A knock on the door at 9pm on Xmas Eve heralded the arrival of Turbo, one of our next-door neighbours. My Dad answered the door as mum and I were busy wrapping up the last of the Xmas presents before we got ready to go to Midnight Mass at our local Parish Church and Turbo explained that it was his work’s Xmas night out and he’d forgotten to book a taxi so could I give him a lift? Reluctantly I grabbed my car keys, muttering under my breath as I climbed into the car. It was only when I switched the engine on that he dropped the first bombshell of the night that he was meeting them all in another village some thirty miles away.
Grimacing, I set off for our destination with my mother’s warning about not being late for Midnight Mass ringing in my ears. Halfway there Boy Wonder was desperately rummaging through his pockets before asking me for our home telephone number explaining he wanted to ring the old fella as he thought he’d dropped his keys. I pointed out that I didn’t think it was a wise decision to ask my Dad with just his one good arm to root around in the cold and dark subsequently I was left with no choice but to turn the car around. As we pulled into the street, our neighbourhood genius announced he’d found them in his pocket after all.
Restraining the urge to throttle him we once again set out for our destination. I double checked with him twice that I was depositing him in the car park of the local village and once there he tried phoning his pals again but all their mobiles appeared to be switched off.
“Are you telling me that you don’t know where you’re supposed to meet them?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Well, I think we need to go back to the Duke of Cornwall” he shamefully admitted. Who’s the “we” kemosabe? Clearly he had no intention of the using the legs God had given him for the short trip back to the pub. I turned the car around & drove along the road to the Duke, pulling up alongside I reached across to shut the passenger and hightail it back home but as he climbed out as he said “Wait there and if I wave you can drive off”.
Really! That’s so very thoughtful of you as I can’t think why anyone would want to hurry off back home at 10.30pm on a Xmas Eve. By now I was seething with rage and frankly ready to draw him a gasoline bath and hand him a lit cigarette.
“Thanks Dallas, really appreciate this, got something really special wrapped up for you at home”. Thinking that a bottle of something nice would in some small way help to compensate me for a night of taxi driving in arctic conditions, I snuggled into my coat and decided in true Xmas spirit to suck it up.
Unsurprisingly, his friends were not waiting for him at the Duke of York and further attempts to contact them by mobile phone weren’t successful either. Climbing back into the car he said “Well, we’ve only got another seven pubs to check out, shouldn’t take long”.
Sadly it was a long night so as I raced into midnight mass just as the congregation were settling down for a chorus of Silent Night, I was greeted by one of my mother’s frosty stares. The personal welcome from the vicar “Deborah, so nice of you to join us” was enough alone to guarantee me a diet of muesli breakfasts for the remainder of my natural-born.
The following day late into the afternoon, no doubt after his hangover had worn off, Turbo sheepishly knocked on our door again. Fortified by several glasses of the bubbly stuff I was determined to rebuff any further taxi driving requests. As I swung the door open he stood there in the cold with his hands behind his back.
“I told you I had something special for you” grinning he handed me a battered paper plate with 3 of the sorriest looking mince pies surrounded in cling film. Needless to say our own Mary Berry (the old dear) took the gesture as a personal insult so I think it unlikely that he will be gifted any homemade bakery products this year fresh from the Dyson Abbey kitchen.
Oh my–well, looks like you got your year’s good deeds done all in one evening!
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Well when the Vicar asked for volunteers at the end of the service, I did tell him I’d already given!
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As well you might. 😉
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You are much nicer than I, Dallas. I’d have said I was in the middle of a family celebration, next year he should plan ahead better, and given him a cupcake to console himself with on the way home. I am generally a pretty easy-going person who is ready to lend a helping hand to someone in need, but that was way too much of an imposition and intrusion for not a very good reason. Your cupcakes are GORGEOUS!!!! I hope you had a good holiday, once you settled back in! Best wishes for the New Year to you and your Mum and Dad too.
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The problem is he never thinks ahead; I don’t think for one minute it’s done with any malice he’s just a bit thoughtless. He used to park right next to my car & ding the door everytime he opened his and when I pulled him about it, he whined “well I didn’t know”. It doesn’t bode well for this Peter Pan. Happiest of New Years to you and yours too, Naomi; let’s hope all our dreams come true in 2015
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You are way too kind! I would have hit him over the head with a baseball bat! Those cupcakes are works of pure art, just gorgeous! Did your Mom make them?
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Believe me I wanted to hit him over the head with a baseball bat but as I was on my way to midnght mass I felt that a bit of restraint was in order. These were made by my friend Shirley as I need to take some pics of the old dear’s cakes which are also truly amazing.
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Lady you were literally take for a ride. Please grow some- you know those things that are thrown in ball games and stop being nice to the village idiot. He has been using you and your family for too long.
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I completely agree but he blindsided me; even I didn’t think anyone could be that cheeky. Rest assured all taxi driving services have been withdrawn!
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I’m leaning toward the opinion shared by a few ahead of me that you are far too nice to someone who needs to get his act together.
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As he’s now in his thirties I feel that he too will remain a Peter Pan for the remainder of his days. We have been hoping some gullible woman will come along & marry him but unfortunately, he never keeps girlfriends for very long
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Dallas, thanks for the great ride! Felt like I was right there with you!
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Marsha, I’m sure it would have been a whole lot more fun if you had been riding shotgun with me!
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That may be something for us to consider someday!!
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You’re such a fabulous neighbor…and person!! Love the way you write your stories, Dallas! XO
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Ugh…sometimes it sucks being one of the good guys! Good on ya tho Tink…you are a bigger man than Peter Pan!
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You have a good heart, that is the crux of it. Rewarded by pies and not even beautiful ones. Well Dallas, every good deed from here on out for the remainder of the year is extra.
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I think it’s “Dallas rides again!” With your irrepressible generosity of spirit, you will be called upon time and again because you can’t help but take care of people. But, be warned, takers, you may very well wind up as fodder for a zany retelling! Great post, Dallas. Thanks for all you do to take care of me. I’m grateful and I promise not to bring you a sad paper plate of sweets.
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‘Saint Dallas’ shall be your name from henceforth on. Goodwill to all men, including Turbo. 🙂 I do hope he doesn’t come a-knocking again this year.
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What a saint you are! You have the patience even if you did feel like throttling him. Glad you made it to the church in the end though.
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I just wasn’t quick enough in coming up with an excuse and I would have been sleeping in the shed if I’d miss Midnight Mass
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I admire your patience and restraint Dallas!! 🙂 Those cupcakes look amazing! Are they your mom’s creations?
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They were done by one of our friends from the Womens Institute (WI) but Mum’s are pretty excellent too
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Might be better not to answer the door in future 😉 Love the blog re-look 😀
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Thank you! I wasn’t sure I’d got it right but after three years both the blog & me could do with an overhaul
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Oh my goodness. Good deed done for the year! Next time he asks anything of you, you can remind him of the time you drove him all over creation on Christmas Eve as you shut the door on him.
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Is this the same neighbor who “borrows” gardening tools from your dad only to leave them in his shed? Did he ever end up finding his friends? You are a generous soul to be chauffeuring him around on Christmas Eve. I would not have been so nice.
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That’s the one! Secretly I think his friends were avoiding him but I’d switched my mobile off when I got home as I knew he wouldn’t think twice about phoning me to pick him up; cheeky bugger!
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