On what had started out as a dull and uneventful Monday morning, and a week and a half after returning from my Grand's, an email with an unrecognised email address plopped into my inbox. Penny MacGregor was arranging a school reunion.
I did well at school, but I can't say it was the most enjoyable time of my life. When you're shy and not too self-assured, you tend to prefer to fade into the background a bit. That was my path anyway. I had friends, of course, there were 5 of us who would get together at break time, lunchtime etc. but all 5 of us were happy to not be part of the 'in crowd', the 'cool' set.
Penny MacGregor was one of those destined from day one to be a school prefect, and in our last year, 'Head girl'. Everyone liked Penny. She was in the 'cool set'.
I found school life pretty tedious, to be honest. I did my best while I was there, but sometimes sitting in dinghy classrooms, listening to grey and dusty old teachers' wittering on about subjects that didn't hold any interest for me, well it all seemed a bit of a waste of time.
Although I left only last year, I'm 18, do I really need to be reminded so soon after? So a school reunion? Umm, no thanks.
Now this may sound unbelievable that such a coincidence could possibly occur, but believe me, it really did.
Two days after receiving that 'school reunion' email, I was out shopping, I needed a new pair of jeans and some new underwear.
After an hour of shopping, and with underwear already bought from another shop, two bras and two packs of 3 panties, to be honest, I was over looking for the right jeans, I was after Levis Lapis Maui 311's and could I find a pair anywhere? No!
Sometimes when I'm focused on something like shopping, anything that's happening around me doesn't really register. The building could be falling down around my ears and I'd probably still be feeling the texture of the cloth or looking at the label for washing instructions.
Out the corner of my eye, however, whilst looking at what felt like the 100th Levi label that morning, I saw a man in a wheelchair trying to navigate between racks. I instantly recognised my old French teacher Mr Thomas. What a coincidence, I hadn't thought about school for months and months, and then just days after getting that school reunion email, there was Mr Thomas.
And it was like a double-take for both of us, that moment when you see someone, turn away then your mind in a split second has recalculated and straight away you look again, and it seemed to be the same for him too.
"Emily Harrison, well as I live and breathe."
"Wow, hello Mr Thomas, I never imagined I'd bump into you again, and certainly not in a women's clothing shop." And we both laughed.
"This is my first foray into buying clothes for a female Emily, I think I need help big time."
It was lovely seeing Mr Thomas again, of the few teachers I liked; he was one of the nicest. He always looked old, a full head of white hair, glasses, quite an old-looking face and that dusty academic look about him. He had always been in a wheelchair as my teacher, and despite speculations, no one ever knew why.
Maybe that was a reason why he was so well-liked, he never posed a threat, and he was always very approachable too.
On cross-examination, he revealed that he was attempting to buy a pair of jeans for his Granddaughter for her 16th birthday. Apparently, they lived out in Canada, so a pair of jeans bought in the UK, would go down really well with her school friends.
"I've got my instructions," he said, "her mother emailed me the size and a number and some other gobbledygook, but to be honest, I haven't a clue."
"Well if you need a hand, I'd be happy to help," I said, and I was too. I had no plans for the morning apart from shopping, so helping Mr Thomas was a small price to pay for all the effort he put in trying to teach me, French.
"You're an angel sent from heaven," he said smiling up at me, "I was beginning to give up and about to head off to the book department, a Harry Potter would have been far easier to send off to Canada anyway."
"Ok, let me see what your daughter wrote down and we'll find what your Granddaughter was after."
It wasn't rocket science, although, to a 75-year-old retired French teacher, rocket science would probably have been easier than looking for jeans for a fashion-conscious teenage girl.
311 Levi's, 26W, 30L ripped skinny Hawaii Ocean Blue.
"I haven't a clue what any of that means," he said, handing the piece of paper to me.
"Your Granddaughter has good taste," I said, "and the same size as me too, right let me find them for you."
And with that, we navigated around the hundreds of different makes, styles, colours and sizes until I was holding up the correct pair for Mr Thomas' approval.
"Those won't do," he said, "they're faulty, look they're ripped."
"That's the style Mr Thomas," I said, trying my best to stifle my laughter, "she'll love them."
He looked them over for what felt like ages, he couldn't quite get his head around the rips at the knee. But after some internal debate, his decision was made.
"Great," he said, "I'll go and pay for them, if that's what she wants, that's what she's getting."
We made our way to the counter and as Mr Thomas paid for his acquisition, the assistant handed me the bag.
I was done with shopping, I had bought my new underwear, I'll have another try in a few days for the jeans.
We navigated our way out of the shop, I never realised how difficult getting around in a wheelchair would be, until I saw what Mr Thomas was going through just to get outside. I guess he was used to it.
"I'd love to repay you for helping me with those jeans," he said, "let me get you a coffee."
"That's very kind of you, but there's really no need, it's been my pleasure."
"I insist, if it wasn't for you I'd probably have come away from that shop with something completely wrong and my Granddaughter wouldn't have been a happy bunny."
We both laughed and set out to find a suitable place for coffee.
As we made our way down the high street, the first coffee shop seemed to be full up and didn't look at all wheelchair friendly anyway, the second that we both knew about seemed to be closed when we arrived. I think at this point we were both over trying to find somewhere.
"Well look," he said, "I only live a few streets away, what if I make you a nice cup of tea back at my place."
As I didn't have anything else to do that day, why not? At school, Mr Thomas was always approachable and easy to chat to, and I was enjoying his company. So with me by his side, his motorised wheelchair trundling along at a modest speed, we headed for his home.
From a busyish high street, and after a few turns here and there and down a few quiet roads, we eventually reached a lovely quiet cul-de-sac of bungalows. It really was a lovely little oasis, gardens immaculate, each bungalow slightly different from the one before, but equally as well maintained.
Mr Thomas' wheelchair turned into the driveway of the 5th bungalow along, and by the little ramp at the front door, it was obvious this was his.
"Come on in," he said as he opened the door and drove into the hallway. It was a lovely house, beautifully decorated, neat and tidy.
As I entered and closed the door behind me, I noticed another wheelchair in the hall, a much lighter and more basic model. Mr Thomas could see my quizzical look and as he started to decamp from the motorised one to the other, it became obvious.
"This one is my house chair," he said, "much easier to manoeuvre about the house and I get fed up with that engine buzzing when I'm in that other one too."
I could see what he meant as he expertly moved from one to the other; it was like he'd done this a million times before, which he most probably had done.
"Come on through," he said, as he led the way in his chair to the lounge, "I've been here for 35 years, ever since my wife died." Well that answered that question, I did wonder as he had a wedding ring on, but I guess him looking for jeans in a women's clothes shop, hinted at her not being around anymore.
"Now is it tea or coffee?" as he motioned me to sit.
"Tea would be fine thank you Mr Thomas, one sugar please." And with that, he was off to make tea for us both.
It gave me a chance to take in the room I was now in. It was a large room, lovely furniture, a small baby grand piano in one corner, with lots of photos of who I assumed to be family members sitting on the lid. It was a nice comfy room.
A few minutes later Mr Thomas was back, a tray with two cups balanced on his lap. I took the one indicated as mine while he placed the tray and his cup on the floor, then with no effort whatsoever he had lifted himself from the wheelchair to one of the armchairs.
"Much better," he said, "no matter how comfortable they try and make those things, you can't beat a comfy armchair."
We sat and chatted for what felt like only minutes, but was in fact over two hours. We talked about school, he only retired at the end of last year, they had kept him on well past normal retirement age, but as he said, it was getting harder, the new technology the school was bringing in every year was getting beyond his understanding and he just felt it was time to go. He missed the old days too much and felt pupils now got away with murder. He missed it already, but he knew it was the right time.