Dostana

My Dear Princess & Dear Fellows,

Today's picture is taken from inside the Old Bank Arcade. It is a shopping mall, but not one of those personality-less ones. It's inside the old Bank of New Zealand building, so they have some nice features in there, including a rather attractive old clock (extras) and this vault door.

Meanwhile, to update you on the office move, I have Smock on one side of me now. It's all right. She does have a habit of talking to herself, and she doesn't half witter on about nothing, but her heart is in the right place and she actually seems competent.

And if that seems like faint praise it really isn't. Those last two attributes are typically missing from your common-or-garden Project Manager. I have already decided that she fits into my league table like this:

1. Mike the Master of BS
2. Flamboyant Italian
3. Horsey PM
4. Smock
5. Sue Who Put Chilis On Her Wotsit That Time*
6. Sarah With The Bellybutton Ring**

So that's all right. On the other side of me now is an Indian lady whose Blip-name shall be "Dostana".

She's really very nice and has chatted away to me for the past couple of days. Now, I should qualify this by saying she's a Christian. I know this because God pops into her conversation fairly regularly. Almost as often as "eff", "b*llocks", "sh*t", "b*mhole", "*rse" and "effing ****flaps" pop into mine.

So we can't be proper friends, because I can't be really rude. But I enjoy talking to her, even if half my chat is right away eliminated because I can't talk about willies, bums and ladies' secret foofy areas. 

However, she's intelligent and loves films, so we had a good old chat about that. And anyway, she seems to enjoy talking as much as I enjoy listening, so there's that. Also, I think she has a lot to talk about. 

She told me that her husband died last December of a horribly quick form of cancer (he was only diagnosed in August). Now it's just her and their 2 year old at home. Her family is in India, so it felt to me almost like she needed to get it all off her chest. Like I was one of the few adults she has access to. I don't mind that at all, I'm happy to listen even if I don't have much in the way of advice to offer. What do I know about death and toddlers? 

She said she regrets not having much time to spend with her husband in his last few months. They sound like an incredibly pragmatic couple. As soon as he learned he was dying, he came up with a "project plan" for Dostana. She had to get her Kiwi driving licence, get a job to support herself, transfer everything over to her name, arrange childcare for their girl and all of this while at the same time making his funeral arrangements, visiting him in hospital, caring for him during chemo...

I told her how amazingly she seems to be coping. She acknowledged that it was purely because she had to be so full-steam-ahead she hasn't really had time for anything else. And she's doesn't want to let any of this impact her little girl too much, so she's trying very hard to not be sad while at the same time explaining the situation to a toddler.

I suppose it is probably as well she has God. I imagine that is quite a source of comfort to her. All I'd be able to do is swear about it. Although I do have a decent supply of Bad Words to fall back on, at least.

Anyway, it's nice to have her there. We will go for coffees and she can tell me how she's getting on. I'll smile and listen and try not to use bad language. I think she's my first Wellington Friend. Here's to Dostana.

S.

* I'm sure I've mentioned this before. She was chopping chilis for Mexican food, then went to the khazi and YAROO. I'm not sure why that is the first thing I think of when I think of her. But you have to admit, it stands out.

** That sounds worse than it is. It is purely because the main thing I remember about Sarah With the Belly Button Ring was that she had one that got infected somehow and WENT INSIDE and they had to go in there and cut it out. Eeeeeeyewwww. Enjoy your tea.