Linda Lusardi and a Ferrari

Hello,

        It's not easy to forgive is it? When someone had done you wrong, when someone has stabbed you in the back, when someone has taken advantage of you, when someone has left you feeling upset, when someone had diddled you, when someone has cheated on you, or any other, 'when someone' has left you feeling badly let down and frustrated.

About four years ago a strangely familiar man was shopping in my place of work in Blackburn and as our eyes met he quickly engaged in conversation. "Frostie", he said. I wasn't sure for a moment who he was, "Urgh hi", I replied hoping he would spill the beans and remind me who he was. I didn't have to wait long to find out.

"I'll never forgive you Frostie for what you did to me", he said in a slightly comical yet serious manner.

The penny dropped rapidly, I knew full well who is was and why he may still not have forgiven me over twenty years after the event took place.

In my late teens I worked for a now defunct electrical business in Padiham a small town in East Lancashire, we served the local community with rental televisions and video recorders and much of my time would be spent visiting customers’ homes and emptying meters that customers fed with 50ps to ensure they met their rental payment commitments and it was my job to maintain and service these appliances.

PADIHAM

 Within our small workforce of just five people were, myself, the shop manager/engineer who was on his day off, a clerk named Mary, the service technician called Nigel also on his day off and another teenage assistant who for the purpose of this blog will be known as Paul. 

Paul was a confident, slightly cocky, handsome young man who had an eye for the ladies and had self-belief in abundance. After a period of time I became more and more frustrated with his 'style' and he struck me as the type of character who's arrogance needed putting in place!

One particular morning, Paul came to work full of beans and his usual swagger was in full bloom, and he informed us all that he had entered a telephone competition in the Daily Mail using the shops contact details to win a Ferrari. Paul was feeling very confident this would be his lucky day and the supercar was destined to be his!

As I checked the morning jobs book, and planning my meter emptying route, he went on and on and on and on, until Mary sent him packing to make our morning cup of tea. Myself and Mary agreed he was becoming a bit tedious with all this 'Ferrari' talk. This was when I had an idea to cut him down to size, and after sharing my idea with the 'mature' Mary, she just about agreed to go along with my master plan!

 

A RED CAR

An hour or so passed, and I decided to set off on my route convincing Paul to stay in the shop and help Mary with some jobs and so left the retail establishment alone. 

After a few house calls and as this was before the concept of mobile phones I found one of those unique buildings affectionately known as a red phone box. I rang the shop and Mary answered, "It's me Mary, tell Paul there is a call for him and it’s David from the Daily Mail". Mary went along with it, as I heard her very seriously call Paul over to the phone, calmly explaining to Paul who was on the line for him. "Hello", he said. "Yes hello I replied, is that Paul"? Paul confirmed it was. "Oh good", I said in a very effective cockney accent that I had acquired after many hours of practicing the various accents of the British Isles. I continued, "Yeah my name is Dave, from the Daily Mail, am I right in understanding you have entered our competition to win a Ferrari"? 

Paul response was very unsure he used a number of expletives, culminating in the suggestion, "Frostie, is that you"? I thought I had been rumbled back just about managed to keep my composure and carry on with the spoof. "Sorry I have no idea who Frostie is, my name is Dave from the Daily Mail and I am ringing to inform you that you have won our Ferrari and we want to travel to the North this afternoon to make the presentation". I had him hook line and sinker, he voice trembled with excitement, I heard him address Mary, " Mary, Mary, I've won the car, I've won the car, they want to come up this afternoon". Mary went along with things and  managed to hold it together. The call continued, "Yes Paul, you have won the car, is it okay to come to your work this afternoon"? Paul asked for permission for the Daily Mail to come to Padiham with a Ferrari that very afternoon. In the managers absence Mary reluctantly agreed. Paul excitedly confirmed that would be okay. I continued, "Just one other thing, we have arranged that Linda Lusardi would be travelling with us to make the presentation". Linda Lusardi was a page three ‘stunner’ and I told Paul it was for the press shots the following morning and the team would be there for about 4pm. I left a very excited Paul, full in the belief he would be travelling home that evening in his brand new state of the art automobile.

LINDA LUSARDI

I continued my jobs and arrived back at work sometime around midday, I was met with an overwhelmed and trembling work colleague bursting to tell me that he had won the car and Linda Lusardi was en route to Padiham to present him with the keys He also informed me he had made calls to friends and family who would be at the shop to watch the big event with their very own eyes. I kept a quiet counsel slightly concerned in the knowledge, that Linda Lusardi was about as close to Padiham as I was to the moon. 

As the afternoon progressed Paul’s excitement increased, as did my anxiety, I couldn't let this run it's full course, could I?  At about 3pm after much discussion with Mary I concluded the 'joke' needed to stop. This was not going to be easy. "Paul, have you got a minute"? As I led him to a quiet corner. "Yeah what's up"? He replied. Here we go I thought. "Erm the car, the er Ferrari". Paul replied, "Yeah what about it"? Here we go I thought again, "Erm, you haven’t won it". Sadly it didn't register on the first attempt, Paul strongly disagreed and almost convinced me he had actually won the car and it was I that was sadly mistaken. "No Paul, you haven't it was me". He still didn't believe and it was only when I entered into the character of Dave from the Daily Mail did the crushing realization hit him that it was a set up and he was the butt of a rather extravagant but humorous setup. 

Paul was not happy, what would his family say as his hastily made the calls to cancel the celebrations, a slight whiff of tension and violence was in the air as Mary sent me on last minute call out with strict instructions not to come back to work until the dust settled. 

Paul left the business, as did I not long after the event and our paths did not cross again until many, many years later. 

Although no physical hurt had occurred, and whilst it is was indeed a comical event, Paul will never forget that day as he so vividly reminded me just a few years ago.  Does he forgive me? I don't know, I hope he saw it as a practical joke and nothing more, but our actions can often leave a scar, a hurt, a memory that lingers like a bad smell for years and years and probably forever. There are events in my life where I have felt wronged, hurt and damaged. Forgiveness is very hard, and I mean very hard, but as a Christian that is my duty, I forgive others the mistakes they make, and I ask for forgiveness for the frequent times I badly cock things up.

 

To forgive and to be forgiven is the message, in the name of Christ.

See ya!

Alextheanglican.