Friday, February 17, 2006

Jack is convinced he has psychic abilities. This is based largely on the occasion that a blue Subaru drove past us at the precise moment that he was thinking about the exact same model of car. Given that he is a teenage boy counting down the days to being old enough to take driving lessons ( 502), it doesn't seem such a remarkable feat to me.

He's going to be disappointed when he realises that the chances of me being able to afford sufficient driving lessons for him to pass his test are remote enough, less so that I'll then be able to provide him with a brand new Peugeot complete with full body kit and tinted windows, particularly as I am currently struggling to keep on top of my ageing Nissan's medical expenses. The pulse of the oil warning light is now so weak that it is surely a matter of days before it flatlines and immediate rigor mortis of the pistons commences.

I did however start to wonder if these supernatural abilities might just be catching. I'd found myself idly thinking about a client the other night. Her house sale had completed shortly before Christmas. I'd never met her but we had struck up quite a rapport over the years as her husband's career had seen them moving about the country and now they were emigrating to Canada where he was to take up a top post at one of the hospitals, but first the entire family, kids included, were to spend some time in India, assisting the earthquake victims.

There was little chance we'd speak again. All the formalities had been smoothly completed, the file closed and numerous new ones opened in its place. She was now just another former client, albeit one of my most fondly remembered.

I was working late last night. The switchboard was closed and the phones quiet. I'm quite promiscuous when it comes to handing out my directline number so it's not uncommon for a client to call after hours on the offchance of catching me. Imagine my surprise when I heard the warm familiar voice of Shazia on the other end of the line.

They'd arrived in Canada a week earlier and had already started to settle into the community. She's in Saskatchewan, a place of stunning snow-covered beauty, incredibly friendly people and a house so big that when ( not if) I go and visit, it would be possible to spend an entire month without running into one another on the way to the bathroom she tells me. I wonder if she'll bump into Brian and Joyce?

4 Comments:

Blogger joyce said...

Too sweet! My daughter, only 11, commented one day: "I guess when I get my drivers liscence, I'll be driving the honda?" (silver spoon in her mouth rapidly rusting- the honda, an old rusty car, has been resting in the garage for a few years so that we can avoid further financial pitfalls with it.) My daughter assumes that at the stroke of 16, we'll shine up that baby, pump a few more million on repairs into it, then park it beside her bed on her birthday!!!Second to this, your comment about a friend in Saskatchewan running into us made me smile. Only because its a common and humourous misperception that there are only about 3 people in Canada and we are all huddled together, just to keep warm. Ironically, Saskatchewan is our neighboring province, so the remote possibility exists. Your friend may live within 5 to 7 hours of us. What city is she in?
thanks for your sweet comment on my blog. we always enjoy reading yours.

10:09 pm  
Blogger Brian the Mennonite said...

What Joyce said x 2. We love you...

12:32 am  
Blogger Cherrypie said...

I had my metaphorical tongue in my cheek when I suggested she might bump into you. I realise there are slightly more people than you, the Dions and Bryan Adams living in an area approximately the size of Europe.

She's in Regina, for what it's worth and absolutely loving it. The locals are having a bit of trouble understanding her accent though ( which is near perfect BBC received speech). She went into a store the other day to ask for "Flare Pens". She was directed towards the frying pans. She still has no idea what a Flare Pen is but suspects it would be more useful on the school run than cooking utensils. xx

5:11 pm  
Blogger joyce said...

flare pen? never heard of it.
Before we moved to our current location, we lived in the first city east (about 4 hours)of your friend in Regina-how crazy is that?

5:24 pm  

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