Cheque This Out

There's a new tea shop opened in Castillonnes - The Amo.

We arranged to meet our friends - Bruno and Rick - for a cup of tea earlier in the week.

Well, the sun was shining and we were sitting in the courtyard so when the guy asked if I'd prefer a glass of wine he was already pushing on an open door to be honest!

So, Bruno and I shared a carafe, Rick had coffee and Richard a beer.  The rest, as they say, is history.

I have to say The Amo is a lovely place but they did look slightly relieved when we eventually left at about 5.30!

Anyway, back at ours (with a newly opened bottle of wine) Richard and Rick started comparing notes about what's new to them.  Generally speaking, 'everything', is the answer.  Rick and Bruno moved here to the countryside from Brussels (we moved from Edinburgh), we moved from apartments to places that need ride-on mowers, we have chainsaws, etc., etc.

But then Rick told us a story that just had us laughing so hard tears were running down our faces.  Of course, the wine may have helped.

Their dishwasher packed up so they got 'The Dishwasher Repair Man' out to have a look.  Out came his camera but he couldn't find anything and after an hour's investigation he was perplexed... it was at this point that Rick remembered that he'd had a blocked sink (for the first time in his life) and used a plunger to clear it (again for the first time!)

He thought he'd better come clean so he told the Dishwasher Repair Man who gave him a dirty look, changed the focus of his investigation and had everything sorted in about five minutes.

But then there was the real issue.

'How much?'  Asked Rick.

The DRM asked for cash which Rick didn't have so he asked for bank details so he could pay the money directly.  'Non', was the fairly firm answer... it was cash or cheque.

The only option, then, was cheque.

After hunting for a cheque book Rick suddenly realised he hadn't filled in a French cheque before.  How hard can it be?  He thought to himself and started having a bash.

Five minutes later he was really under pressure - so much so that he was starting to sweat.  He had completed most of the cheque but couldn't see where to write the DRM's name.  It was then he realised he was completing a request slip for a new cheque book.

Quickly turning the page he started again, this time on an actual cheque but by now he'd forgotten how much the guy wanted.

'Seventy-two!  Seventy-two!'  The DRM almost shouted at him.

Now really under pressure Rick, in his panic, made out the cheque for 72 Euros and 72 Cents instead of just 72 Euros.

The DRM snatched the cheque, gave Rick a last withering look and stalked out of the house.

By this time I was laughing so much that the back of my head hurt.  But, I guess, new experiences don't necessarily involve chainsaws, ride-on mowers and strimmers!

Thank you Rick, for letting me tell the story.