Yesterday we were going to visit friends who have a new baby, and we took the bus there. When we got to the right stop, the boys got off the bus, and I tried to lift Eve out of her seat. There was some resistance, I pulled, and I heard something snap. I realised it must be her mitten - they were attached by those strings that go through the coat - saw one string dangling from a sleeve, and tried to spot the missing mitten. It wasn't on the floor, and I was very aware that Simon and Benjy were outside the bus, that I couldn't hold the doors open *and* search for the mitten, and that I was therefore going to have to abandon the search and get myself and Eve off the bus before we were carried away again. (Later I realised I could perhaps have called to the driver, but being right at the back of the bus that didn't seem an easy or obvious solution.)
So we got off the bus with just one mitten, and Eve cried bitterly (for a minute or two) when she realised what had happened.
Since colder weather is being forecast, I didn't want to leave it too long before buying her new mittens, so popped into town this morning.
I went back to the market stall where I'd bought the original pair, and where the (very honest) stallholder had told me I wouldn't need a spare pair because of the string. After greeting her, I held up the solitary mitten on its string and said, "I'd like the same again, please!" "Ah," she said, "even with the string they *can* still get lost!"
After buying the new mittens, and waiting for her to change a note (it reminded me of Kandi, where you often have to wait in the market while change is found!), I said I didn't know how she put up with the cold.
"This isn't cold!" she exclaimed, "In fact that's our problem this year, no one is buying anything!"
"They are talking about snow next week," I said hopefully.
"Oh, snow's no good, no one comes to the market in the snow!" she replied, "Snow's no good, rain's no good...!"
As I left her, it began to rain...
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire