Sad visit (07-02-24)
My grandson (11 years old) listened when we talked about the many visitors who once came here. There were weirdos among them.
-Like those 2 from the Middle East visiting pigeon fanciers in the low countries.
You won't believe it: 'If they could sleep with us,' they asked. We took them to a hotel where they left without paying.
-Then there was that Limburg guy. He wanted something good and if I wanted to take his situation into account. 'As proof' he showed his 'almost empty' savings account. 6 kids to raise was also expensive. As if this was my fault.
-Foreigner who paid for a round of youngsters with counterfeit money, another let pigeons escape, a German kept saying he was the best. Why want my pigeons then I asked myself.
-Bosua was the only one who approved those blue pigeons from Sissi and..
-There was that guy who came to get 5 youngsters a year and asked his wife for 50 euros each time. He secretly paid the rest by bank. She thought 10 euros per pigeon was quite a lot. And what was the strangest one? the grandson asked.
'POOR WRETCH'
That was in the 1980s. A poorly-dressed elderly man without a car.
No sooner had he entered than he began to complain and did not stop. He had become a widower and every day in his existence sucked. He could barely afford his pigeon feed and no one had compassion. ‘I wish I were dead’ he kept on saying.
Then he could be together with his wife again in heaven. Losing your partner, it couldn't be worse. He just did not stop. At my son's insistence, I gave him a pigeon.
But if I thought this was a sign for him to leave, I was wrong. Worse, if I could spare some money he asked. He hadn't eaten yet and would bring it back.
I did that too, but that was not the end of my suffering. If I wanted to take him to a café in a neighboring town. There he had arranged to meet a friend. And so it happened.
WELCOME
He opened the door of the café with one hand, with the other he encompassed the box containing his pigeon.
A guy at the bar echoed: 'Ha that Jos, finally. You should first call your wife to tell what time you're coming for dinner."
Never seen someone slam a door so quickly.
Now I can put things into perspective ;-) (I don't think three hairs on a head is much, three hairs in the soup is a lot) and left it that way. That would have been different with a good acquaintance. For him, every pigeon fancier is an asshole until proven otherwise. He never told me if that also applies to all those people who come to buy pigeons from him.