I work with a bloke who hates support. Can’t stand it. But
needs something. So I’ve persevered for
a few years – for the first two years he barely tolerated me. For the past year
he has allowed me to talk to (or at him) him while we play snooker in
Newcastle. I arrange to meet him at the
snooker club and he frequently doesn’t turn up.
Last month he was waiting for me with the snooker cue in the
picture. From a charity shop, with a
hand written name tag attached with sellotape.
I had to fight back the tears when he gave it to me – thinking of him, thinking of me while he was buying the cue, then finding paper, pen, scissors
and sellotape in his house – which would have been a supreme challenge.
So the joy at a breakthrough and a profoundly human act
lasted until I remembered - this wasn’t just a profoundly human moment – it was
a social care interaction. I’ll have to
register the snooker cue as a ‘gift’
