Something truly amazing happened yesterday which I would like to share
before my internet connection finally gets cut off and this moment, which is
only just short of miraculous, gets swept away in the hustle and bustle
of my impending house move.
Families come in all shapes and sizes, some close and supportive, some
extremely extended and others bruised, battered and barely in touch.
I suppose it would be true to say that mine contains elements of all of the above.
It is with sadness that I say that my middle daughter and I are estranged
and have been for some considerable time. Consequently I know little
about her adult years or her two children or her 5 month old grandson.
But let's get back to yesterday.
I thought I'd move home in style this time around after a lifetime of
doing things on the cheap with the aid of a few mates, a bit of
muscle and an old transit van.so I decided to go with a local removal company
on the recommendation of a friend and opted for their packing service to
make life even easier for myself.
Yesterday morning two smart young men arrived and set about
bubble wrapping my nick nacks (not a euphamism I might hastily add)
and stowing them away in assorted cardboard boxes. One of the lads in
particular caught my attention and I felt instinctively that I knew him
although this was quite impossible, but I kept having sneaky looks at him
and searching my brain for an answer.
Several hours later the job was done and just as the lads were about to go
Lad One called my enigma by the nickname CoCo and explained that he
called him this because his last job was as a circus clown. It was then that
the goosebumps arrived in batallions and the pieces fell into place.
My granddaughter was a circus performer before motherhood
intervened and although I don't actually know her I'd seen pictures
on her Facebook page so knew what she looked like and also what
her partner (CoCo) looked like too. I took a blind leap and asked
him if he was THE CoCo not caring whether I made a complete fool of
myself and I think you can guess the rest. We were both completely stunned.
Fate had sent the father of my great grandson to my home and in so
doing had put me in touch with my granddaughter who I thought I
would never have any contact with. Later that evening I received a friend
request on Facebook and after a long exchange via Messenger we've
agreed to meet up once I've settled in to my new home. And it goes
without saying that CoCo will be there on Monday morning
with Lad One to move me in. Hopefully not dressed as a clown as
I don't want to shock my new neighbours quite so soon after
my arrival. There will be time aplenty to do that later on.
If I hadn't decided to move, if I hadn't chosen that particular firm of
removers, if they hadn't scheduled CoCo to do my job, if Lad One hadn't
used his nickname, if I hadn't dared to ask the questions I'd have been
none the wiser and much the poorer. The chances of winning the lottery
are probably greater than this but I know which I'd chose every time.
