If I had ever doubted the presence of a devine entity up in heaven, I was made to believe with a bang and a thankfulness that Saturday evening. Susan could again not come in, and I was beginning to get a wee bitty fed-up, as I was doing all her baking and cooking, as well as my own work, and as I had to be in the kitchen at seven in the morning, it was avery long day for me.
Saturday broke sunny and fresh, and after I did my shift I ambled over to see how the preparations for Hanna's party was coming on. In Strathyre the party don't only start at night when the guests arrive, all spruced up, but it all started when the first light broke, and the appointed balloon masters start putting up their bright ware all over the village, and a whole bunch in front of the birthday person's door. By ten all and everybody was out on the village square, where a lot of hands made light work of putting up the two marquee tents, bringing out the tables and chairs, and a huge cooler thing that was kept for this occasions to keep the beers cold.
A huge bannister, telling all and everybody that it was Hanna's seventieth birthday, was fluttering in the light breeze, and the atmosphere was just amazing, with a lot of laughter and joking, and with the music spilling from the boom box a kind of village fair feel enfolded the people who were prepared to do all this for a friend and fellow villager. I thought about the lot back at my hotel with their sour faces and their ways that just dragged my whole being down to the ground. I then made a promise to myself that I will fervently start looking for another job, or go home, as my nerves were absolutely shattered!
Everybody was bringing eats, and I had bought some meat and pie crust, and made a lot of steak and ale pies in Liz's house the previous day, and as I had to be back at work at six, I asked her to please warm it up when the time was right.
Lucia, Hanna's niece who was partly Italian, and grew up in Sicily, turned up with about six lasagnes, and this looked so amazing that my mouth started watering, but I knew that I might not have a bite of this, as it would be eaten up fast! But again the gods were on my side, as Lucia said that she would take out some for me when they started serving up!
All too soon I had to go back to my work, but as I would finish around ten, I was looking forward to a lot of fun to come. By the time I had to go, the party was in full swing, and Hanna decided to cut her birthday cake while I was still there. My feet felt filled with lead and my spirits fell to zero, but I managed to get away from all this mirth, and back to the most unhappy place I have ever encountered.
Maybe Lorna thought that I had too much to drink, maybe she just wanted to show her superiority, but she told me that this night I would do the assisting, and she the cooking. And that is why I say that the gods were with me on this night.
All was going well, and as Lorna had been doing this for many years, she was good, and I had just started to relax, when Richard came back with the two plates of poached Salmon he had just taken out, and with a face as long and green as a cucumber, he told Lorna that the people said that the Salmon was off! I knew that there was Salmon in the fridge in Lorna's flat, and she had told me that she had cut it up and froze it, implying that I did not do my job. But that was not my job, and as I told her, I had already two people's work on my hands, and she hissed like a bally Cobra, and flounced off.
The salmon is poached in a very strong mix of garlic and herbs, and white wine, so no funny smell could be detected, and thank the Lord, she did the poaching.
I felt my face pulling into a huge smile that I just could not stop, try as I would! Consternation reigned in that kitchen, and they were all telling each other that it was impossible to have sent out rotten fish, but the best of all this was that I had absolutely nothing to do with that fish, as it was handled by Lorna  alone, and she couldn't point her finger at Me! Haleluja!