I seem to be\u00a0accessible\u00a0to a variety of people for some reason I have yet to fully understand.
\nPhone call, 8:07 – don’t recognize the name of caller id – perhaps a friend of daughter?
\nNope, a librarian I’ve known to see and talk to over the years, now in tears. Took awhile but she asked if I could lend her some money.<\/p>\n
Ummm, why?<\/p>\n
Short on cheque and can’t cover rent. \u00a0Really sniffling now.<\/p>\n
okay. let’s meet – work?<\/p>\n
Not at library anymore and doesn’t go in to where she is working till 1:00.<\/p>\n
Can we meet at the plaza?<\/p>\n
sure.<\/p>\n
I dash off a note to Jody Paterson just to get a second opinion. Could be drug addiction but don’t have enough to go on just yet. \u00a0I’d love to know what Jody would have to say on this but, afterwards I learned the link on the newspaper website goes to a dud email address. I suspected as much as it was a P.E.E.R.S. domain and I know she is no longer there…<\/span><\/p>\n Get to plaza – she doesn’t look any more like a meth head or junkie than she did when she was working at the library – zero signs on that front. I ask if we can go for coffee. Want to make this friendly, not embarrassing for either of us.<\/p>\n Long story short, retired from library because it’s not a nice place to work anymore..okay, I can understand that. Shift s @ Cotton Ginny cut back so she took a 2nd job at Pier 1 but shifts were not plentiful there either. This month’s cheque just ridiculously short…panic since 3:00 am…tried to think of people she knew who would be open to asking and wouldn’t be in a position to spread the word (in a gossipy way).<\/p>\n Okay.<\/p>\n We talked about her family – \u00a0she has 1 son w\/wife & kids up who has moved to Winnipeg. There is 1 son here but he doesn’t want to leave. Finally but almost a guarantee for us ladies of a certain age, \u00a01 mother dying of cancer in Ontario. Lots of reasons to leave and 1 reason to stay. There is little work here and pretty close to the highest cost of living in the country. Oh, and\u00a0no one is hiring older women…I know this one for sure…<\/p>\n Not drugs, it’s life.<\/p>\n She has my phone # and I gave her my email address too. On the one hand I hope \u00a0she stays in touch but, on the other, \u00a0I’m not expecting to see that money again. I’m not complaining; \u00a0I wish her well; \u00a0I hope it works out for her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I seem to be\u00a0accessible\u00a0to a variety of people for some reason I have yet to fully understand. Phone call, 8:07 – don’t recognize the name of caller id – perhaps a friend of daughter? Nope, a librarian I’ve known to … Continue reading