Post by Dave on Nov 1, 2010 21:12:54 GMT
Today for the first time is such a long time I have enjoyed a wonderful day while working. It was topped off when just as I was about to leave Toofix to come home, a man who I have not seen for over a year walked into Toolfix.
This man has jokingly and affectionately been known as Dave’s Dad in nearly every power tool shop, tool hire outlet and builders merchants all over the Southwest of England. I ran up to him and threw my arms around him shouting “daddy daddy you have come back home” this had my two bosses and the other toolfix staff rolling around the place in fits of laughter.
I will tell you how he came to be known as my dad in a while but first I would like to share my day with you. It started as 4.50am when Carol woke me up for work, she had already been up a while and had my packed lunch made and also my very large flask full of good old Nescafe. In the front room waiting for me was a cup of coffee and I was in my usual early morning zombie state.
I started to smile in a strange way and felt a strange sensation that someone who knew me and cared a bit about me, had lifted off a nasty old heavy weight of my back. I kissed and hugged Carol goodbye and she said what she says every morning as I go out of the back door “I love you so much take real care”
Over to Toolfix, unlock door, alarms off, shutter up, load van, shutter down, reset alarms, lock door, get in van and head for Weymouth, well I need to reset the alarms as the rest of the Toolfix bunch won’t turn up for a good two and a half hours.
I did a thread a very long time ago about people we do not know but see often in our daily lives that we feel we sort of know. My man was an old man maybe in his seventies who around 7.30am wonders up from a small lane with a few houses on it to the coast road between the Westbay turning and Weymouth. The place is a small hamlet called Swyre and it’s in a large dip.
I drive this road every Monday and Thursday morning and get there around 7.35am so he is always standing there. I thought he was maybe foreign and he could be, but then with my experience of people from other countries he may well be English. He is always dressed in the same grey flannel trousers, shirt with a jacket on top done up and a clothe cap on his head.
He always waves to some drivers but not others and one day feeling left out I nodded my head at him and he did the same back. Soon we progressed to big thumbs up and that continued for such a long time until about a month ago. I stuck up my thumb and he looked right through me and did not return my gesture.
I drove up the hill out of Swyre at first feeling a bit angry but that soon passed and I should have just stuck my thumb up the next time I drove past him, but waited to see if he would instead. He did not move an inch and so it was over and I just started driving past him and not even bothering to look his way.
A week ago Monday as I got near him I could see he was looking right at me and I thought what the heck and gave him a thumbs up again. I got one back and again on Thursday and this morning he added the biggest warmest smile as if he had just seen his best mate again.
It sure warmed up Dave’s little heart and very soon I was walking in through the door of the workshop of Sydenham’s Tool Hire in Weymouth. The old bearded fitter looked up and shouted to Jon the manager, “double D has arrived “(Devon dumpling) and then did his normal chuckle of laughter that always follows.
Most people think Jon is a grumpy old git but I love the man as he does have a wonderful dry sense of humour. He must be about the same age as me and if you put him in a brown smock he could double up as Fryer Tuck. If its been raining he will say such things to me as, “ I bet you hate when its raining as you must nearly drown walking through the puddles” I’ll tell you what a little laughter goes such a long way in this often depressing world we live in.
The day carried on in much the same way everywhere I went and its how it always goes and if its not me cracking the jokes its my customers trying to impress me the old pro with a joke of their own.
Right back to that dad of mine. I do have a few tea shirts with a Toolfix logo on them, but I mostly wear Dewalt or Bosch clothing I get off reps I meet as I go around as they call at the same places I do.
Now Jon (Dad) was working for Dewalt as a rep until a year ago when he became a victim of the credit crunch. I might bump into him one day say in Bridgwater and then not see him for weeks, or it could be the next day say in Kingsbridge.
He also must be about the same age as me, same build and shape and the same grey hair style and I never gave it a thought that we did look very much alike.
I had not long started working for Toolfix about seven years ago and walked into Weston Super Mare Fasteners wearing a dewalt tea shirt and fleece and the lady said “ hello Jon was not expecting a call a visit from you today” I’m Dave from Toolfix I told her and asked who is this Jon she called me.
“ Why Jon the Dewalt Rep and you are the spitting image of him” I had already meet Jon a week or so before and spun the tale to this lady how I was his love child and my mother down in Union Street in Plymouth had not seen him since he gave her £50 for sex. I added how we had nearly starved to death over the years as he lived a life of luxury.
The story spread from town to town and nearly everyday when I walked in somewhere I was asked “have you seen your dad lately” I think he enjoyed this joke as much as me for over six years until he lost his job as he never knew who was going to ask him next” have you seen your son lately”
Some times I would say that he had been down to Union Street again and had ended up in a clinic due to catching a disease.
I was so pleased to see him looking so well and I did remind him before I left to go home that mum down in Union street really could do with some more money.
This man has jokingly and affectionately been known as Dave’s Dad in nearly every power tool shop, tool hire outlet and builders merchants all over the Southwest of England. I ran up to him and threw my arms around him shouting “daddy daddy you have come back home” this had my two bosses and the other toolfix staff rolling around the place in fits of laughter.
I will tell you how he came to be known as my dad in a while but first I would like to share my day with you. It started as 4.50am when Carol woke me up for work, she had already been up a while and had my packed lunch made and also my very large flask full of good old Nescafe. In the front room waiting for me was a cup of coffee and I was in my usual early morning zombie state.
I started to smile in a strange way and felt a strange sensation that someone who knew me and cared a bit about me, had lifted off a nasty old heavy weight of my back. I kissed and hugged Carol goodbye and she said what she says every morning as I go out of the back door “I love you so much take real care”
Over to Toolfix, unlock door, alarms off, shutter up, load van, shutter down, reset alarms, lock door, get in van and head for Weymouth, well I need to reset the alarms as the rest of the Toolfix bunch won’t turn up for a good two and a half hours.
I did a thread a very long time ago about people we do not know but see often in our daily lives that we feel we sort of know. My man was an old man maybe in his seventies who around 7.30am wonders up from a small lane with a few houses on it to the coast road between the Westbay turning and Weymouth. The place is a small hamlet called Swyre and it’s in a large dip.
I drive this road every Monday and Thursday morning and get there around 7.35am so he is always standing there. I thought he was maybe foreign and he could be, but then with my experience of people from other countries he may well be English. He is always dressed in the same grey flannel trousers, shirt with a jacket on top done up and a clothe cap on his head.
He always waves to some drivers but not others and one day feeling left out I nodded my head at him and he did the same back. Soon we progressed to big thumbs up and that continued for such a long time until about a month ago. I stuck up my thumb and he looked right through me and did not return my gesture.
I drove up the hill out of Swyre at first feeling a bit angry but that soon passed and I should have just stuck my thumb up the next time I drove past him, but waited to see if he would instead. He did not move an inch and so it was over and I just started driving past him and not even bothering to look his way.
A week ago Monday as I got near him I could see he was looking right at me and I thought what the heck and gave him a thumbs up again. I got one back and again on Thursday and this morning he added the biggest warmest smile as if he had just seen his best mate again.
It sure warmed up Dave’s little heart and very soon I was walking in through the door of the workshop of Sydenham’s Tool Hire in Weymouth. The old bearded fitter looked up and shouted to Jon the manager, “double D has arrived “(Devon dumpling) and then did his normal chuckle of laughter that always follows.
Most people think Jon is a grumpy old git but I love the man as he does have a wonderful dry sense of humour. He must be about the same age as me and if you put him in a brown smock he could double up as Fryer Tuck. If its been raining he will say such things to me as, “ I bet you hate when its raining as you must nearly drown walking through the puddles” I’ll tell you what a little laughter goes such a long way in this often depressing world we live in.
The day carried on in much the same way everywhere I went and its how it always goes and if its not me cracking the jokes its my customers trying to impress me the old pro with a joke of their own.
Right back to that dad of mine. I do have a few tea shirts with a Toolfix logo on them, but I mostly wear Dewalt or Bosch clothing I get off reps I meet as I go around as they call at the same places I do.
Now Jon (Dad) was working for Dewalt as a rep until a year ago when he became a victim of the credit crunch. I might bump into him one day say in Bridgwater and then not see him for weeks, or it could be the next day say in Kingsbridge.
He also must be about the same age as me, same build and shape and the same grey hair style and I never gave it a thought that we did look very much alike.
I had not long started working for Toolfix about seven years ago and walked into Weston Super Mare Fasteners wearing a dewalt tea shirt and fleece and the lady said “ hello Jon was not expecting a call a visit from you today” I’m Dave from Toolfix I told her and asked who is this Jon she called me.
“ Why Jon the Dewalt Rep and you are the spitting image of him” I had already meet Jon a week or so before and spun the tale to this lady how I was his love child and my mother down in Union Street in Plymouth had not seen him since he gave her £50 for sex. I added how we had nearly starved to death over the years as he lived a life of luxury.
The story spread from town to town and nearly everyday when I walked in somewhere I was asked “have you seen your dad lately” I think he enjoyed this joke as much as me for over six years until he lost his job as he never knew who was going to ask him next” have you seen your son lately”
Some times I would say that he had been down to Union Street again and had ended up in a clinic due to catching a disease.
I was so pleased to see him looking so well and I did remind him before I left to go home that mum down in Union street really could do with some more money.
