or: An Evening with Sean Bean...
(...and Steve and Paul and Gareth and Natalie and a few others)

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Part Four

Renate:
The moderator announced, that people could now have their picture taken together with Sean Bean, and to make sure, that the queue wouldn't become too long, he would pick now at random table-numbers, and would the people from this table then please go for the photo? (And please, bring your camera with you.)

Do you remember the little gallery behind table No 1? That was where Herr Bean did go now - it was like a little stage, and what followed was a sort of "human comedy" with a good natured, beaming star at the center of attention, who infected everyone with his good mood. The first people in the queue had perhaps been a little bit laid back at first, but when they came back from the "stage", they beamed also - and after a time - when it could be seen, that nobody had anything to fear, the queue relaxed in a subtle way...

Evi:
First Sean was seated on one of the already mentioned red chairs behind the table, but even though he looked great on this throne, it turned out to be very unpractical and time consuming as he had to rise for every guest once the guest's camera was in place. After ten happy people had their time with Sean, Steve rearranged things, moving chairs and table to the back, and from then on Sean had to stand all the time. Good natured chap that he is, he agreed.

With half of the table numbers drawn, and smiling folks returning to their seats, the others at our table (remember – supporters of SU) became eager to have their 2nd go with Sean. We had a small bet running, that our table would certainly be the last to be drawn.

Renate:
In-between, Jimmy Bright, a stand up comedian from Manchester was announced, as "just having returned from Benidorm". He stepped into the spotlight, and from the first sentence on that he said, the audience was laughing. Not that I had understood one word. Evi, I think, did manage better...

Evi:
...unfortunately I managed to understand most of what he said, even with all my efforts against that. It was certainly not my kind of entertainment. But I did what I usually do when I can't leave: Pretend to listen. Laugh when others laugh and applaud when others do. Apparently I was so good in doing so, that my neighbours wondered that despite such a thick accent I caught the jokes.

Renate:
In the end, when our neighbours, with solicitous care, asked, if we had understood anything? I was proud that - hey - I really had understood two of his jokes. Quite an improvement, when I think, that when I had watched "Red Riding" - in which Sean Bean is just brilliant - I had stopped even trying to follow what was said after the first 5 minutes! But the actors and the film, I must say, are so good, that I still understood all. - And, well, I should mention perhaps that I had read the books beforehand - and the accent, I can tell, is not as thick in the written word - especially when you read it in the German translation. :-)

Evi:
Oh, and I had a lesson in local Sheffield language. Namely that the Yorkshire accent Sean uses when talking in public is a heavily torn down one. The one he really speaks on home ground sounds like Chinese to me. Or it is like the people from Munich speaking v/s Bavarian countryside as opposed to German.

Renate:
After Jimmy Bright, the next table numbers were announced and by now it had dawned on us, that the moderator acted under the (false) assumption, that all folks from the "VIP"-tables had already had their piccies taken during the "Meet and Greet" - and so did draw only numbers from the other tables, which also seemed to have grown mysteriously in the meantime - because the queue did grow constantly - instead of decrease, as it should have done!

Since time did run slowly out, Steve and his helpers tried now to hurry people and the moderator spoke with something like comical despair in his voice, to make people hurry - which stood in a nice contrast to what happened on stage where Sean greeted with the biggest calm in the world everybody who came, with a handshake and a few words, and only then would pose for the camera.

Since now everybody seemed to have left their table, and mixed, our queued, or chatted, we decided, that we could dare to smuggle ourselves into the line in the hope of getting also a "I with Sean Bean"-picture.

Evi:
Our table discussed if we should just smuggle ourselves in the waiting line - not all at the same time and spot, as that might have bean too obvious, but one of the couples did, following Renate's and my example. The worst thing that could happen to us would be that the security guy at the stairs would recognize us and send us back to our seats. But we have come this far, so why should such a bagatelle stop us now? This time I was nervous when I got closer to Sean, as I could see how he friendly treated the ones ahead of me. And would he ask, why I was here again?

Renate:
The people in the queue welcomed us without ado - and a short time later it was our turn to enter the stage - which I did in the feeling of having successfully blended in and being completely inconspicuous - when Evi told me, that the security guy had just spoken to her in German (!).
Oh Mann! Did we really stick out so clearly??

Anyway, since nobody sent us away, and everybody was - on the contrary - quite nice to us, we just went on.

Evi:
Renate had carried her fancy camera around the whole day, but not during the evening, and mine is an old analogue one with film rolls. So whatever photos are taken with it, we will only learn how good or bad or shaky they are once the film is developed.

So when Renate was in Sean's arm, I did my best to shake in the same frequency that she did. A joke, of course – Sean held everyone upright and made them feel fine. She beamed and smiled about what Sean said.

Renate:
When it was my turn, I couldn't help but beam and we shook hands in the nicest possible way, before he embraced me for the picture. Or do you say, ‘laid his arm around my shoulder?' Anyway, when I looked to my left, I became suddenly very aware of the fact that - wow! - I stood beside - Sean Bean. Sean Bean. And he had turned out to be so un-starry and simply such a nice person.

If it is possible, I beamed even more when saying good bye after the picture was taken and I even managed to murmur something about "my website" and "writing a few lines" and - yes, you guessed it - we shook again hands, now in quite an enthusiastic way.

Evi:
No time to explain the use of my camera to a nearly floating Renate, as the security guy who while I was waiting tried his best German on me, pushed me gently forward. Do I still look like I have to be pushed towards Sean?

Anyway, I do remember that Sean held me close, and we both mumbled something friendly, like nice to see you again. But the following moments are completely locked in my brain, as I can't remember whether we shook hands or not. But I do remember this lovely tight grip. And I still didn't kiss him …

Sean looked tired by now, after talking to so many people. And seeing many more to come certainly took its toll on him. But he still smelled fresh as a daisy.

On the way down I finally got hold of Steven Cowens in person, who in real life is a really great guy! I introduced myself and Renate, and thanked him for the evening, the choice of table with the interesting other guests and the excellent view on the events.

I don't carry a watch, and with all the things going on I lost every idea of time. Sean and Georgina left at about 1 am, while the singer had returned with a set of dance tunes and Renate who had bravely stuck to water the whole evening first ordered a beer for herself and than entered the dance floor letting all her energy flow. I stuck to white wine and didn't had an urge to dance, as usual.

The other folks from our table had already bid good night as they had to drive for an hour (we had discussed the history and future of SU, of ManU and of Bayern Muenchen, as well as the new record of Rod Stewart with Soul tunes, the food we had eaten, the hotel we were staying in, pay TV and American TV series and yes, even Sean's movies). The Mighty Bean had already left, and then we left as well.

Renate:
Jooo. So this had been our evening with Sean Bean - and hadn't it been great? - And now was it really already bedtime? Oooow. There might have been some tiredness, but at the same time, we were wide awake, and so, well, we skipped bed for the moment - not knowing, that this would turn out to become a really, really long 'moment' ...