Joan E's compared old times with new, missing final part of films to catch the bus. Joan R's sibling's interest in butterflies. Rosemary no room in the Inns and safe passage through estate. Ann Letter that brings U3A interest. Sue, James Bond remembers after coma.
My story a ramble of thoughts.
Next month "I never said that"
BECAME
INTRIGUED.
WHENEVER
I SAW THE WOMAN IN BLACK I BECAME INTRIGUED BY HER APPEARANCE, BECAUSE
SHE LOOKED QUITE UNLIKE ANYONE ELSE IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD. SHE WAS NOT
OF OUR NATIONALITY AS SHE HAD SERENE FAINTLY ORIENTAL FEATURES. I
FOUND MYSELF ALMOST ADOPTING A SLIGHTLY STALKING ATTITUDE, WHICH I
SCOLDED MYSELF ABOUT. NEVERTHELESS SHE EXERTED A HOLD ON MY
IMAGINATION WHICH I FELT WOULD ONLY BE ASSUAGED BY MY EXCHANGING
PLEASANTRIES WITH HER. I SHOULD EXPLAIN THAT, I CAME ACROSS HER WHEN
I CAUGHT THE BUS INTO WORK EACH MORNING, AND SHE ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE
AT THE SAME STOP. THERE WERE THE USUAL COMMUTERS WHO VERY RARELY
SPOKE AND SO WE ALL TENDED TO BE IN OUR OWN LITTLE WORLDS. WELL I
DECIDED I WANTED TO TALK TO THE SUBJECT OF MY INTEREST, AND
EVENTUALLY I FOUND MYSELF SAT NEXT TO HER AND WAS QUITE LOST FOR
WORDS. WHAT WOULD I SAY TO HER, AND WOULD SHE BE INSULTED BY MY
MAKING CONTACT WITH HER? WELL THE CHANCE WENT AND I STOOD UP TO GIVE
MY SEAT TO A LITTLE OLD LADY. I DIDN'T REALLY SEE TOO MUCH OF HER
AGAIN FOR SOME TIME, BUT I STILL WAS HOPING TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT
HER. FINALLY, I DID GET TO SIT NEXT TO HER, AND I MADE SOME COMMENT
ABOUT THE WEATHER, BUT TO MY SURPRISE SHE REPLIED IN WHAT I ASSUMED
WAS MANDARIN CHINESE, WHICH TOOK ME QUITE BY SURPRISE. SHE SEEMED A BIT SHY OF
ANY
ATTENTION FROM ME SO I LEFT IT AT THAT. I CONTINUED SEEING HER ON THE
BUS BUT DIDN'T ATTEMPT TO SPEAK APART FROM A NODDED "GOOD
MORNING", BUT I WAS STILL INTRIGUED WITH HER.
ABOUT
6 MONTHS LATER I CHANGED MY JOB, WHICH DIDN'T INVOLVE USING THE LOCAL
BUS, SO I LOST ANY CHANCE OF MEETING OR SEEING THE CHINESE LADY
AGAIN. LIFE WENT ON WELL, ALTHOUGH I DID HOPE THAT ONE DAY LIFE WOULD
IMPROVE, AND I WOULD MEET AND MARRY A LOVELY LADY. I DECIDED TO GET
MYSELF A TAKEAWAY ONE EVENING AND WENT FOR THE FIRST TIME TO ONE THAT
I'D NOT USED BEFORE, AND WAS STUNNED TO SEE THE SUBJECT OF MY
PREVIOUS FASCINATION SERVING BEHIND THE COUNTER. AND YES, SHE SPOKE
PERFECT ENGLISH. I MENTIONED THAT I USED TO SEE HER ON THE BUS, AND
SHE DID AGREE THAT
SHE REMEMBERED ME. I SAID THAT I ASSUMED THAT SHE COULD NOT SPEAK
ENGLISH, BUT SHE SAID THAT SHE WAS SHY AND NERVOUS WHEN I SPOKE TO
HER, WHICH WAS WHY SHE SPOKE IN HER NATIVE TONGUE. I GOT THE
IMPRESSION THAT SHE WASN'T AVERSE TO OUR SPEAKING, SHE HELPED IN HER
PARENTS BUSINESS AFTER WORKING IN A CITY BANK, AND BEFORE LONG I WAS
HELPING HER AS WELL,
I'VE
GOT TO TELL YOU, THAT I ATE MORE CHINESE TAKEAWAYS THAN WAS GOOD FOR
ME OVER THE FOLLOWING MONTHS, BUT THE HAPPY OUTCOME IS THAT WE ARE
ENGAGED TO MARRY AND IM BUSY LEARNING MANDARIN AND WRITING ORDERS OUT
IN THAT LANGUAGE AS WELL.
