A trip to the post

I went to the Post in France to mail eight books to my agent based in Paris. She wants to push for more international sales. The cost is about 75% less than it would be in Switzerland and I did not want to face my obsessive compulsive postmaster in the village. In France you buy the box, the weight is immaterial, and there is a tracer.

One Collisimo box was too small, the next too big giving me a Goldilocks moment, but the smiling clerk handed it over. I should explain that in a right brain left brain test I DID NOT answer ONE left brain question. Thus the folds and machinations of sealing the box were a challenge. I was to one side of the post using the bank of chairs as a table. The line of eight people were finding my attempts amusing at best. Finally a man broke out of line and came to my rescue.

Thanking him profusely I went to the back of the line, but everyone insisted I go to the head of the line (probably repayment for the entertainment).

Then came The Question. "Are you English or American."

I know, I know, I shouldn't have but I replied, "I know you'll find it difficult to believe, but I'm Swiss."¨

Normal looks of consternation before I added "But I grew up in the U.S., my parents never spoke French with me and I learned the language late."

Of course my mother never spoke French to me: she never learned it. My father left Canada too young to really become proficient in French and my grandparents who were francophone I seldom saw because my mother didn't like foreigners. When I took French in University the professor spent three semesters on the first ten pages in the book but we learned about his life, his adventures, etc. It was an easy B and allowed time to concentrate on other subjects.

I told the man who helped me, he was un ange, an angel.

The smiling clerk collected my money and said, he wasn't too sure about the man being an angel. The others in line seconded, thirded, fourthed etc. the opinion, but they did agree he was nice to help me.

I thanked everyone wished them all a bonne journée.