Who would you call in your hour of need?
My mother embarked onto early retirement about a month ago and thought hard about what to do with all that free time. Along a couple of art classes and a course of philosophy lectures, she applied to be a volunteer at SOS Amitié – that would be France’s equivalent to The Samaritans. The commonly held idea is that they always need people, answering phones for 4 hour shifts. Who calls them, I wondered? Even in my most dire hour of need I would never even think of dialling their number. Some people must call, though.
During the interview, she was asked how she was handling her son’s death – it hasn’t even been a year yet, and what she was hoping to be able to offer. She replied that she thought her own experience would give her answers for those who call before they jump. She was also asked how she thought other people saw her. Her answer was, typically – I don’t know. What kind of a question is that? I don’t care. Why should I care?
Then she had to go home and wait to be contacted.

Not too surprisingly, when the letter came on Saturday morning, it expressed a polite rejection. She can’t help wondering if it has anything to do with the fact that her interviewer was a guy she’d been on a date with and who’d never called her back.