THE LITTLE OLD LADY INCIDENT

More roadworks. The Cob in Porthmadog always seems to have some sort of hold up on it so it was to be expected. What was’nt expected was my passenger door being opened as I sat there at the lights and a little old lady jumping in.. I just sort of sat there open mouthed thinking….. I don’t know what… maybe she thought she was getting into a car she recognised or her son’s car which just happened to be red………. Whatever!

Any thoughts along these lines quickly dissolved away when she asked me where I was going…errr Dolgellau I stammered still too surprised to say anything other than to answer her. O good you can drop me off in Mallwyd, I’m going to the institute.

Traffic was now moving ahead of me and I found I had 3 options, order her out, go out and drag her bodily from the car or give her a lift. Cars were behind me so I did’nt think options one or two would be desirable… I could just see the headlines if I dragged her from my car, so it was going to be hobson’s choice for me ie no choice at all. Off we went.

At least she did’nt smell, even though she was a bit scruffy.. in a sort of bag lady kind of way. Before I knew it she had winkled out my name, antecedents and most other things and then wanted to give me a bible, of which she seemed to have a fair number in a voluminous bag.

She kept up a non stop gable all the way there, her eyes twinkling as she regaled me with tales of other lifts she’d been ‘given’ over the years. I asked her if it would be better if she hitched or thumbed for a lift like everyone else. Oh she’d thought about it, but this way was better. You were guaranteed a lift, she reckoned that she’d never been kicked out of a car and people often went out of their way to get her to where she wanted to go… all in all quite a quick witted little old lady, not to be trifled with I thought.