But!!
Forty was still five years away for me. My "lifeplan" made at the age of twenty one, took me up to forty. At this time I aimed, as most young men do, to be a millionaire. In truth, I was worth around a million dollars in 1987. A sum which would dwindle as events unrolled.
With eyes firmly fixed on the end of the court case, as the day I would leave the UK for a new life. I became aghast, as I discovered the hearing would be reconvened, when it was mutually convenient for all concerned. Both sets of lawyers and the arbitrator had to agree and be free for another four weeks. The date they found was June of 1989. In the interim, normal work was resumed. We'd taken out loans to finance the case and interest had to be paid. The business had to get leaner and fitter, to produce enough profits to sustain us. Our loans totalled $200,000 at that time. Barristers, lawyers, expert witness and even the arbitrator all had to be paid. I'd kept the costs down by doing much of the necessary "donkey work" myself, the cost of which I was told we could recoup by Mr Webster.
"Houston...we have a problem!"
About three weeks after my first implant, the drawback was discovered. It had taken about eight days for the wound to heal and the bandaid to be removed. Suddenly, a pretty ugly swelling appeared at the site of the incision. When I investigated further, pus oozed from it. The scar split and refused to heal as I dealt with daily emissions from the site. It didn't bother me really, because my quality of life had improved with implants.
I began to frequent the Turk's Head again and played sport, although my stamina was nowhere near pre-op levels. Parties were attended, including one I forgot to mention earlier. This party was held a week after I left hospital. I arrived and found to my amazement that the very man who'd gone fishing for my precious nuts, was there. I think we both did a double take on seeing each other. He was staggered that I would be there so soon after leaving hospital.

It all seemed hollow though. The enjoyment I should have experienced at being amongst my peers, was gone. As a consequence, I stopped going out so much and spent many evenings quietly in front of the television. I did have one or two very brief affairs during the year, but they were not what I needed. There was however, a curious epilogue to one liaison.
Message in a bottle?
Liz was a scream. A down to earth Liverpudlian air hostess, with a great sense of humour, we dallied for a week in the summer of 1988, before I broke it off. She was the last person I would have expected to receive this type of letter from. It read like this.
Dear Nick,
I thought long and hard before writing this. You must believe I am not in the habit of writing this kind of letter, but I must tell you what happened. I went to lunch with a friend's mother. She claims to be a medium and she described a person who could only be you. She gave me a message for you. The message is, If you don't change the way you live, you will become very ill again. Now I know you think I am crazy, but I swear this is what happened. Please believe I am not writing this for any other reason that I care. Love Liz
Well, I have never been a believer in Mediums. The world is full of crooks claiming to see the future. But this was bizarre. The woman concerned had never met me. I wrote back to Liz telling her this woman must have got some information from her and gone from there. I also said I was already changing my lifestyle, so not to worry.
By the year end, I was exhausted and very down. I stayed at home that Christmas, instead of taking a break. By the end of the first week in January, I had to get away. Telling my partners this, I arranged to visit Los Angeles, my sanctuary. This year, I told myself, would be the last I would have to endure in the UK. The court case would be over and I could begin the next phase of my life.