may you live in interesting times

"May you live in interesting times" - this is a curse, it can not be meant in any other way.

It is Thursday afternoon, I have arrived home, wrapped her birthday presents and am attempting to write a blog post. I get halfway through and decided to save as a draft - you know, in case I lose it. I hit save and the computer goes "phnuked". Arse! I have lost the post. Just as I build up enough steam to get a good "swear on" going, the phone rings. We have a phone that you can walk about with when you talk. After using it I will put it back in its holder. Maria has a tendency (and I love her for it) of dropping the phone under the nearest thing when she finishes talking. I frantically search the flat for the phone, finding it under the bed.

Me: yellow!

Maria: So you aren't covered in sticky tape then? *

Me: Nope, I was trying to find the phone.

Maria: Oh you love me don't you.

Me: Always and forever.

Maria: What are you doing?

Me: Well, I'm about to swear a lot.

Maria: Why?

Me: Just written a post, tried to save it and....

Maria: Oh, I'm sorry. But you might want to write something else.

Me: Anything else - I hate trying to re-write posts. What should I write about?

Maria: I've just been fired.

Me:

Maria: We've just had a meeting in the canteen. Tomorrow [Friday} we will be paid our Christmas Bonus. Then on Monday we will be given our severance pay. If we want, we can sign on to a temp agency and continue our jobs. But I don't want to.

Me:

Maria: You aren't saying anything.

Me: I love you

Maria: You aren't saying anything useful.

Me: Look, can I have five minutes to digest this? Can I pick you up from work and we can go to a bar. I need to look at you. I need to listen to you. I need to look at you. I don't want to say anything that will be wrong. I need to look at you.

Maria: Oh god.

Me: Don't "oh god" me. I just don't want to say the wrong thing without thinking. You know me. I like to think.

Maria: I love you

Me: I know. I love you to but...I need to think.

Maria: Pick me up at five.

Me: I will. I love you.

Maria: I love you. Bye.

Today is her last day at work. She will collect her pay on Monday and not go back. I know that some of you will be thinking "oh shit" but I have two things to say to you:

1) She hates her job. She wants out. She gets out and she gets some money.

b) We have two weeks together. I get two weeks over the Christmas period off school and she will now be home. We will be together.

We are not in this for the money - we are in this for time together. This is good news.

Might not be getting that 42 inch plasma screen tv and a PS3 bed for Christmas but I will be getting Maria for two whole weeks together. What could be better?

*this is a reference to the fact that I had just been wrapping her birthday presents. Cultural difference number 76 (or it may just be me): Mexicans like to wrap presents with great care and delight in using the smallest, tiniest piece of sticky tape to finish the job. Wrapping is a thing of beauty to them. Me, I like to use a whole roll of tape and wonder why add the expense of expensive wrapping paper. Just tear into that present! And the sticky tape slows down the whole process of tearing! Thus delaying the final reveal!