That Odd Virtual Way

 

Monday’s underway.  It’s irrational.  My dreading of this Monday.  It had been nice to enjoy the distant echo of a vacation.  Lunar New Year holiday had everyone off work last week.  As only China does, the nation was ‘officially’ back to work on Friday and expected to work on Saturday and God-forbid, Sunday.  I double-dipped, deferring to the week of rest and then promptly refastened my mooring to New York State as the Friday waxed into the weekend and the rest of the business world quieted down. 

 

No more excuses.  Everyone is back to work today.  I’ve a call at my 6:00AM and I catch the folks in East Asia at the end of their Monday.  The folks in China have a weekend’s worth of activity to update.  Japan must have done away with the lunar observation of New Year’s with the Meji Restoration.  But they’ll be off this week, for the Emperor’s birthday.  I missed everyone last week.  In that odd virtual way we miss people we’ve only really seen virtually anyway. 

There’s no new snow.  But it’s supposed to fall again tomorrow. Out in the mud-room my wife has left a plastic bag of trash.  My unspoken duty is to escort the daily plastic sack that had been collecting trash under the sink off into the large garbage can in the garage.  Up on the crest of the driveway I see a truck’s brake lights and it immediately occurs to me that it is likely the Bottini Fuel people here to fill out gas tank and I don’t want him to give up on the descent down here.  He looks to me like he’s driving away.  No, no, no, no!

 

Quickly I go inside to get my car keys.  I’ll drive up, I think.  I’ll drive up and show him that its actually quite easy to back down the driveway. Even with thousands of gallons of highly flammable heating oil sloshing around. By the time I’ve drive up the drive way to the turn and up towards the mailboxes, it’s clear that he has gone.  There is no one at the top of the drive.  No one appears to be turning around, either. 

 

Damn.  I’m surprised that he would give up so easily.  The driveway is clear.  That’s just a bit of snow at the crest.  It isn’t the first time they’ve come and bailed this way.  And so I call the fuel company.  I reach someone and the connection drops.  Later I reach someone again and ask why the guy gave up so early.  She asks a clarifying question or two and informs me that she doesn’t show anyone as having visited.  We’re not supposed to get a visit till tomorrow. Really?  Oh.  Well, never mind. My apologies.  We’ll see the gent tomorrow then.  When it is forecasted to snow. 

 

 

 

Monday, 02/22/21