Let's face facts. Charles Dickins was a pessimist. Anybody who has been forced to read "David Copperfield" or "Great Expectations" in school will know exactly what I mean. Plus titles such as "Bleak House" or "Hard Times" do not actually exude any happiness. Oliver Twist was starved in the workhouse and after finding good fortune, was nearly murdered by Bill Sykes, a most unsavoury character. The opening line of "A Tale Of Two Cities", set in London and Paris reversed the order of my above title, gloomily predicting that the best is always followed by the worst...
Well, bollocks to that notion. I am an optimist. Why else would I stay in a less than satisfactory marriage for twenty-four years? I can hear you all thinking that I must have been a slow learner, but I really did believe in fairytale endings. I have always expected, that eventually, there will be satisfactory outcomes even in the face of the most challenging instances.
Take this week for example. On Monday and Tuesday, we were relieved to have homebody days. I pottered, washed, vacuumed, and ironed. An annoying hitch was removing the plastic wrap of a new DVD and discovering there was no disc inside...so we watched another movie whilst I brought the mountain of ironing to heel. The A Team is a fabulously silly film to enjoy whilst reducing the pile to zero for the first time in weeks.
Wednesday morning, I prepared to set off for the Big Smoke. My mission (which I had chosen to accept, perhaps foolishly) seemed straightforward enough. Travel to the Harvey Norman outlet in Joondalup, purchase a new, already ordered laptop with Latitude Pay (a form of "after pay"), as sudden computer death had not been on my agenda, and then present the corpse and the new device to Jason, my guru at Navada Computers to complete the transfer of data, stay the night with Callum, Bron and Immy and then head home in plenty of daylight on Thursday.
Oh, the great plans of mice and Kate...
The day did not start well. Our new home printer refused to talk to Michael's laptop, so I was unable to have a copy of the invoice for my new computer. That turned out to be the least of my problems. Upon arriving at the Harvey Norman leviathan, my phone rang. As a private number, I was pretty sure that the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) was on the other end. Now, this lot never gives hapless clients the opportunity to return the call. So, I stepped out of the checkout line and answered.
Some woman, whose name escapes me, was ringing me to update progress on my review regarding diverting some of Alex's funding for the air conditioner in his unit. I think I forgot her name in a fit of pique. Apparently, I didn't need to ask for a review, but a change in Alex's circumstances. This would require an entirely different process. She did not reply when I queried the length of this latest delay. And she reiterated that my request was to assist Alex's health, which was not the role of the NDIA.
I responded that Alex's daily function could be seriously inhibited by serious illness or premature death...
I just saw red. I could not believe their protocols. So, in a state of distress, whilst applying for Latitude Pay to buy my laptop, I entered my name as "Kate" instead of "Catherine". And then, in an instant, my identity could not be verified and the credit process was terminated.
At that point, I believed that my addled mistake was unsolvable. I cannot thank Hannah and Jaryd, two Harvey Norman staff, enough for rescuing me. Between the pair of them, they sorted the issue. Yes, time was ticking away but they provided me with a chair, assistance, and empathy. Hannah contacted Latitude Pay and organised an alteration document. Jaryd efficiently scanned and loaded my driver's license as the necessary identification. Without them at Harvey Norman Joondalup, I would have succumbed further into a distraught state.
Eventually, I staggered out with the laptop under my arm. I drove the necessary fifteen minutes to deliver the Toshiba corpse and the brank spanking new HP to Jason at Navada Computers, in order to retrieve as much data from the deceased laptop as was possible. I left, still frazzled to retreat into the anonymity of Lakeside Shopping Centre for a browse and a snack. My equilibrium was somewhat improved by a visit to a bookshop.
In spite of my growling tummy, I could not work out what I wanted to eat. In the end, as I was about to leave Joondalup for my late afternoon appointment with the cardiologist, I chose a chicken and avocado salad with balsamic dressing.
Which I promptly spilled down my front as I drove to I-Med in Mount Lawley. My appointment was at 4.40 pm. I arrived early and was weighed and measured. I knew from the previous report that my heart was in structurally excellent condition. I had nearly cancelled the appointment as I already knew the outcome and would be a hundred dollars out of pocket. But I thought that our GP would want me to complete this follow-up, so I resolved to go.
I waited for forty minutes. Did I receive any encouragement for having a sound heart? Not a chance. I was rebuffed for gaining one hundred grams (the chicken salad) and told to abstain from alcohol and reduce my dietary intake by half. I was in the Inner Sanctum of the specialist for five minutes. He had been kind when he thought I may have a hole in my heart. Now, as just a fat, stressed middle-aged woman, I was scolded for my failures.
That was not good for my already fragile ego. Worse was to come. I become lost, twice, in Perth's northern suburbs trying to navigate two newish interchanges. I arrived at the kids' house after first trying to detour to Joondaup and then to Ellenbrook. Callum poured me a glass of vino. He moved the car as I was beyond any more activity. I was delighted to be in their company, cuddle and sing and read to Immy and enjoy a delicious pre Mothers Day dinner. My mood was soothed as I basked in their care.
Thursday morning. Cal woke me so I could kiss Immy and Bronwyn goodbye before they exited for daycare and Bron's teaching position. Cal left shortly afterward for his position at another primary school. I read in bed (what luxury!), had breakfast and cleaned their kitchen so they wouldn't return home to unwashed dishes.
My laptop was not ready. The data transfer was taking longer than anticipated. Eventually, the operation took twenty-six hours. I could not wait for the finale, so I paid Jason and turned Lily in the direction of home. Shopping in Midland turned into my worst nightmare. Usually, I know our finances down to the last cent. Not on Thursday. As a result, my card was rejected due to insufficient funds at the Coles checkout. I wanted the earth to swallow me whole. Karen, the operator, was supportive and so kind. I raced to the nearby ATM at Bankwest and ascertained I was about twelve dollars short. Returning to the checkout, I was about to discard some chicken when the customers behind me in the queue, Leanne and her daughter Alicia, gave me the required funds. This was a unexplexted and random act of kindness towards me and I was speechless in my gratitude.
After I negotiated my way out of the car park with calming self-talk and deep breathing, I found myself, thankfully, heading eastward towards home. Just to illustrate that the Gods were still playing havoc with us all, a car in the right-hand lane gently rear-ended the car in front in a moment of inattention. No damage, just lots of embarrassment.
I was out of sorts on Friday. I was delighted to be home but I was miserable after the visit to the cardiologist. My self-esteem had taken a battering and I was not in a good space,
All that changed on Saturday morning. Artist-in-Residence Kath Moore began to paint me. She admonished me very gently for focusing on my facial failings and reminded me that I had long eyelashes, high cheekbones, and fabulous hair. In the course of just over an hour, my soul was lifted and I was able to return to a positive state of mind.
Once more, the good followed the less than wonderful. I am so grateful for those in my life who raised my flagging spirits over the last week. To Hannah, Jaryd, Jason, Cal, Bron, Immy, Karen, Alicia, Leanne, Kath and of course Michael, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
And then my darling husband surprised me with a box of chocolates for Mothers Day. All is well in our world.
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