Tales from the Towers: Story-telling

Ms. George is a well-known author. Her novels are rarely shorter than 700 pages and I often lose my patience with her endless descriptions, digressions, speculations, exaggerations, insinuations and metaphors... So reading that novel which I took from the library, suddenly my late husband comes to my mind. I used to tell him stories. Sometimes about what happened in the office, whom I've met on my way home and what we talked about, what was available in the shops, or what we should plan for the week-end. Just when I got into the real swing of my tale, he used to interrupt me:

"Now get to the point, get to the point, I'm in a hurry, I have to...". Well, whatever he had to! So... now quoting my husband: "Ms. George, won't you ever get to the point?"

And since she doesn't, I decided to carry out an experiment. I skipped 200 pages and went on from there. I went on reading and...nothing happened. It was as if I wouldn't have skipped anything, and I am reading a book minus 200 pages and it hardly matters.

It's just like the soaps we watch on TV. We miss 40 or 50 episodes and so what? The story goes on and we hardly know who betrayed whom, who got married or who died, nor do we seem to care, at least not much!

Incidentally, I never interrupt people who tell me stories. On the contrary, I want to hear them all. For instance, my trainer at the gym always has something to tell:

"You see that young French girl who always comes here with that man in the light-blue pants? They have an affair. But he is married, and it's strange that the only place where they can meet without his wife getting suspicious, is right here in the gym They run miles on treadmills side by side, they sweat and exchange loving glances.

It's a double duty trick; they meet, they flirt as much as one can flirt while running the miles, and they keep trim at the same time. This is a case of sweat as a price for romance! And look at the fat lady there on the bicycle. Last week she brought me an ad which she had cut out from a paper advertising a wonder pill which helps one lose 10 kilos each week. I showed her the small print at the bottom of the article which advised that in addition to the pill, one must be on a diet not exceeding 1000 calories per day and do regular aerobics at least 3 times a week. But she went out and bought the pill anyway!

Michael there who is working out with dumb bells claims that their weight is not correctly indicated. A dumbbell which is marked 3 kilos, actually weighs 4 he feels when he is lifting it, and why should someone lie about this? So he put the dumb bell on the scale and the scale also showed 3 kilos. Now he says that the scale is lying!

Sarah there always forgets her towel here in the gym and phones me from home to ask whether I've found her red towel. Strangely enough her towels are usually  blue, and it's odd that she can't keep her colors straight! She drives a beautiful Citroen car and I wonder how she is about red and green!

Being aware of financial disaster all over the world, I went to my bank in order to check my own financial situation. I waited a long time before I finally faced my bank contact, a sober young man called Rami.

"Rami", I asked him anxiously, "was I hit by the crisis? Do I have to cancel my credit cards?" Rami looks at me sharply:

"Tell me", he asks "have you played a bit in the stock market without my knowing?"

"Of course not", I replied, "I wouldn't know how, I would have to ask you first!"

"OK, so go home and don't worry. Your money and your credit cards are safe!"

I went out happily and bought myself a huge chocolate ice cream cone. Paid for it in cash too. I always knew that I am smart about money although occasionally there did come up some contradiction in this respect  from family and friends!!

I sincerely wish you to be able to cope with the crisis as well as I did.

Lucca