It’s amazing what you can find out if you keep
your eyes and ears open – like that we will be performing Fawlty Towers this
evening for dinner – no formal announcement ever made – to me, anyway; or that
the entire family is on to the fact that Charlotte took money out of the till
in the bar, to do a little gambling (that intoxicating diversion that can lead
to a very addictive habit.) Celeste had
been asking me if I knew what had happened to Charlotte Friday evening. As I
think back on it I remember her saying to me and Chloe that she was going to
the shops (not exactly sure what that referred to) and would be back shortly.
As I think about it now, that did seem like an’ out-of-character’ thing for her
to say, had never heard her go out of her way to say she was going anywhere to
me and then returning. I guess she and Celeste had plans for later but then she
never showed back up. That was the night I helped Chloe get to sleep.
Subsequently money was found to be missing from
the bar, and there was the most of the family in the office searching through
CTV footage where the truth was revealed. (Seems curious to me that persons,
who OUGHT to know better, find themselves in compromising situations in
specific regions of the hotel where the all-seeing eye of the camera are known
to be operating. I suppose desperation leads to unwise measures. (Loraine had told
me how before I came the night porter at the time had been seen to be pouring
copious drinks for his friends and then taking money as well. Downright dumb; I
mean, come on - if you’re going to be devious, get it right!) All these things
came to a head inside my brain – working alongside Celeste who asked me my
recollection of Charlotte’s disappearing, followed by quite late one evening
going down to get something to eat, finding the kitchen all ablaze, full of
family, Charlotte counting over quite a few high-denomination bills to her mom,
then several days later hearing Loraine wake Tom next door, quietly asking him
what he knew about money disappearing from the till and what he knew about where
it had gone – each of these scenarios involving Charlotte. Then today Jack
slamming out the door, saying something to his mom like, ‘for once, do more
than just take her lame excuses, that you KNOW she’s going to give you.”
But there she is, Charlotte solidly out on the
couch, for most of the day, where I could not rouse her to see about her little
daughter who someone had placed in the bathtub, up to her ears in suds. I had to go – just like everybody else
– and couldn’t be responsible for her wellbeing. I eventually couldn’t stand it
and at least got her out, though not dressed. I figured she by herself, or
someone else, if she squealed loudly enough, would see about it. Charlotte in
bad doodoo with her mom – going through one of her self-destructive phases, as
one person put it. Didn’t ever really hear any serious shouting or the usual
threats coming from mom when the confrontation finally occurred – life goes on,
transgressions unpunished, unresolved.
This afternoon Loraine headed off to Devon, where
her former husband and several of her children live – to exchange sons, she
said – called out to those waiting in the van, as she headed out the door, that
she HAD to be back for Fawlty Towers by dinnertime. From experience I rest
assured that she will suddenly appear as Sybil in the restaurant, all smiles, her
wig cockeyed on her head, her clothing askew. In fact when I heard her arrive
all in a rush, she was shouting for one of her daughters to come and assist her
in dressing. It was me that heard her and went to her rescue – zip up that
stretched out zipper, try to pull out a blonde lock of her own hair through the
reddish-brown Sybil wig.
Isn’t it the truth that working alongside another
person is the perfect venue for getting to know them – REALLY getting to know
them – inside and out?! Came across Kiersty, waitress and chambermaid par
excellence, up doing the rooms. With her, buzzing in and out, was a young man.
‘Have you met my son?’she asked – her eldest, of three. So I got to know quiet, diligent Casey, as
well. (Another child out for school term break.) The three of us worked closely
together all that day. I felt moved at the end of our time together to ask if I
could practice on them, that I had a very important message I wanted to share.
(Once read a quote from President Eyring that has stayed with me ever since –
about sharing the restored gospel. In it he said, paraphrased: one day you will
see all the people you have known on the earth and they will know what you
know, and they will ask you why you didn’t tell them about the truth. So
Kiersty and Casey were good enough to stand in an alcove of the hallways and
listen to my gospel ramblings, as they were wanting to get on home. I told Kiersty
that that was the first time I have officially shared that information in just
such a formal manner. She said that she felt privileged that I had thought
enough of them for them to be the first. (On occasions such as this, you wish
you could have been more succinct, more well-spoken, and ask yourself ‘did my
meager words make a difference?’)
Lots of fun at the Fawlty Towers’ dinner
tonight. It is half term (school holiday break) so many families with children have
booked in on Groupon. We will have similar extravaganzas on Thursday, Friday
AND Saturday, plus breakfasts. (By Friday the hotel will be entirely full.) Oh,
man, I’m REALLY earning my pay! (Never thought coming to England would result
in the kickoff of my second career – acting!) A bit coquettish this evening –
almost got me into trouble. I was telling a nice Scottish gentleman, who I had
discovered was a recent widower, that I too was a widow – meaning in his eyes,
single. One time as I stopped by the threesome’s table to chat and check on their
meal, he remarked that he had recently moved to Weymouth, and was wondering how
did I fancy a weekend trip with him to Scotland. Hadn’t been there much,
right?! (Just look what you get yourself into: oops, too friendly, too flirty! Kind
of tried to avoid that table of three like the plague ever after that!)
Got an email from Richard today, telling me of
his amazing connection to Fawlty Towers – voted the best British television
comedy series of ALL time – that is, until something better comes along, I
guess! Seems his Uncle Bob was the director of the second – last and final –
series, each with six episodes.
Photos_
1- by the sea
2- hello to you from Weymouth Beach – to
demonstrate that I REALLY am here!
3- bathtime follies
3- bathtime follies
4- Loraine in a different wig – a former Facebook
profile shot I came upon (I had thought it was her real hair – but no, she
assured me. She said someone had told her it made her look 10 years younger – the
EXACT words I’d been thinking myself, and I’m not kidding!)
5- Kiersty and Casey, already closer to being a man than his young 15-year old self
6- Kieran and Chloe (aka Chloe with daddy) –
I’d include a picture of Chloe’s mommy, Charlotte, but she never will let me
capture her image (feels any time I ask that she’s not looking up to the task)
7- photo of Uncle Bob, from his wedding day (WHAT a
wedding that must have been!), with his new bride, Richard’s dad’s sister
(later divorced), back in the 70s. If you look under images on Google, as well
as Wikipedia, you will see that he really is a REAL person. Fun to observe how
his styles have changed through the ensuing years!
