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| From mike |
Well, here I was coming up the stairs to No. 7 (Number 7) in the pitch black and I mean pitch black. it is raining and it thundering and it there is wild lightning. I thought of the days I backpacked into the High Sierras and enjoyed that kind of wild wicked weather. Joyous, and wild and exciting. but still pitch dark.
I had to get the door open to the second floor which was kind of chore since the key is odd and the opening is very small but I was in a great mood after a splendid day and all this wild weather going on around me so I got passed that door.
So here I am at the front door of NO. 7 and it is still pitch dark and now the wind is blowing and the rain is coming and try the key in the door and it does not open. I try and I try and I try (in the dark) and no go. I can get the key into the lock but it will not turn. Hmmmmmmm..... I wonder what I am going to do.
While I am thinking there is a tap on my shoulder and I turn and I find my neighbor standing there with a candle and matches. I thank her profusely and I manage to get that candle lit and now we have light on the subject but still that door will not open.
So this wonderful lady comes back out and leads my by the hand into her flat. We are trying to communicate but it is not working. If I remember correctly, she gave me a hot cup of tea and we tried to figure out what to do. She makes a phone call and in a little while her daughter comes and vola we can talk because she speaks English.
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| From mike |
So I have Heiner's phone number (I think I was the one that had it - how would they have had it??) and she called Heiner and talked to him and the daughter told me Heiner would be right over.
In a little while, here comes Heiner and he is as cheerful as he was when I last saw him in the late morning.
Of course, Heiner is our hero and he figures out how to open the window and climb in. And what does he discover, the key that belongs to our German friend, Michael is in the lock on the other side. No wonder we could not open the door.
So here comes Michael staggering out of the bedroom and he was oblivious to what was going on as he was in a dead sleep. So that was that, Heiner went away again and my neighbor and her daughter after profuse "madloba's" were gone.
And there in No. 7 stood Michael and myself. Now this is when things became really interesting and of course our world and our relationships turn on a dime on incidents like this.
Michael became profusely apologetic for what he thought was my misfortunate and the havoc he had caused.
I said Michael before we go any further I think we should sit down and drink some beer together. and he agreed and so we started.
a couple more apologies and I decided to tell him how i saw this thing. because I saw this as fitting end to a fascinating day.
Firstly, I now have a new friend in our next door neighbor named Nora. and we know now what we heard about Georgians and their kindness and generosity was true. She is now our friend for life .......
Secondly, when Heiner came after a big day with you and who knows what you two were doing he was as pleasant as the first moment i laid eyes on him. so now we know something about Heiner, we know he is genuine person and a good guy.
Thirdly, I said to Michael, I believe because of this tonight, you and I are going to become very good friends so I said that might be a different way of looking at this than you were looking and I hope that you will agree with me.
And I can tell you to this day, all of us are fast friends. Nora, Michael, and Heiner and myself. and i doubt we will ever forget that first day the rest of our lives.
as so went my first day in Tbilisi Georgia and I believe it was 5 August 2009.....
Michael Bourgault
Draper Utah
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| From mike |
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| From mike |
