When you are aging and have lost your partner, and you are losing your sight, you have to fight against depression. Bits of fun are like jewels that buck you up and such was the following experience.I knew what I was doing as I swaggered along the pavement swinging my long white stick from left to right and back again. I knew that ahead of me men were working down holes in preparation for the Supertram although why they needed to dig up both the road and the pavement seemed odd.
However I knew what would happen as I headed straight towards the red and white barrier. Banging my stick loudly soon a head appeared above the rim of the hole and a voice bellowed, "Stop, Miss. We will help you..." "Well," I thought, "it has been a long time since I have been addressed as Miss. Perhaps he doesn't have his glasses on."
A large figure dressed in yellow climbed out of the far end of the hole and came around the obstruction to me. "Come this way" he said and after extracting my elbow from his grip, I tucked my hand around his arm.
He was deliciously young and strong, towering well over six feet. I asked him where he came from, as I enjoyed the great muscles in his arm. He said he came from Middlesborough while guiding me gingerly around their barriers. I thanked him profusely when I was safely about to proceed on my own and he climbed back into the hole.
In a short time when I figured they were all busily digging again, I whipped up my speed. Get going, old girl, there is at least one more hole along this road!
I checked in my pocket and yes, the clipping was still there. The local newspaper gave a good description of just where Supertram crews would be working this week, meant, no doubt to warn traffic of the congestion, but opening a world of jewels to me.
It is amazing how little experiences can mean so much.
