Hi Everyone
If you are a long time loyal Rubbish reader you will have read at least part of this story in a very early blog but for those of you who have forgotten the incident or are a relatively new reader, you hopefully will be entertained by its retelling.
Christmas Day in 1980 was almost a normal day in that Christmas lunch consisted of Dot preparing the meal for the four of us together with my lovely mother in law, the Senior Partner, and the Junior Partner with about six more friends and relations joining later for the evening party. This annual ritual had been almost set in stone since the Main Contractor and I married in 1960. Sadly along the way we had lost Dot's father and brother but added our two children. As I said 1980 was almost a normal Christmas Day as I went to bring the Partners from their home to ours while Dot's mother walked about 100 yards from her flat. That Christmas we had an extra guest, a 21 year old American undergraduate who was studying for a year at our local University. A couple of years before, I had joined Rotary, and I was asked if I would be a counselor for a Rotary scholar, one of about forty who came from all parts of the world each year to study at many English universities for a year. At the time I agreed to do the job I had no idea where my student would be from but when we eventually met for the first time I knew that Dot and I would get along very well with Susan. What we never imagined was that 43 years later we would still be looking forward to our regular hour long Zoom meetings. It was at last week's meeting that we recalled that Christmas in 1980. The Senior Partner knew that Sue would be with us on Christmas Day and she had met her on a number of occasions when Sue had come to stay with us for the weekend. When we had all gathered the Senior Partner took centre stage with her large plastic bag full of presents. By this time in the annual Christmas ritual we had learned not to expect too much from the contents of the plastic bag so it was no surprise to me that after handing out the regular gifts she looked aghast into the plastic bag while shaking it vigorously as there was no present in the bag for Sue. Naturally Sue assured her that it would be OK. The rest of the day passed without incident except that my mother in law had to endure the Senior Partner for an hour with the only respite being ten minutes with the Queen when she gave her annual broadcast to the nation while we all escaped for a walk. When it was time to take the Partners home Sue offered to come along to keep me company. Now, by this time the Senior Partner who had always been slow, was now slower than ever but when we reached their home she suddenly shot out of the car ran down the drive, opened the door, and disappeared upstairs. Within a minute she came back to the car with a present that she said she had intended to give Sue but had forgotten to bring her in the large plastic bag. Back home my lovely mother in law and our other friends were still there no doubt talking about their day with the Senior Partner. At this point, Sue decided to open her present when we all had the best laugh of the day when mother in law said
"I gave her that present last Christmas".
To long time readers who have put up with this Rubbish every week, thank you. To those who are new readers who recently found this Rubbish and who I hope will continue to be entertained, thank you. The Main Contractor and I wish you a very happy Christmas and a happy and healthy 2024. As you enjoy a warm peaceful Christmas with family and friends, take a moment to remember the people in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine, and the many other places where many lives have been lost and families displaced. Despite all the problems we think we have, we are fortunate to live in comparative peace and safety.
Just a thought:
A friend is like a book, you don't have to read them all, just pick the best ones.
I thought about giving my friend a watch for Christmas, but I didn't have the time.
Brian
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