It just does & it comes in varying degrees. It is likewise something within or beyond your control. There is an old saying that it comes in three - sometimes in a day - or in a series of days - until you decided to stop dwelling on the fear of what's going to fall on your head after - or that you won't consider it as shit but just something bound to happen. Just can't tell the difference.
It happenned in a series of days for us. The trigger was when our xbox broke. This was something within our control but it sucked anyway. Then we woke up the next morning without a cable. It has been a long time that it gets interrupted by our famous mistral but this day, there wasn't even a flatter of a leaf. The logical thing to do is to go up the roof to re-orient the satellite dish & we worked on it almost the whole afternoon - "I have a signal, wait, it's gone...there it is & gone again..." We weren't able to fix it & when we decided to quit for the day, our neighbor - an old woman of 92 years old - snooped around asking what we were doing. After explaining it to her that we were not installing a dish but were just fixing it to find the signal again, she told us that she'd go down to see her friend just a floor below hers. My frenchfry already felt that something else will fall on our heads.
The next morning, I saw our neighbor in the grocery & told me, "J'ai appellé l'ancienne locataire et effectivement c'est elle qui a installé la parabole par un professionel (I called the tenant before you & she did say that she had a professional install the dish)" I felt my ears getting warmer & I just simply told her point blank that we didn't lie - I cannot believe my ears - this same old woman I always helped bring her stuff, run errands for her & patiently listening to her 45 minute ranting & the rewinding stories of her days in Africa. I thought to myself that it might not be what it meant. Still with warm ears, I ran into another neighbor of ours - the same friend that our 92 year old neighbor went to see the other day - and she startled me with questions of the dish - that it was actually not allowed by le syndicat (a union for apartment owners) - that the tenant before us didn't ask permission - that the roof was just re-made & they paid a lot of money for it - in short, as if we don't care because we'd be gone someday & they would have to stay & live with this roof - duh - I was seeing black spots & actually coudn't express well in French when I am little nervous. When I got home, our 92 year old neighbor was in our apartment speaking to my frenchfry who was trying hard to remain respectful in spite of being on fire. Our satellite dish caused a scandal in our building. In the 4 years of living in this building, we never caused any trouble & we were always respectful & polite to everybody. My 92 year old neighbor jumped on the occassion & I got so disappointed - old people in France are dangerous.
Putting that aside, we looked forward for our holidays. We checked everything before leaving, we brought our cat to a cat pension house & off we went. As usual, after about 20km & thereafter, you remember the things you have forgotten but with no real importance - say, an umbrella. I was grovelling about leaving our cat in the pension that I forgot something actually important - just 40km away to our first destination - our cheques vacances (like traveller's check given by frenchfy's company) - it's worth 2 & a half nights in a hotel for free. False departure, as they say in French - and we went back home & had to stay for the night. At least I also had to chance to bring the other forgotten stuff of no importance.
The next day, we were off again but I was stressed - afraid of shit happening again. We changed our plans & went straight to Toulouse. While parking, frenchfry didn't see the white thin pole acting as foundation & he crashed on it breaking our car's right break light. We slightly fixed the damage (elastic cars!) & to hopefully just pay for the break light. I guess I was not stressed alone.
Fortunately, with our visit to a friend in Toulouse, it seemed that it broke the chain of mishap. Reaching the Pyrenees was great the next day & we are finally enjoying our holidays without stress. Just that the only day of our stay in the mountains, we woke up with the rain & thunder. We thought that if we went higher on the mountain, it would be clearer & we can get on our plan of hiking. Well, we pushed it too hard, we were soaking wet with just a tiny umbrella that can actually attract lightning - I forgot our rain jackets even the second time we went back home. The next morning of our departure, we woke up with a big sun & not a single cloud. So we did hike in the morning & went to our next destination just after our hike.
From there & reaching home, everything have calmed down & we got home with no other major shit happened. I ran into my 92 year old neighbor this morning - without a smile on my face - she asked me the "progress" of our satellite dish. I bluntly told her that we'll just let it go for the peace of the building & showed her that's the end of the conversation - but of course we won't let go of the satellite dish.
Yup, shit happens & sometimes it's the same shit, just a different day.
You're so right on saying that it's probably the most interesting thing that happened to her for now, Lynn!!! I guess your shits are as nasty as ours - same shit, different situations! But I also feel bad being a little ill-mannered to her now - iba talaga ang matatanda dito!
ReplyDeleteif i were in your place i would have dropped the satellite dish on her head, but we filipinos are respectful. maybe you can train vidar to hiss at her whenever she passes by?
ReplyDeletewelcome back to non-holiday days, makis! i'm glad that you had just minor little bumps during your holidays!
-kala
yeah, better be careful with the oldies here. with our nosy old neighbors naman on satellite dish, it was ça fait bizaare, notre télé fait un drôle de je-ne-sais-pas-quoi depuis votre venu, grrr. palitan kaya nila tv nila, baka retirable na rin..heureusement, they stay in their house 6 months in a year, so we have 6 months vie tranquille hehe..
ReplyDeleteand yes shit happens everywhere, di ka nag iisa, we have loads of car experiences din, esp when it's vacation time!
welcome back!
Sinabi mo pa S--- happens all the time. It's completely bothering us but anyway, do not be too affected sige ka tatanda ka lang at papangit ka pa. SMILE it's not the end of the world. Have a good day !
ReplyDelete