Saturday,
May 24, 2014, 2:19 AM Arizona, 10:19 AM Salisbury
I hate going
to the loo and finishing my business only to fine that the TP dispenser is
EMPTY, bit of a problem isn't it? What
to do? Ask the guy next door, but they
are empty, shuffle out in the altogether hoping you can make it to the next
stall before someone comes in? Oh well
here goes! Whew made it! This happened 
Yesterday
was my first day of “work” for the Festival office. I’m a bit nervous wanting to make a good
impression and all that. I show up 1/2
hour early in order to watch the person currently manning the desk. Sat with her about 10 minutes and she says “Well
I’m off then” and off she goes. My anxiety
mounts as I await the first phone call; I’m answering phone and greeting people
as they come in. First phone call I almost drop the phone picking
it up, but make it through transferring and all; bit more confident now. I’m chatting with the lady across the aisle
who is one of two who take reservations and payments for the different
events. “You helped us last year didn't
you?” she asks. “Yes actually I've been
a Stewart for the past three years.” “You
were with another man from America right, the one who was making a fuss at one
of the events?” She goes on in great
detail on this miner event in life. “Don’t
remember the fuss” says I. “Have you ever been to the U.S.?” I ask. We talk about Flagstaff for a bit and where
she and her husband stayed.
Phone rings
for the second time and deftly pick it up and answer. We
have this long thing that needs to be said upon answering. “Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival,
how may I help you?” One lady say’s to
me “That’s quite a mouthful isn't it?” I
get through the next three phone calls and am feeling really confident until…
in walks an older lady whom I greet with a smiling “hello may I help you?” What I hear is something about the peaks
having snow on them. I smile as I think what fucking peaks there aren't any peaks
around Salisbury? She looks at me expectantly
as my mind is now stuck on the peaks thing and I don’t know what to say. Helen, the general manage pops out and says
to me “She wants to know about Peter Snow” and directs to her to the ticket
lady. I’m sitting there with a dumb ass
smile on my face. Shit I can understand English!
Actually I think I was distracted by the wig hat on her head which she
had pulled down over her ears; bit unnatural that. 
I’m given a
task cutting up paper badges one at a time.
The young lady who has given me the task asks if I need any help. I smile “I think I got this.” Here I am spending the day answering phones
and cutting up paper when Jane, head of the volunteers, comes out apologizing
for not coming out sooner. We discuss my
offer to work more shifts at the opening event as they are short staffed. As we talk she is watching me cut up
badges. I begin to wonder if there is
something wrong with my little rhythm. I smile, which I do a lot in England, France
and Spain. It’s a little trick I learned,
but most people probably think “Poor fellow is a bit daft” then smile back and
go about their business. Anna comes out to relieve the lady at the
ticket station. I met Anna the first
time I went to the Festival nine years ago.
I saw the
line people stretching down the street and stopped to ask what was going on. The fellow I asked explained that it was a big
party due to it being the closing night of the Festival. So I ride up to the ticket table and was
greeted by Anna’s beautiful smile. I
would have bought anything she was selling under the spell of that smile. I looked forward to seeing that smile every
year since. She is charge of the whole
ticking selling business and is concentrating on making sure all goes well. There is another person manning the ticket
table and her name is Poppy. She and I
talk for a bit about American and her wish to get over there. My time is up I made it through didn't seem
to do to bad a job. All the little
badges are hopefully cut to order. I
mention to Anna that her youngest, who is now eight wasn't born when we first
met, and her oldest was four. We have a
chat about how thing have changed and how they are out and about no longer
needing a sitter to watch them.
It’s been a
good day and what has this to do with expectations you might ask. Only that when you let go of them wonderful
things can happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment