There ARE good people in the world.... this is a story with a happy ending.
During the 23 years of my retail life in Alliston some bad things have happened:
my front window was smashed to smithereens by hooligans, merchandise stolen and vandalized, displays destroyed and demolished.
Every time I experience a mean-spirited random act of vandalism I feel like backing it all up, closing the shop and leaving the town for good. Anybody who's been through something similar knows how it feels: your whole life tastes contaminated.
This is how I felt the morning of Tuesday, April the 6Th.
I came to work and noticed that THE MOON was missing! This iconic emblem is the main adornment of the sign in front of my store, the image therefore used on all my advertising from business cards to newspaper adds.
And it was GONE.
Vanished.
I sent my husband looking around town: ...surely there would be pieces of purple debris laying around somewhere.. after all, it was only made of Styrofoam and fragile as a biscuit.
Not a piece anywhere.
I sent my husband to check out the river:...surely some athletic punk had taken it and then tossed it in the river...after all, it was a longweek: lots of time for dirty work.
Nothing.
"VANDALISM! "I decided ". "I AM CLOSING THIS STORE! "I hissed.
"I HATE THIS TOWN!" I screamed.
Thankfully , I WAS WRONG and Oh hoh hoo, how wrong I was indeed!
I was right in the middle of my hysterical "I AM THE VICTIM"- temper tandrum (Act I)...when the situation turned around completely:
A man I had never met before walked into the store with my moon in his arms! As it turned out,
the day before, in a tornado like windy weather, he had witnessed the moon taking off: a sudden gale ripped it off the side of the building and landed it in the middle of Victoria Street.
This man, realizing that the next car would crumble it, graciously decided to save it.
And so he did.
Our store was closed for the holiday that day so next day he came in to return it.
I thanked him and offered to buy him a cup of coffee. He politely declined and swiftly got on his way. I was baffled: HOW DUMB OF ME....a couple of Coffee! Surely he deserves more than that....and I don't even know his name!
Sign maker Cliff Perry who carved the sign seven years ago rushed to my rescue:
he picked up THE MOON, gave him a face lift and offered to mount it back on the sign board.
It was also Cliff who contributed to the final chapter of this story:
on the day of re-installation Cliff called the Herald and told the paper what had taken place. Reporter Maija Hoggett found the story interesting enough and decided to come and take a look. The article that followed spread good tidings right through the community; I could not believe how many people called, commented and congratulated us. Everybody loves a story with a happy ending!
The mysterious good Samaritan who had saved THE MOON dropped by a day later: not to retrieve any trophies but to THANK FOR THE STORY IN THE PAPER! He still would not accept anything and quickly signed off with a positive statement: "that's how the world should work, don't you think?" I still don't know his name but I know that he lives close by and has two cats. Next time I see you, Mr. MOON SAVIOUR, I will have a basket of goodies for your kitties! At least!
The moral of my story is this:
1. GOOD SAMARITANISM SHOULD BE SUPPORTED AND ENCOURAGED!
2. Situation is not always as it seems: don't be so quick to anger.
3. My apologies to Alliston: THERE ARE PLENTY OF GOOD PEOPLE IN THIS TOWN.
I want to officially thank you MR. MOON SAVIOUR: Your kind action saved me hundreds of dollars and rekindled my faith in humanity.
Also bundles of thanks to CLIFF PERRY , the sign maker, for his free professional help and quick thinking....and MAIJA HOGGETT for the heartwarming story in the paper.
To see the article please go to:
http://www.simcoe.com/community/alliston/article/808464
In "a-foot-in-my-mouth" kind of FRAME OF MIND,
I remain
OUTI, your Frame Dame
