Life in a village

You realize you live in a village when you ring the AA (not alcoholics anonymous although that may be coming) and your nextdoor neighbour comes to rescue you, and then proceeds to tease you for being blond and doing whatever stupid thing you have done to require you to ring the AA, in front of your new friend who does happen to be blond.
Breathe…. Back to the beginning. In dropping off new friend brought home from school to play by small boys, mother vacates the car and small boys ignore mother’s command to stay in said car, that still has the motor running, and activate the central locking as they vacate the vehicle. Feeling like a dufus, mother rings the AA who say they hope to be there within the hour. Mother knows that her neighbour is an AA mechanic but does not want to abuse the neighbourly relationship and sits and waits with new friends… now friends due to extra time spent talking due to locked/running car situation. I realize I recognize this mother, point of memorable difference being the Salvation Army uniform she wears, and I ask her about her SA connections. I find out that this couple have been posted to the large community focused SA church in Waitangirua... and it’s her birthday, a rare day off from busy church life, that she is now sharing with me, random stranger. I guess she can chalk up points for being a good samaritan...

And all the while my car is parked in new friends' neighbour’s driveway, locked with the motor running, while small boys climb trees and generally have a ball.

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