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I receive thirty pounds anonymously

  Thu 3rd March 2022

The invasion of Ukraine preys on my mind far more than covid ever did. If only someone could assassinate him, then his support would collapse. At work, there are two Polish women. "Of course I am worried," one of them says, in response to a well-meant but stupid enquiry. "That's why I like coming to work. No news, just concentrate on work."


Down the pub afterwards I am trying to ignore the man at the next table who looks like Jamiroquai who has a knack of following me around in two of my haunts, Castle Park and the budget pub. He's at the next table scribbling away, in between flicking between chat screens and a Wikipedia article about The Evangelical Church in Germany. He does a performance of tics, scratching his hair vigorously and conversing with some computer-based entity. I think it's a strategy to get my attention. He's possibly looking for parity with the nurses I got chatting to at the bar.

A late twenties (?) woman is repeatedly moving her hand down her hip as she stands next to me. I open with "are you trying to find your pocket?" "No, I'm just looking for something....oh, it's OK. I thought I'd lost some money."

"Do you know what," I said. "The other day, I got a letter with a North Wales postmark and I opened it and someone had sent me thirty pounds anonymously. I don't know anyone in Wales. I don't think I know a single Welsh person."

"I'm from North Wales."

"Are you? Well it was wrapped in a letter from Santander."

"I bank with Santander."

"Really?" and I made this woo sound and waved my hands about, hoping to evoke the supernatural. "Do you make a habit of sending money to anonymous strangers?"

"I haven't got it to send."

Her friend came over, and I related the story of my mystery donor to her too. "Anyway, what's the excuse, you all out on a Monday?"

"We're nurses, we all work at Fatspanner Hospital."

"Oh I used to work there. I was a cleaner."

"So what do you do now? Are you retired?"

That's a question I'd never been asked before. But they bought me a pint so they're let off.


My middle daughter returned last night to the stage in Lancaster she first trod when she was eight, this time as a professional actress, as Celia in As You Like It. Trina emails and says she is going with Kirsty and my youngest to see it on Saturday. I'm jealous. I start trying to work out a way up there and back for less than the hundred quid or so that it'd cost on the train, but got tired with all the palaver of split tickets and dodging parts of the journey where you gamble on the conductor not coming round.

2 comments »

2 comments

Comment from: Scarlet [Visitor]

Yep, I’m far more affected by the Ukraine invasion than by Covid.
Hope you get to see your daughter.
Sx

Fri 4th March 2022 @ 08:12 You are currently replying to this comment
Comment from: looby [Visitor]

Yeah, me and Mel are going up to London to see her in May. Really wish I could be there tomorrow night in Lancaster though, with all the family except the eldest (who’s in transit between Bilbao and Dublin), and with Trina also going, whom I’d have liked to see. But just not possible with the cost of the fares.

Fri 4th March 2022 @ 21:19 Reply to this comment


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