Some time ago I had told God (and anyone else who was listening) that I was here to serve and that I would do whatever was asked of me. Nice words, nice thoughts and suddenly nothing happened. Nothing happened but it did happen suddenly.
Then Anna went to a talk on Tuesday and the speaker and her husband have helped to set up a trust to help people in greed-torn Zimbabwe and they need a bookkeeper. It doesn't sound like a huge job and, with the university work only part-time, it all fits in very nicely. It also sounds so right and I cannot tell you why - it just does. So my giving back has started and it will be interesting to see where it leads.
Back to Arthur's scary story, continued from the previous blog …
"They can't, as I said," said Ahmed with finality.
"You might be right but my gut tells me queasy things, whatever they are," said Halee.
"Mine too …" said Mary. Her phone interrupted her and she snapped it out of her pocket. "Yes Sam, how are you?"
"No Mary, it's Angus," said her brother, laughing. "So yer boyfriend's Sam is it?"
"Angus, what do you want?" asked Mary, confused. "You've never rung my mobile before."
"And I've never been to London before either and here I am, in this stupid city," said Angus.
"What the hell are you doing in London, you daft bugger?" asked Mary, feeling strangely comforted by her brother's proximity.
"I want to know where this damned house of yers is," said Angus, sounding frustrated but jovial. "I said I would pop down some time and here I am. Where do I park a car in this crazy town, girl?"
"Ah, oh hell, Angus, this is so … so unexpected. Hell, it's awkward at the moment," said Mary quickly, trying to think clearly, logically.
"Well that's a fine welcome for a long lost brother, I must say, sis," said Angus, the joy going from his voice.
"Oh Angus, I'm sorry, it will be grand to see you. Really it will but I'm not at home right now and I'm waiting for an important call …" said Mary.
"From boyfriend Sam, I suppose," said Angus, interrupting with a chuckle.
"From Sam, yes, but he's not a boyfriend, like I told you," said Mary, feeling embarrassed in front of Halee and Ahmed while her brain failed to come up with an immediate solution to the problem, like it usually did. Losing it again! Damn!
"And, hey, it's not just me, sis, I've got some important visitors for ye," said Angus, his chuckle beginning to get right on her craw. "All the way from New Zealand to see ye and ye're out on the town, living it up!"
"Look, Angus, let me think for a moment, will you," said Mary. "I've got your number and I'll call you back in a jif."
"Okay sis, just give us an address of the closest hotel and we'll catch up tomorrow, yeah?" suggested Angus. With a huge relief, Mary gave him the address of a hotel around the corner from her apartment and told him she'd pay the bill.
"I can't let ye pay me bills, Mary. Doncha' know I'm Scottish!" said Angus with a laugh. She wondered what he'd been smoking - she'd never heard him so chipper before.
"Yeah and so am I so shut up, book in, enjoy the amenities and I'll be round in the morning to settle up and have breakfast with you," said Mary as the solution presented itself. She was curious about his visitors but needed to have the phone clear for Sam's call. "Okay?"
"Okay, we can argue about it tomorrow, you obstinate Scot!" said Angus and the phone went dead before she could reply.
As Ahmed announced their arrival at his apartment, he grabbed the briefcase to go.
"Hey Ahmed, do you mind!" snapped Mary, not letting it go. "This is my case, not yours. Okay?"
"But I am the man and I must protect you two women," said Ahmed, obviously surprised. "That is my duty."
"Oh Ahmed, that's so kind …" said Mary, uncertain what to say next, so long used to fending for herself.
"It's my duty," said Ahmed with finality.
"Ah, your Muslim duty," said Mary, suddenly realising the man she had worked with for the last two years had a life and beliefs beyond the insurance company. "You're not used to taking orders from women and I'm not used to men doing for me."
"Well, Miss Collins is the boss so she gets the case and you get the door, Ahmed," said Halee cheerily. "Would that work?"
"I don't feel right …" said Ahmed, uncertainly.
"Don't feel, just do," said Mary, handing the taxi his fare. Ahmed still hesitated. "Ahmed, now! They'll be here any time, I just know it!"
"But we've lost them," said Ahmed, hesitating between the modern world he worked in and the ancient world of his ancestry.
"We don't know that so get going and let us safely into your apartment, will you!" said Mary, feeling opportunities for safety slipping away. She could see him relax as he seemed to make a decision.
"Yes ma'am," he said suddenly, releasing the case and leaping from the taxi up the steps to unlock the imposing front door into the spacious foyer of the Kensington apartment block. Mary and Halee followed on his heels.
"Holy moly, you could have a choice party in here!" exclaimed Halee, her voice echoing round the cavernous space. "You didn't tell us you lived in a museum, Ahmed."
"It's not a museum, it's an apartment block, Halee," said Ahmed, explaining carefully, obviously unsure whether she was joking or not.
"Wow, you live here," said Halee turning round and round, taking in the intricately patterned marble floor, the oak-panelled walls, the marble and mahogany staircase that went up five floors, the plastered ceiling sixty feet above them and the massive chandelier in the centre of it. "You could keep your pet brontosauruses here, along with a herd of elephants, Ahmed!"
"Well, yes, it is nice to have the space - a nice contrast to the rest of London," said Ahmed smiling as he walked over to the lift.
"Space? SPACE? You could keep your pet concord in here too!" exclaimed Halee, her voice rising, obviously in a trance. "We're not using a lift when there's this Gone With The Wind staircase here, are we?"
"Oh, well, I've always used the lift," said Ahmed. "The stairs are for tradesmen to take furniture up and things like that. It's not seemly to use them."
"Not seemly? Not blooming seemly?" exclaimed Halee, probably finding the habits of Londoners unusual. "Come on Ahmed, I'll race you. What floor are you on?"
"Oh, the fifth floor, Halee, but you cannot run around in here. It's not done," said Ahmed, his usually calm features looking decidedly lopsided as he scratched his immaculately trimmed beard.
"Not done? 'Tis now …" said Halee.
Then Anna went to a talk on Tuesday and the speaker and her husband have helped to set up a trust to help people in greed-torn Zimbabwe and they need a bookkeeper. It doesn't sound like a huge job and, with the university work only part-time, it all fits in very nicely. It also sounds so right and I cannot tell you why - it just does. So my giving back has started and it will be interesting to see where it leads.
Back to Arthur's scary story, continued from the previous blog …
"They can't, as I said," said Ahmed with finality.
"You might be right but my gut tells me queasy things, whatever they are," said Halee.
"Mine too …" said Mary. Her phone interrupted her and she snapped it out of her pocket. "Yes Sam, how are you?"
"No Mary, it's Angus," said her brother, laughing. "So yer boyfriend's Sam is it?"
"Angus, what do you want?" asked Mary, confused. "You've never rung my mobile before."
"And I've never been to London before either and here I am, in this stupid city," said Angus.
"What the hell are you doing in London, you daft bugger?" asked Mary, feeling strangely comforted by her brother's proximity.
"I want to know where this damned house of yers is," said Angus, sounding frustrated but jovial. "I said I would pop down some time and here I am. Where do I park a car in this crazy town, girl?"
"Ah, oh hell, Angus, this is so … so unexpected. Hell, it's awkward at the moment," said Mary quickly, trying to think clearly, logically.
"Well that's a fine welcome for a long lost brother, I must say, sis," said Angus, the joy going from his voice.
"Oh Angus, I'm sorry, it will be grand to see you. Really it will but I'm not at home right now and I'm waiting for an important call …" said Mary.
"From boyfriend Sam, I suppose," said Angus, interrupting with a chuckle.
"From Sam, yes, but he's not a boyfriend, like I told you," said Mary, feeling embarrassed in front of Halee and Ahmed while her brain failed to come up with an immediate solution to the problem, like it usually did. Losing it again! Damn!
"And, hey, it's not just me, sis, I've got some important visitors for ye," said Angus, his chuckle beginning to get right on her craw. "All the way from New Zealand to see ye and ye're out on the town, living it up!"
"Look, Angus, let me think for a moment, will you," said Mary. "I've got your number and I'll call you back in a jif."
"Okay sis, just give us an address of the closest hotel and we'll catch up tomorrow, yeah?" suggested Angus. With a huge relief, Mary gave him the address of a hotel around the corner from her apartment and told him she'd pay the bill.
"I can't let ye pay me bills, Mary. Doncha' know I'm Scottish!" said Angus with a laugh. She wondered what he'd been smoking - she'd never heard him so chipper before.
"Yeah and so am I so shut up, book in, enjoy the amenities and I'll be round in the morning to settle up and have breakfast with you," said Mary as the solution presented itself. She was curious about his visitors but needed to have the phone clear for Sam's call. "Okay?"
"Okay, we can argue about it tomorrow, you obstinate Scot!" said Angus and the phone went dead before she could reply.
As Ahmed announced their arrival at his apartment, he grabbed the briefcase to go.
"Hey Ahmed, do you mind!" snapped Mary, not letting it go. "This is my case, not yours. Okay?"
"But I am the man and I must protect you two women," said Ahmed, obviously surprised. "That is my duty."
"Oh Ahmed, that's so kind …" said Mary, uncertain what to say next, so long used to fending for herself.
"It's my duty," said Ahmed with finality.
"Ah, your Muslim duty," said Mary, suddenly realising the man she had worked with for the last two years had a life and beliefs beyond the insurance company. "You're not used to taking orders from women and I'm not used to men doing for me."
"Well, Miss Collins is the boss so she gets the case and you get the door, Ahmed," said Halee cheerily. "Would that work?"
"I don't feel right …" said Ahmed, uncertainly.
"Don't feel, just do," said Mary, handing the taxi his fare. Ahmed still hesitated. "Ahmed, now! They'll be here any time, I just know it!"
"But we've lost them," said Ahmed, hesitating between the modern world he worked in and the ancient world of his ancestry.
"We don't know that so get going and let us safely into your apartment, will you!" said Mary, feeling opportunities for safety slipping away. She could see him relax as he seemed to make a decision.
"Yes ma'am," he said suddenly, releasing the case and leaping from the taxi up the steps to unlock the imposing front door into the spacious foyer of the Kensington apartment block. Mary and Halee followed on his heels.
"Holy moly, you could have a choice party in here!" exclaimed Halee, her voice echoing round the cavernous space. "You didn't tell us you lived in a museum, Ahmed."
"It's not a museum, it's an apartment block, Halee," said Ahmed, explaining carefully, obviously unsure whether she was joking or not.
"Wow, you live here," said Halee turning round and round, taking in the intricately patterned marble floor, the oak-panelled walls, the marble and mahogany staircase that went up five floors, the plastered ceiling sixty feet above them and the massive chandelier in the centre of it. "You could keep your pet brontosauruses here, along with a herd of elephants, Ahmed!"
"Well, yes, it is nice to have the space - a nice contrast to the rest of London," said Ahmed smiling as he walked over to the lift.
"Space? SPACE? You could keep your pet concord in here too!" exclaimed Halee, her voice rising, obviously in a trance. "We're not using a lift when there's this Gone With The Wind staircase here, are we?"
"Oh, well, I've always used the lift," said Ahmed. "The stairs are for tradesmen to take furniture up and things like that. It's not seemly to use them."
"Not seemly? Not blooming seemly?" exclaimed Halee, probably finding the habits of Londoners unusual. "Come on Ahmed, I'll race you. What floor are you on?"
"Oh, the fifth floor, Halee, but you cannot run around in here. It's not done," said Ahmed, his usually calm features looking decidedly lopsided as he scratched his immaculately trimmed beard.
"Not done? 'Tis now …" said Halee.
No comments:
Post a Comment