Marbles, re-found

Tuesday January 29, 2008

Up with the lark this morning to put out trash and to take Graham over to the holiday camp for a meeting with his employers.  I waited in the caravan, dozing away to Shakespeare in Love.  We’d planned to go on to Taunton for coffee and lunch but, when he’d finished, he was about done in and wanted nothing more than to come home.

It was one of those un-minuted meetings I used heartily to despise and, so soon as I became senior enough, to refuse.  With no written record and a two-on-one structure, the one in the minority can be claimed to have agreed to anything.  Graham wasn’t sure what he’d agreed to.

“I’ll tell you what I used to do in these circumstances,” I said. “If it’s any use to you?”

“Go on, then.”

“I used to write a short Memorandum of Understanding to all attendees, opening with the statement: ‘This is my understanding of what was agreed at our meeting today. Please let me know in writing if you wish to add anything to the record.’  Always worked for me.”

There was a slight pause. Then:  “You know those marbles you’re always looking for because you think they’ve gone missing?”

“Yeah?”

“They haven’t.”