MUMMY AND THE BANKER

Oh my God, I must say, today, I never thought I would be writing to you all again? In fact, I didn’t think I would ever get back home? Talk about my nerves? They are completely shattered. I just want a hot bath and curl up in bed. Hide away from the big bad world and sleep forever.

So Hub and I were to go to two banks today, we know where one is, I hate going there, as it is a huge bank, and the staff in there are never the same and they act like A, they  have never seen a blind person before, and B, they have never done the most simple transaction before.

But we had the added stress of finding a different bank, my old bank. We had never been on our own before so I was worried we would not be able to find it?

Oh but then Hub comes down the stairs, with his rucksack. Oh God, an industrial shop?

He told me he had his three suits in his bag, for the dry cleaners.

Oh my God. Not the flipping dry cleaners? That place is a total nightmare to get to and miles away from our bus stop, at least a fifteen minute walk, if, you know where you are going? If not, perhaps an hour?

Well the bus was great, came streight away. Got on, found a seat, though LC wanted to sit us on a man’s knee, as she is sometimes too sociable.

We got to the town, my nerves were already shot as Hub did not use his iPhone to locate where we had to get off. He said he knew, as there was a dog’s leg on the road…

Not really a dog’s leg, but where the road kind of does the shape of the leg, just after then, it was time to get off.

We did, I held Hubs arm as I had left Waggatail in the house, I tell you, she was not impressed?

So I did the tightrope as I walked closer than I would have liked on the edge of the kerb.

Hanging onto Hubs arm for life.

We did my bank first. But getting to it was really really hard. We knew we were in the right place roughly, but just didn’t know absolutely where? We asked a few people and they point and tell.

We walk a while ask again, having to wait for someone to blooming speek English, or at least who lives in the area? That is the trouble when you live somewhere which is popular for tourists.

We found the bank and they were great inside. Very very helpful, so calm, nothing was a bother and we were not made out to be weird.

I mean, in the long run, it is the sighted ones who are peculiar, not us, all it takes is for someone to ask what  we would like to  do and then they walk to the desk where we need to be and job done, oh not the other bank it goes like this.

“Oh, oh, em,

Susan? Can you come and help this lady and gentleman please?

“Oh, sorry, I’m busy. I will get Rob.”

Rob comes and he has to get John. John comes, and what does he do? Take us to the counter to do our money? No, he takes us to a seat in the waiting area. I mean, why could person number one not do that?

We wait, and wait a wait; in the meanwhile, there is a funny lady with a high pitched voice there, hahahahaha. She shouts,

“Excuse me, can you tell me how long we will be waiting? Sammy, Sammy, where are you? Sammy. Oh where has he gone? Oh there you are come here.

So how long will we be waiting?”

“Not long madam, you are next.”

“Oh, great, it’s our turn now?”

“No, you are next; there is one person then you!”

“Oh, it’s just I need to buy some cakes? I can’t wait much longer without the cakes? Sammy, Sammy? Where are you now?”

“OK Madam. Buy your cakes and come back.”

Five minutes later we are called on. We go to the desk. The lady has a panic, realising we cannot see. How do blind people bank? Too late to pass the job on, we are in the booth and we are sat down.

We do one job; the next job has to be done at another desk. We do that then another thing we need to do, is up stairs. I stay down and find a seat; Hub does the other job as he is guided up the flight of stairs.

Well, to my absolute amusement, Sammy and Mummy return. She announces to the bank, she has her cakes. No one answers but she is hurried into a booth.

Then I hear, “Sammy? Oh nowhere has he gone now? She runs out of the booth and runs around the bank, including in the other offices in there. Shouting, Sammy, Sammy, come to Mummy.

Leaving the lady banker sitting tapping her toes. The Mummy gets Sammy back and they sit down. The banker lady asks the little boy if he would like to sit in a chair next to her.

“Oh look at this seat; this is a special chair, only for good boys. It’s nice and warm? Would you like to sit here?”

Sammy,

“No thank you!”

Hahahahahhahahahahahhhahahahh

I mean, what do you say to that? There was silence.

Mummy got the boy sat next to her. All I could here is the little boy shouting to everyone,

“I’m three in June.

Well no one took any notice to the poor child. Then he rummages through Mummy’s bags, making lots of crinkling sounds.

“Sammy, what on earth are you looking for now?

“A cake please Mummy. So then the banker has to wait for the Mummy to get the cakes out. But it is not just handing the boy a cake, it is waiting for Sammy to choose what kind of cake he wants? The queues are accumulating. . The tension from the banker is building up.

Then Sammy’s Mummy, who obviously is a sandwich short of a picnic, says, now wait for it?

“I need to check the amounts in my business account please?”

Sammy’s Mummy? Business?

OMG?

Doing what?

Well, turned out, the people had not paid the poor Mummy, she was there for ages. Then Sammy asked that question.

Mummy, would you like some?

“Oh no Sammy, that is disgusting!”

Five minutes later,

“Mummy would you like a bit?

“Oh, that is disgusting, look Sammy, look at the lady’s work top. That is no way to behave on the lady’s paperwork. Oh, what a disgrace Sammy?”

The banker told the lady there was a bin outside. She said no, it’s OK, I have some bags. I’m used to the mess, she declared.

Then just as the banker thought Sammy and Mummy were about to be on their way, Mummy had to say to Sammy,

“Now then Sammy, you know we were to buy new shoes and toys today?

“Yes Mummy?”

“Well it’s like this, someone has not paid Mummy,  so it’s shoes or toys, and I know what it has to be, do you?”

“New toys!”

 God, Hub came downstairs and we went out of the bank. I was in stitches by this point as Sammy and Mummy, were still sat in the lady’s booth. Well, the man who came to me to tell me Hub was finished said right; you now need the shop down the road?

I thought, how does he know where we need to be?

Hub stood outside the bank, in some sort of disbelief.

He said this to me.

“OK, I wanted to exchange some $, into £, I went up two flights of stairs, and I was told I could only do it downstairs. Then I came down stairs, and was told because it is Saturday, I couldn’t do it in the bank? But, he continued, they told me, don’t worry, you can get your money exchanged at wait for it?

Superdrug?

 Let me tell you Bloggets who are not aware of Superdrug, it sells toiletries and medicines. Why would they exchange money?

Oh but they did, and it gets better.

It was for about £36 but we did it there. Oh then the dry cleaners. OMG? We got so lost you would not imagine.

Talk about stress. Hub got really cross. He hates it when he can’t find places. I mean, at least he does? But he was ready to quit and I said no. We continued walking and the traffic was so loud. At one point, I thought we were in the middle of the road and there were busses flying everywhere, we could not hear each other talking to one an other, let alone our barings?

I was aware that there is a drop into the way of the river; I was terrified we were going to fall down there?

Hub walks so fast.

He said his arm was coming off as I was holding onto him too tight? Well, I was hanging on for my life.

Oh it took forever to find where we needed to be. We asked for help, faced a lot of blank expressions from people who had never heard of the name of the street we were asking for, a street that has been there, since day 1?

Well, we got to the cleaners, with the help of an old lady about seventy five; she was with a very well spoken Australian man. He sounded about thirty?

He took Hubs arm, the lady took mine. I knew who drew the short straw? Me? Oh boy, the lady was a total fruited loop, but, she was kind, and bless her, she wanted so much to help.

Oh it was absolutely hysterical; she had me feeling every post and street sign with my white cane. She was saying,

“Go on, tap it, and tap it.”

She would not move, until I obliged her with the flipping tapping.

Where was Hub?

Oh God knows. I was panicking, I did n’t take my mobile, as never thought we would part.

What if they are out of the loony home, and are taking us away? To do what with? The mind boggled? In fact, my mind has never been so boggled.

I asked her where was my Husband. She said over there love, don’t worry, then she shouted like a fish wife,

Ozz, not down there, up here?

Oh my God, we walked and walked and walk

I felt really bad that the poor lady and man were going this far?

How could we have got it so wrong?

I asked her was the man her Son in law?

Answer?

“No, he  is my friend……..

I have looked after him, for twenty years?

She has looked after him?

He was so clever his voice was so smart; she was deranged with a capital D…

“Go on, tap it?

Well we got to the dry cleaners and guess what? It was moving so we were told to take our clothes, now this one will kill you lot?

To Londis…. A news agent? What? This day was becoming more crazy.

So we got lost again and took forever to find our way back then Hub at once found Londis. They took Hubs suits; will we ever see them again? The lady there could not talk very much English, she told hub in a reassuring way, not, that she had not done many of the dry cleaning before?

OMG? £600 worth of suits.

We got home, and soon going out for tea, Oh next blog, I will tell you about Teens day, he has had a great time of it. Xxx