Occasionally the Doc or I will have a sudden flash of clairvoyance, never about anything useful like a winning lottery number but when we both have the same pre-sentiment at the same time it's quite often dead on the money.
At ten to nine yesterday morning, just as we had finished moving all of the furniture in the flat to be of the least obstruction and annoyance to the handyman who would be coming to lay the floor, and we were ready to leave the flat for as long as necessary, we both suddenly felt certain we had completed a pointless exercise.
I said "Are you sure they meant this Monday?"
Doc said "Yes, definitely, but now I think of it it is really strange that they would arrange workman to come on a state holiday."
We both looked at each other, and we both suddenly knew that the guy was not going to show up, because, as I'm sure you are aware, the general rule in this type of situation is that the most irritating outcome is by far the most likely. Let's apply this pessimistic reasoning to yesterday morning:
- As we were ready with time to spare, the workman wouldn't turn up early or be on time.
- As we had no urgent appointment to keep, or indeed any set plans for the day, they wouldn't be late.
- As we had got up early on a public holiday, and considerately re-arranged all the furniture in to the least obstructive but, for us, least comfortable configuration, that meant they would not turn up on the agreed day but will re-schedule for the same time on another occasion.
We waited. At 9.28 Doc's phone rang. Unsurprisingly it was the office. The guy's truck had broken down, so he would come at the same time the next day instead. The Doc asked if that was definite, and the lady in the office said it depended on if they got their truck fixed.
There may at this point have been some swearing, for which I can only apologise.
We looked at all of our furniture, which was now arranged in such a manner that we couldn't get anywhere near the sofas to sit down, and we decided to just leave it as it was and still go out for the day. Fortunately we had been invited to Randy and Laura's house to watch some politics and some sci-fi that evening, so things weren't all bad.
This morning we went through the same routine as yesterday, except this time Doc phoned the office at nine to tell them we were leaving for the day, and to check the workman would have keys. As far as I am aware, right now, there is a guy in our flat measuring up but I won't be surprised if I get home to find only half of one bathroom done and bare floorboards littered with rusty nails in the kitchen. sigh.
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