Reading Between the Lines

Independence can sometimes be a burden, especially when others don’t fully appreciate your intentions. In this entry, I share how I tried to help, but ended up causing more problems—at least in other people’s eyes. Meanwhile, I still enjoy the world of music and books, even when everyday life doesn’t always go smoothly.

---

The maintenance guy didn’t directly complain to me, but to others, that I broke a button on the coffee machine he had already deemed beyond repair. While I was gardening, I listened to an audiobook filled with beautiful sentences. In the evening, I sang Balkan music alone, while everyone else danced.

On Friday afternoon, I tried to fix a coffee machine, but it was beyond my capabilities. These machines had already been taken apart and reassembled by the maintenance guy; two of them are still sitting in the garage. Today, the manager scolded me because I broke the power button on one of the machines. The scolding was deserved, I really did break it, but the machine still works since you can turn it on with a screwdriver. You just can’t turn it off—but you don’t really need to. This was the machine that the maintenance guy took apart, only for it to end up with more problems than before. By the way, he somehow forgot to mention that these machines hadn’t broken down yesterday but much earlier. So, while the scolding was justified, it felt a bit exaggerated.

The manager also asked me not to be so independent next time and to consult about everything. Though reluctantly, I get it. The issue was that, since I couldn’t repair the machine, I took a good coffee machine from an empty room and gave it to the guest. But how did I know the room was empty if I didn’t check? And why didn’t I talk to the reception about it?

Yesterday, I messaged the maintenance guy, saying I hadn’t returned the lawnmower yet because I still had about two hours of mowing left. I’ll finish it later; for now, he should focus on tidying up the lavender bushes. Oh, and they’ve now realized I’m not working according to my contract hours. I’m the only one with a nine-hour workday, and I’m a bit upset about that. From now on, I’ll make sure to take stylish coffee breaks too!

I finished another book, written by Jón Kalman Stefánsson. Although I was disappointed with the Bookline audiobook format, I’d still buy the book in print because it was so beautiful. A few months ago, I read a book titled This Text is So Beautiful I Only Read It Naked. That book wasn’t bad either, but Stefánsson’s was so exquisite, so sensual and subtly erotic that the title would fit here as well. I’ll read it again and write about it later.

Tonight, there was a brass band gathering in the village. The wild mistral wind carried the sound of the trombones far away; I even had to run home for a thick coat. One of the bands played Balkan music, which was funny because I was the only one singing along, while the whole audience started dancing.

So, I’m feeling good! Or am I?

Maussane, Saturday, September 14, 2024