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Dear Scarlet
This morning I smiled at him AND SAID GOOD MORNING. And he smiled and said good morning back to me. He has a wonderful voice. I went hot all over when I heard it. It is soft and deep with a wonderful accent. I think that he must be a Pom [um - from England] but I couldn't place where abouts he came from. But then, I don't know about regional accents. Maybe he is even South African, though I think that I can recognise South African accents. New Zealand accents are the easiest to pick.
Hey!! I heard a Kiwi joke today. Want to hear it? Did you know that Kiwis have found two more uses for sheep?? They are wool and meat!! Pretty awful isn't it!! My hairdresser told me. He is new, name of Brian. I don't know why he was telling me racist jokes. I was talking to him while i was having my hair cut and I told him about my idea of disguising myself and he said that he could put my hair through a shampoo-out rinse. Not sure what colour I should change to. I rather fancy being green for a day - there is an aussie cricketer who has gone green - but maybe that would be a bit too noticable for a disguise.
Anyway - what do you think?? I could change the colour of my hair, wear sunnies and maybe something that doesn't look work-like and get on a stop before the usual one. Maybe he would not notice me that way. I'll have to pretend to be sick so that he will think that I'm taking a day off work if I'm not there at the bus stop as usual. Do you think that I should pretend to develop a sniffle tomorrow so that he will think that I have a cold?
Yours - Cold-ridden Commuter
Dear Commuter
If you insist on going through with this charade then you will need a good disguise and maybe sit right at the back of the bus. Might I suggest only a shade or two darker for your hair if you MUST do this thing.
Good luck - Scarlet
Dear Scarlet
He said good morning first this morning and SMILED at me!!!!!! We are making progress.
I pretended that I was getting a cold so that he wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't waiting at the bus stop tomorrow morning. I've decided to do this thing right away rather than wait because I really DO want to know where he works.
I left the makeup off my nose and kept blowing it and smiffing. I'd have sneezed but didn't think that I'd be able to do a genuine sounding sneeze. He must have believed that I really had a cold because after saying good morning he moved right away so that he couldn't catch any stray germs. And he stood well back when we got onto the bus.
I've made an appointment to see Brian this evening. I took your advice and went two shades darker - but I'm pretty dark already so I ended up nearly black. It looks interesting but I don't think that I'd like to be like this all the time. I've been trying to decide what to wear. The black hair makes me look a bit like a gypsy so maybe hoop earrings and a scarf. Do you think that is going overboard?? I have tonight to decide what to wear - it can't be too outlandish because I have to wear it to work and Miss Edwards will go spare if I wear something unsuitable again.
Brian didn't tell me any more kiwi jokes today so I can't pass them on to you.
I'll let you know how things go tomorrow - wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yours - Gypsy Commuter
Dear Commuter
What can I say - Good Luck!!
Scarlet
Dear Scarlet
Talk about bad hair days. Eek!! it was so EMBARRASSING!!!
I wore trousers instead of a skirt and wore much more makeup than usual to balance my near-black hair. I gelled it to look tousled and windblown. And I wore my hoop earrings and high heels. Though I say so myself I looked rather good - a bit tartish, but good.
It wasn't a lot of fun walking back to an earlier bus stop in my high heels but I needed to be on the bus already when he got on. He got on at the usual place and came and SAT DOWN BESIDE ME. I looked out the window and pretended that I wasn't interested in anything but the scenery. Just before we reached my usual stop he stood up and rang the bell and then said to me "I believe that this is your stop." I could have died!!!!!!!!! Then he grinned at me and said "See you on Monday."
I had to get off because it was no use carrying on with my plan after that. Miss Edwards took one look at me and told me that the "company" didn't support the policy of casual dress on Fridays and made me put $2 in the charity box. I sometimes suspect that she has a sense of humour.
And then when I went out at lunch time to get some lunch it rained!!! I hadn't taken my umbrella with me, in case he recognised it from the ear episode, so I got wet. And my hair ran all down my face and neck - the colour, I mean, so that I was streaked from top to bottom and all my clothes had black bits on them. Miss Edwards said that I wasn't fit to be seen so she sent me to the stockroom to count pencils - pencils!!!!! who uses them anyway!!!
And then I had to get home on the bus looking like a piebald person. The only consolation is that he doesn't catch the same bus home.
I don't know where to go from here - if he recognised me in my gypsy disguise then he has at least noticed me. I suppose that is some consolation. So where do I go from here??
Yours in despair - Gypsy Commuter
Dear Commuter
As you said yourself - he has noticed you and even recognised you in your disguise.
Wear your prettiest clothes on Monday and go back to smiling and saying good morning. I think that you need to let him see the good side of your personality.
I will be away from my desk over the weekend but look forward to hearing from you as usual next week.
Yours - Scarlet
Dear Scarlet
Today is Sunday and I know that you will not be there to answer this letter. I'm feeling very down. My best friend from work, Annie, has found another job. She told me yesterday. I'm going to miss her - work will not be the same without her.
That shampoo-out hair dye doesn't!!! It ran everywhere in the rain but do you think that I can get the stuff out of my hair, not to mention my clothes?? I've tried shampooing my hair about a dozen times and I'm still nearly black. My blouse is no better, either. It has black stains on the collar and, in despair, I even tried shampooing that too. Maybe there is something that Brian didn't tell me.
Last night I curled up in bed with Dennis the dinosaur and cried myself to sleep. This morning my eyes are all red and puffy still. Thank goodness I don't have to go to work today - I look a sight!!!!!!!
Maybe things will look brighter tomorrow - today is NOT a good day for me.
Yours - Miserable Commuter
Dear Scarlet
Today was better than yesterday which wouldn't have been hard!!!!! Annie says that she will stay in touch and we are going to arrange to meet for lunch at least once every week. She is working close enough so that we can do that. There is a nice little cafe about halfway between our places and they have yummy cakes, so that is something to look forward to.
I managed to wash out most of the hair colour but I'm still darker than usual. I guess that it will come out eventually, even if I have to wait until it actually GROWS out. My blouse was a write-off, though. I threw it away!!
He actually smiled at me this morning and asked me how my cold was. Eeek!!! So embarrassing - so I told him that it was just a touch of hay fever and quite better today!! We are making progress. He really does have a lovely voice, especially when he is not swearing at me. I think that he might be Irish. Or Welsh. I'm pretty sure that he is not Scottish.
Maybe I should introduce myself, then I might find out what his name is. What do you think?? Am I being too forward?
Yours - Excited Commuter
Dear Commuter
I'm glad that you are making such good progress. You have been meeting him at the bus stop for about two weeks now so I think that it would be perfectly proper for you to introduce yourself to him.
I'm sorry that you had such a bad weekend. It is always sad to lose a friend but it sounds as though you are not going to lose Annie after all.
Scarlet
Dear Scarlet
I know his name!!!!!!!!! Well sort of, anyway.
I dressed in my best skirt and jacket. It is a pity that it was raining so I had to cover it all up with an aqua scutum. Don't you just love that word? It is so much better than calling it a raincoat; it makes it sound more interesting. Mine is really pretty drab and black, but it has a hood so that I didn't have to put up my umbrella. I didn't want to drive him away on the day I'd planned to introduce myself to him.
He was already at the bus stop when I got there so I walked right up to him and said "Good morning. My name is Petra Hughes."
And he said "Good morning Petra Hughes, my name is Callum Mannering."
And then the bus came along and that was that. I sat at the front of the bus and he went right to the back so I didn't get to say any more to him.
When I got into work I told all the girls about it and my next to best friend, Fiona asked me how he spelt his name. I didn't realise that 'Mannering' could be spelt 'Mainwaring'. So that is how I sort of know his name. Callum sounds Scottish to me - maybe I was wrong about the Irish or the Welsh. What do you think?
Yours - Petra [It is silly to keep calling myself Commuter when I've told you what my name is]
Dear Petra
Thank you for sharing your name with me. You sound as though you are making good progress. My understanding is that Callum is a Scottish name but one doesn't have to be a Scot to be allowed to use it. As for his surname, I can't help you but I'm sure that you will think of some ingenious way of finding out how it is spelt.
Yours - Scarlet
Dear Scarlet
He sat next to me on the bus again today!!!!!!! So got to talk a bit, now that I know his name. I asked him where he worked - I still don't know that. He said that he is a journalist but didn't offer any more information. Maybe he is freelance, though if he goes in to work at a regular time he must have a regular job.
So I told him about my job in the office and about Annie and how she has left to go and work for a lawyer, and about Fiona my second best friend, and Miss Edwards and how she is starting to turn into a human being. He stood up to it all very well.
But I still don't know if he is married or not!! I can't just ask him outright. And he must live near here. I wonder where he does his shopping. Perhaps his wife does the shopping. *sigh*
Today is Friday so I'll have to wait until Monday to see if I scared him off.
Yours - Petra
Dear Petra
Most men love to talk about themselves. Don't be afraid to ask questions to get him talking. Just remember that you need to ask open questions.
Scarlet