gova

(Continued from July 18, 2010)

“I think you are suggesting that keeping Bob’s furniture is a good idea because he will be in a position to purchase another apartment in the relatively near future.  Is that a correct assessment?”

“Indeed it is.  Apparently, he is a highly skilled construction worker who earns big wages.  Therefore, I will easily be able to arrange a mortgage for him.  I am his aunt, so I will go easy on the real estate fees.”

I had heard enough.  Therefore, I excused myself before the talkative agent was going to ask me questions such as: “Do you have any friends who might possibly be interested in enjoying a marvelous view?”

I was eager to get back to my apartment.  I wanted to convey the good news to Thea as soon as possible.  My daughter had expressed disappointment about having to avoid my condo building because of Bob.

In my mailbox, I found a leaflet pertaining to Bob’s apartment.  The reasonable asking price indicated that my neighbor wanted to sell quickly.

Back in my apartment, I got Thea on the line pretty well immediately.  Her phone system notified her about my incoming call; so, she asked me to allow her twenty seconds to finish her chat with Alice.

“So, what did my brother Richard have to say about acquiring a sister at such a mature age?”

“He predicted that only good experiences would come from ‘this family development.’  The remainder of his e-mail was about Alphonse having eased into your aunt’s good books.  Obviously, he couldn’t have discussed the matter without referring to the fact that you had initiated that fortunate process.”

“If you were here, you would note that I am blushing profusely.  And, I couldn’t have asked for a better initial reaction from my young brother.  When do you expect an e-mail from Doug?”

“Probably within the next hour or so.  His message will be after my sons have discussed the matter.  I am expecting an e-mail that contains plenty of enthusiasm about visiting your farm.  Doug’s wife is very much into a healthful environment and good wholesome food.”

“I am having a great day.  I cannot imagine a development that would intensify my jubilant mood,” Thea asserted.

(To be continued)

(Continued from July 13, 2010)

After my telephone conversation with Thea, I checked my e-mail.  There was a message from Richard; I was not surprised by the prompt response.  My young son usually got up early in the morning to have a small snack.  Then, he would attend to his e-mail for an hour or so before going for a lengthy run.  Triathletes need to exercise daily in preparation for a race.

As I had expected, Richard was pleased about my father-daughter relationship with Thea.  “As far as I can determine at this moment, only good experiences will come from this development,” he wrote.

I concluded that Richard hadn’t as yet discussed the matter with Doug, my oldest son.  That would probably happen within the next couple of hours.

The remainder of Richard’s message was devoted to going into detail about the lucky break that Alphonse had experienced.  My young son hinted at the fact that such was a direct consequence of my relationship was Thea.  “Up until now, the big guy had not been very lucky with his employment; his previous employers don’t seem to have noticed the tremendous skills that he possesses,” Richard wrote.

I tried to get hold of Thea to let her know about Richard’s e-mail, but I was only able to reach her mailbox.  So, I left a message in which I explained the reason for my call.

Since I hadn’t retrieved my mail for a few days, I went down the hall toward the communal boxes.  As I passed by Bob’s apartment, of which the entrance door was wide open, I was able to cast a glance into his living room.  It was completely void of any furniture.  Only a few similarly shaped boxes were neatly stacked in the middle of the room.

At that moment, a middle-aged lady came down the hall and turned into the apartment.  Noticing my inquisitive look, she volunteered: “I am a real estate agent.”

“Has the owner already moved out?” I inquired.

“He had an accident at work and he will be in the hospital for at least the next six months.  Since he was only partly insured, he needs some cash to pay the hospital bills.  Therefore, he decided to sell his apartment. The equity that he has built up in the condo should take care of most of his medical debt.”

“What happened to his belongings?”

“His work buddy was kind enough to store them for him.  Although Bob will be laid up for a lengthy period of time, he will apparently make a full recovery.”

(To be continued)

(Continued from July 08, 2010)

“By now, your sons will already have a pretty good idea about the recent developments here.  The first issue that Alphonse will surely have mentioned enthusiastically to Richard is the way things have worked out for him on aunt Dorothy’s estate.  He will have written about the boardroom, robots and job prospects for the future.”

“You are right.  He couldn’t have discussed those matters without making frequent references to you.  Therefore, they know a lot more about you than we had originally supposed.  And, the information is undoubtedly all favorable.”

“The only not-so-favorable matter, of which Alphonse is aware, is my involvement with Bob.”

“I doubt very much that my young friend will mention anything about that part of your past. Other than the fact that you had a brief relationship with the guzzler, he doesn’t really know anything specific.”

“During that time, I did not make good decisions.  My father was already quite ill and I spent most of my time at his bedside.  So, when I met Bob and he seemed to lend a sympathetic ear, I did not question his sincerity.”

“It probably didn’t take very long to realize that Bob was mainly interested in his own pleasures.  As one of you girls mentioned before, my neighbor had profound narcissistic tendencies; and, in all likelihood, he is still influenced by them.  It is a part of one’s personality that can be controlled if one is fully aware of the inclination toward that kind of behavior.  Bob would need professional help to come to that awareness.”

“I could recognize his selfishness a few weeks after we had met and, at that point, I should have terminated the relationship.  Of course, as you know, Elsie became interested in him shortly thereafter.  I told her about his egocentric behavior, but she didn’t appear worried about it.  We girls often think that a man will treat us better than he did his previous gal or that we can change his behavior.  It seems that we can only learn from experiencing a few disappointments.”

“Alphonse will probably not mention anything relating to love affairs for another important reason.  His most recent relationship involved a great deal of self-deception.  The big guy is very much aware of his error in judgment regarding that young lady.”

“Seeing that they are very good buddies, I am assuming that Richard had been informed about all pertinent issues pertaining to that girl.”

(To be continued)

(Continued from July 01, 2010)

“Have you already communicated with your sons?” Thea wanted to know.

I told her that I had sent a short message; and, since I had mentioned a full report before, she said: “I am sure that you had a good reason for changing your mind.”

“Going into too much detail usually means that one is trying to make a point. There is no need for that.”

“I understand completely what you are saying.  There will be plenty of time to connect the dots.”

“There is also the matter of Alphonse’s e-mail messages to Richard.  I didn’t want to pry concerning their content when I spoke to the big guy earlier.  If he had wanted me to know what they were all about, he would have sent me a copy.”

“Between longtime buddies, there will, in all likelihood, be remarks with a special spin.  You won’t need to see those.  Your sons’ specific questions will indicate, to a certain extent, which details they discussed in their e-mails.”

“I did mention your farm.  I felt that it would bring about a discussion, which would involve the mothers of my grandchildren.  Those ladies are very keen to see their children breathe fresh air during their visit to North America.  I assumed that you would be in favor of seeing the kids on your farm.”

“I would love to entertain your grandchildren on the farm.  We will purchase bikes, tricycles and other toys for them.  Then, when they come in ravenous from their energetic play, we will feed them the most healthful organic food in the county.”

“If there is hesitation about consuming some of the wholesome items, the presence of the ice-cream machine will figure largely in encouraging the children to finish everything on their plate.”

“Do you expect them to come over this summer?”

“It is very probable that they will be here.  There has been much talk about the necessity for practice in the English language.  Nicolas, the oldest at six, can carry on a simple conversation, but he needs a good spell of total immersion.”

“What about the younger children, do they possess some English language skills?”

“They seem to understand simple commands and they know the English words for animals and concrete things.”

(To be continued)

(Continued from June 27)

“The execution of the plan was admirable, though.  Few people would have been able to arrange, on the spot and in the correct order, the different moves that Sam would have to go through to complete the task.”

“I must confess that I had already contemplated to make Sam work on the Mini while I was reading through the manual for the robot.  So, I had a fair amount of time to consider the necessary stages that the sturdy little fellow would have to cope with.”

“Well, that is an even better example of being proactive,” I replied.

Although he showed great modesty, Alphonse seemed to be in complete agreement with me regarding the wisdom of continuing to be proactive.

We terminated the call and I leaned back in my most comfortable chair to consider the content for the e-mail message to my sons.  My initial intention had been to send a comprehensive report of what had transpired during the past few days.  However, I had changed my mind.  By supplying too many details, I would give the impression that I was trying to convince them about the beneficial nature of my father-daughter relationship with Thea.

I got up and sat down behind my computer, relieved that I had made the decision to send a short message.  I wrote: “I have met a young lady whose late father was my doppelganger.  I have seen photos of him and I must say that the resemblance is striking.  She told me that he appeared in a dream, advising her to ask me to take his place in her life.  I have accepted her request.”

I assumed that Richard had conveyed to his brother the information he had received from Alphonse.  Without those details, my message would cause my oldest to question my sanity.

The only other detail I mentioned in the message was that Thea owns a beautiful farm.  I was trying to instill some enthusiasm into the Tokyo crowd.  I wanted the city dwellers to look forward to breathing fresh air during their visit to North America.

I was expecting a reply before long.  My sons would discuss the matter and their questions would be pertinent.  So, after receiving the details that would give them a comprehensive portrait of the situation, they would be delighted to welcome Thea into the family.

A few minutes after I had sent the e-mail, I got a phone call from Thea.

(To be continued)