The appointment was at half past eleven and five minutes before that time I drove onto the site. The man behind the counter and I knew each other, our sons were friends in primary school, so we greeted each other warmly.
,,I saw you already on the schedule,” he said.
The weather is beautiful, so I have brought the laptop and work outside on the garden bench, while inside my car is being fitted with two new front tyres. A job that, as was told at the appointment, would take half an hour. I have promised myself to write three pieces that day and keep typing while waiting.
My car is driven in, a man from a nearby village has a chat and I feel like coffee. The vending machine is inside, so I walk past the counter, ask the boyfriend’s father if I can grab one, and make myself a double espresso.
There are mugs, a bit of environmental friendliness towards people, although I ask if I have to wash them myself just to be sure.
“Only if you can’t pay the bill later.”
While my coffee is being made, a basket of treats like Lion and Mars catches my eye. The temptation is great, but I leave the sweetness for what it is
The candy is located under a large window between the entrance and the workshop and there is a text sign against the glass. It looks like a serious warning to parents, but after reading it I can’t help but smile.
There is no reference to the risks of a child in a busy workplace, the text in English reads: ‘Children left alone are sold to the circus.’