Where was I

Ok, I got my drink (Diet cola of course) anyone who knows me will know that is what I drink, yes I am addicted like people are addicted to coffee though I don't mind a wee mug of tea now and then. So I had just dropped out of college, it wasn't the best, I worked in Burger King at the time, it got me money and meant I could have a car and cash in my pocket. At this time it kicked up with the Merchant Navy, until then I had never really bothered about it, I spent time on the Royal Navy website when in class in my failed attempt at my A levels, again not plucking up the courage to do anything about it. Then my partner took her choice and decided on the Merchant Navy, she had trouble deciding on which one she wanted to do and resorted to putting the two at the top of a blank sheet of paper and writing pros and cons and the Merchant Navy won. So I looked into it and decided I wanted a bash at it to. As I turned 18 I became best friends with another instructor in the Sea Cadets he had just returned, he had left when I was 14ish to join the Merchant Navy but now he was back and we are quite alike and we got on well and had the same interests, so he got me into it. My partner and I both applied to a company (not naming anyone to save any trouble) they where interested in us both she applied for deck and I applied for engine, though there was a BUT. I have a colour weakness in my eyes, in normal terms I am colour blind and on your medical it restricts you so long story short here, my partner was accepted by the company and it all collapsed under me, as this company didn't take restricted medicals. So after this I gave up, I wasn't aware of the long list of other companies out there, my partner had to finish school and then summer before starting her course in Glasgow, I didn't think I was bothered, I thought I still had the Royal Navy. I stumbled into a mechanics course at college it was a January start type course and I found it interesting enough, it has come in handy enough with my own car and my mums, I took in it all in and retained most of it. Which is unusual for me.


So there I am, on this course, seeing my partner lots which is always good, working weekends and enjoying cadets thinking I was happy. I wasn't, not really, and when my partner started college, it caught me off guard, it hurt inside I wanted to do it to, I wanted the life, not just the job but the life. I always enjoyed travelling, I saw it part of my holiday when we went, so it flared up again, I had many questions could I, would they, will I ever. One evening I was using my partners laptop and noticed she had visited an officer cadet website forum type thing, I was curious so I took a note of the site and when I got home, I went on and quickly saw it was a place of information, people with information and willing to share. So I signed up and before even saying hello I asked all my questions I put it all out there. I got all sorts of answers back which boosted me, there was a cadet on there who was the same as me who had got in. So I went back to the doctor who put me through my medical. I booked extra tests at the uni but things weren't looking good, the tests just cemented the restrictions, I was at a low. A company who had tried to help me couldn't which didn't help. I had nothing on the table at this point it had fallen away again. I then asked someone in my work, his brother was a phase 3 cadet, if there was anywhere that would consider me with my eyesight, he gave me a name. That night when I got in I  looked them up, it said no colour blindness on their website that didn't put me off I phoned to ask, they said no its fine. So I applied, then bugged them, asked them if they got my application, went to a open day again to make myself known, phoned again about the eyesight. During this time I changed college course as the college year had ended and a new one started. I went into a engineering systems class thinking it was better related to help me get in. Then people started getting invited for interviews and I hadn't heard it was mid December, I started to give up again, another blow I thought great. Then in January I had just got in from college for my lunch, my phone rang, I thought weird who could this be, no one phones me unless it's urgent, not thinking of the obvious, I picked up the phone it went a little like this Them "Hey, is that Duncan?" Me "Hello yes it is" Them " Hey it's .......... from .......... can I just confirm your restriction please is it just the cables one?" Me" Yes it is along with watch keeping but that's deck side" Them " That's fine we would like to invite you to a interview in January what date suits you...." We sorted out dates. I hung up and went through to my mum and told her I had a interview, she nearly jumped on me, finally my chance to prove what I was worth, this was the furthest I had got, and I wasn't about to mess it up. Ok time for another drink and I will tell you what happens next.