what's your middle name?

Someone once told me that you should try to learn something new every day.
With this in mind, each day of 2012 I will try to discover the middle name of someone I do not know.
This blog charts my progress.
Richard M. Crawley


Saturday 22 December 2012

Joseph

A small elderly man is coming out of the pub.  He is wearing a flat cap and a padded jacket, under which is hung a tartan-patterned scarf.  In his hand he is carrying a fold-away umbrella.  I ask my question.

'What is it that he wants to know?' he asks my friend.  He is Irish.  She explains.  'You're beautiful', he says and kisses her hand.  He tells me his full name.  'That's a nice name', says my friend.  'It isn't bad now, is it?' he says.  He asks my name and I offer my hand to shake.  He clasps it to his chest.  'What else would you like to know?' he asks.  I say I'd like to know whatever he'd like to tell me.  His chuckle is high-pitched.

He tells us that he knows Santa.  'He has a long white beard and he wears a grey coat', he says.  They talk via landline because Santa doesn't have a mobile phone but they can't understand what each other are saying because Santa doesn't speak English.  'He comes from another land', he tells us.

He lives in the estate round the corner and so we each take an arm and walk him home.  The progress is slow.  'I just think you're wonderful', he tells us.  'I hope the angels come down for you this Christmas'.  It is raining but he doesn't put up his umbrella.

As we approach his door we wish each other happy Christmases.  'I hope you have a wonderful time', he says.  We check that he is going to get in alright.  'Oh, I should think so, yes', he says.  He cocks his folded umbrella.  'Or I'll shoot me way in'.

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