get a cab. No, no, we will drop you at the station. By this time I was practically screaming 'I need to just go!' I eventually got dropped at the nearest station, at which point one of my colleagues couldn't decide whether or not to come with me on the tube. I was hal-way down the escalators before she had even finished that conversation so I have no idea whether or not she got on the tube or not.
I missed my train. The next one is 11.30pm so I won't get home till about 2 in the morning. I have a massive baby's head sitting on my bladder and it costs 30p a time to wee in the station. Everyone forgot to pay me for their tickets. I had to buy a new train ticket. I am about £60 out of pocket and sitting in the middle of sodding Paddington station waiting for the last train in the world which will probably spontaneously combust before reaching Paddington, given the way the rest of my evening is going.
AIBU to be muttering rude things about said colleagues? I know I should have just said 'look, I'm going' at every stage of the evening and let them follow or not, but it is a bit difficult when everyone is, on the face of it, fitting into your pre-made plans and accommodating you. And it is very difficult to say 'no, I'm off' when people are insisting they are coming right now, all evidence to the contrary!
I was looking forward to tonight and I had all my own travel arrangements meticulously planned to give me maximum possible time and not get home ridiculously late. It was a nice idea to combine my plans with the office dinner but I now wish I had just been left to get on with my own thing. I would be nearly home by now.
Sorry for long whinge!