Meet the Original Boobies

But his mom called a friend whose son was also in London. This friend’s offspring heroically came to the rescue, swooping in to collect David and installing him on the sofa in the apartment he shared with Karen. Karen and David took one look at one another and the rest was history. They’d only been together a few months when Melissa arrived, all of 18 years old and ready to explore the world as part of her gap year before starting uni. Since she didn’t have 2 pennies to rub together (she’d saved up everything she earned as a waitress to get there) she moved in temporarily with older sister Karen.

Due to space and financial constraints, that meant living on an air mattress on the floor of Karen and David’s small bedroom. There were a few challenges. Karen and David were working as office temps and she had a bar job, so timings were difficult. Everyone crept around trying (and failing) not to wake up anyone else. Meanwhile, Karen and David wanted to embrace their new-found romance, much to Melissa’s unmitigated horror. They nicknamed her The Poison Dwarf because she’s little and her grumpy morning countenance was surprisingly scary (still not a morning person!).

They wanted to nest, she wanted adventure. While dragging them out could be  a battle requiring all manner of persuasiveness, they all found a way to make it work. They did pretty much everything together, like the three musketeers. They bought the cheapest rollerblades from Argos and learned to rollerblade, some with greater difficulty than others.

Karen screaming down the hill at Greenwich Park while attempting to clutch at passing walkers and bystanders who leapt out the way is an enduring memory.

They were often to be seen zooming around supermarkets and despite a few odd looks, no one ever stopped them because, you know, Brits (bless them). They worked hard and played hard (and fought hard many a time). They shared everything (sometimes reluctantly) and scraped together their pennies to go to music festivals, which literally blew their minds. They went on touristy weekend trips and had the occasional wild night out. Despite living in a 4-bedroom apartment housing anything up to 9 people at a time, with just ONE bath and ONE toilet, they created wonderful memories and developed an incredible bond which endures today.

After studying together at the same university, living together on and off over the years and travelling together to more than 12 countries, they’re always connected even if they’re on opposite sides of the world.