Lost in translation
Going back a fair few years now, I popped round to a friend's house for a brew and a biscuit one afternoon to find him stricken with worry. Apparently he'd just got off the phone to a policeman - "PC" something or other, who'd asked to speak to his girlfriend. She was at work at the time, so they said they'd call back, but refused to tell him what they were calling about.

Now friend's girlfriend was a nice German lass, but I'm not entirely sure all was above-board in terms of immigration status... Or is that not a worry if you're from the EU? Maybe it was then, I dunno... Anyway, she certainly didn't have a UK driving license, and I'm not sure she was insured to drive his car.

Friend was a little paranoid at the best of times, thanks to years of admirable substance abuse, and was beside himself with angst - picturing his missus being clapped in irons, imprisoned or deported (or both). I tried to reassure him - surely if she was in trouble they'd call round rather than phone, but there was no getting through to him, and I awkwardly finished my biscuit and left him to wallow in a pool of paranoia.

Bumped into him a week later and he was happy as Larry - it hadn't been the police at all, it was "PC Pro" magazine, calling to tell his missus that she'd won a mouse mat in a competition...
(baz, Thu 22 Sep 2005, 20:39, Reply)