I clutched my bag of groceries as I clambered out of the car, just in time to meet the postie fast approaching, her own hands full of paperwork.
I could tell she looked a little ‘troubled.”
Before I could greet her I was handed the mail and asked … ‘Do you know the people around the corner, ‘West side?’ I’ve been over and the alarm is sounding, front door open, but no one answered. I’m sure I could smell smoke as well?’
With that, our postie was away … adding … ‘I haven’t seen anyone else, you might want to check everything is ok?’
‘Do I need this?’ I thought to myself as I left my handful of items in the car and proceeded to see what the commotion was all about.
Approaching the cottage I could see the front door indeed ajar. House keys were hanging from the front door lock and I couldn’t help but notice smoke! Then there was the incessant wail of the interior smoke alarm.
Stepping through the door I hollered: ‘Margaret!, Pat! Are you ok? It’s Charlie …’
Above the pitch of the alarm I heard a woman’s voice … ‘Alarm above the door, food burning, I’m in the bathroom!’
‘OK, let’s do this,’ I uttered. Silencing the chimes, now to the kitchen … oven off … extractor on, next, where’s the bathroom??
‘Margaret, are you ok? I called, hesitating.
‘Sorry Charlie, l can’t move and need help …’
Upon entering the bathroom my eyes first caught sight of a naked woman – sitting in a stand-alone bathtub (one of those with a high back) … with nothing more than a face towel in place to spare her modesty,
‘Charlie, I’ve stuck my toe in the cold water tap and can’t get it out!’
It seems husband Pat was out with golfing buddies and Margaret was taking her book to the bath for a quick read before dinner …
My face must have told a story … I stood struck dumb before blurting out …
‘So, where’s the vaseline!?’
‘Margaret simply howled with laughter … ‘throw me that towel, the grease is in the cupboard above the sink.’
It was a few minutes of wriggling, pushing and pulling. Margaret explained … Enjoying her read, she was disturbed by the dripping tap and so decided to insert her second toe in an attempt to stop the drip and … toe became stuck, fast! Now, locked in the upright seated position of the old-style tub she couldn’t lever her leg (or bend) to help herself. Knees high and toe stuck fast … if only there was a photograph!
Eventually, with help from ‘vaso’ we freed the embedded second toe, sparing further blushes from my ‘bathtub patient’ as I swiftly made my way, avoiding further explanation toward the grocery left in my car …
Margaret and I now have a secret … I’ve promised not to mention the situation to anyone, the ‘toe moment’ is going to be shared only between ourselves … because no one would believe it!
Trust is a wonderful thing, dip your toe, earn some trust and discover where it may lead you.
CharlieKenny.me 