A Mysterious Parcel

Lunch time in The Staff Room sometimes reminds me of the film 'Mean Girls'. Or maybe Lunchtime when I Really Was at School, like about forty years ago.  

It's a Minefield. 

Will I sit at my desk & eat 'alone' & risk being seen as Unfriendly?

 Will I sit at Trixie Drew's desk & eat lunch with her & then risk scattering crumbs everywhere & making others Feel Excluded?

Or will I go sit in the Favoured Table in the Larger Staff Room with an assortment of People & risk all sorts of things that I won't go into now.

You can see how Nerve-wracking it all is.

On Thursday, I magnanimously decided to eat my lunch with everyone at The Favoured Table. But before I sat down, I noticed a small parcel pertly sitting up inside my pigeon hole. 

I raced over & grabbed it, heart racing.

I rarely get anything out of the ordinary placed in my pigeon hole. Pay slips, reminders about School events, invitations to attend Yawningly Boring Study Days, duty rosters, phone messages from disgruntled parents. Perhaps an occasional Rogue Chocolate given by a well meaning, but misguided colleague.

But A  Mysterious Lumpy Parcel! It obviously had things in it apart from paper! And there was was No Name on it!

I raced back to my place at The Favoured Table & began tearing open the envelope. Everyone was transfixed. Who could it be from?

Could it be a Belated Gift from that Special Year 12 Student from The Class of 2008 who I spent the whole year Selflessly Helping & who forgot to thank me when she finally walked out the door?

 That's the whole problem with being Selfless when you're really  Selfish At Heart. It Never Really Works. I guess I'm just Selflessly Selfish.

Back to The Parcel.

It contained a beautifully colour co-ordinated & presented Birthday Gift of many gorgeous earrings from Peru. Who would send me this? Someone who obviously knows my taste, whatever that is.

I opened the lovely handmade card. It was to 'Della'. 

OMG! A gift from the OtherWorld.

Lisa, a fellow Middleagedteacher, who I've never met, has been reading 'Della' for some time. She also teaches English at a girls private school in Sydney. And she loves shopping & bargains.

Trixie immediately exclaimed, 'How wonderful'. So did The Duchess. 

And that's Exactly how I felt.

But I could see that others were slightly disappointed that they didn't get a gift put in their pigeon hole. Serves them right.

I'm still trying to work how how Lisa tracked me down. I'm intrigued! And thrilled!

Thank you Lisa! You've made my week.