Some people get into the taxi and tell you the most fantastic story's about their lives.
Others will hardly tell you where they are going.
So it was today when I did a U turn an picked this fantastic lady outside James's St hospital going to Beggars bush.
After a bit of banter she started to open up. "The Polish people are only doing what we had to do when we were young. I left home when I was 16 and I worked in London. I left with a pal and we got a job as auxiliary nurses in a hospice run by the nuns.
There was 17 in our house and no money. So as the oldest I was the first to go and I sent every penny home. We also got a job as barmaids in a dance hall at night, we worked hard.
The other girl was very hard to get up in the morning and try as I might she made me late for work a lot of the time.
Not surprising as we finished our bar jobs at 2.00am
Then one day I couldn't get her up so I went into work alone.
I said that the other girl was poorly and I was called into the office.
To cut a story short she got the sack and then she asked me to leave as well, the matron drew me aside and said that if I didn't break the link with her she would drag me down and I would go nowhere.
So young and foolish I quit as well.
We went into a McDonalds and as were talking I noticed that one of the girls working there had an Irish accent, she was from Carlow. I asked her if there was any work around and she helped us.
She brought us around to a big hotel in Oxford Circus, just like that, we were in luck.
Chamber maids living in! The next day we were issued with uniforms. On the first day of work I went into wake Mary up and she wouldn't stir..
Fuck this for a game of soldiers I said.
I went to work and she got the sack on her first day.
I worked there for 12 years.
Then (She gave me the date and time) I got into the lift on the 6th floor with my supervisor. There was a big mirror opposite wall of the lift and I glanced into it.
Then there was a horrific bang and I woke up in hospital 8 weeks later.
The lift had collapsed, we had fallen 6 floors and survived..
She recited broken pelvis, ribs back shoulder all her teeth gone fractured skull etc etc
She spent time in a metal cage supporting her injurys,
Later she was shipped back to the rehab unit in Dunlaoighre.
The specialist there said that she could forget about ever walking again so take it from there.
Fuck him I said..
So I went from a wheelchair to a zimmer frame to crutches then to 2 walking sticks to 1 stick and here I am today, no sticks.
I have more metal in my body than a bicycle.
God must have had something in line for me when he didn't take me that day.
As I said some people will hardly give you their destination
Others will give your their entire life's history.
She was a real gold nugget
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