words fail me.

Over the past few days in work I’ve noticed: a lady with a necklace made out of toy cars (like this one... quite unusual), a baby with yellow and black stripy socks on (like bumblebees), and rain-soaked mothers and primary school children pouring into the cafe for ice-cream (yesterday was the last day of school, i.e. the official beginning of the summer holidays). 

 

I also was reminded of how important and useful it is to try and think about what you’re going to say before you speak (unlike earlier on today, when I had a slightly awkward mind-blank moment:

 

INT. Cafe kitchen – afternoon

Very noisy (plates clattering, fish fryers bubbling, chefs shouting). Gruff looking MAN enters wearing a black t-shirt and a tool-belt. MAN approaches ME.

    MAN: I’m here to fix the cold room.

    ME: (pause) What was that, sorry?

    MAN: The cold room. I’m here to fix the cold room.

    ME: (slightly confused) The cold room?

    MAN: (slightly irritated) Aye. The cold room.

    ME: Oh! (walking to the walk-in fridge and opening the door) Do you mean the fridge?

MAN looks at me blankly.



    ME: (turning to the walk-in freezer and opening that door... it’s cold. It could technically be called a ‘room’.) Or the freezer?

    MAN: (narrowing his eyes) I was called about the cold room. I’m here to fix it.

    ME: (pause) I’ll go get my manager.

INT. Cafe floor

A minute later. Very noisy (babies crying, saxophonist playing, coffee grinder ...grinding)

    ME: (standing on my tiptoes, because I’m short and my voice doesn’t carry very far) There’s a man here --- something about ‘the cold room’ --- he’s in the kitchen --- he wants to see you.

    MANAGER: (can't hear because of the noise) What’s that?

    ME: (louder) A man --- in the kitchen --- to see you---?

    MANAGER: What sort of man?

    ME: (walking and talking over my shoulder) He’s a --- um, a man with tools (walking towards the kitchen) --- he’s a --- he’s a fixer.

    MANAGER: (following me through doors to kitchen) a fixer?

INT. Kitchen

    ME: Yes. Um --- he’s --- a fixer --- a fixer of freezers --- or fridges --- a fixer.

    MANAGER: (not understanding) A ‘fixer’?

    ME: (getting a bit flustered because I've forgotten the word) A --- he’s a freezer fixer or something ---you know? He’s here to fix the cold room --- he’s a fixer... person.

    MANAGR: What ---?

    ME: A fixer --- he’s a ---

We arrive back where MAN is standing.

    ME: (relief) Oh! He’s over there.

I leave them to it and hurry away to avoid further word-fails.)

♥

The word I was looking for (which I didn’t come across until about half an hour later, and only with the help of another waitress) was handyman. Handyman! Not ‘fixer’ (!) Ah dear...

(Pictures from: Yelena Bryksenkova. Beautiful pictures... which are, again, unrelated to the actaul content of the post!)