Cigarettes, Ice Cream, Figurines of the Virgin Mary

Alas, alack! A horrible work day today. The poor slug from last night was unexpectedly very poorly, and I've spent most of the evening researching his heart rhythm, which sorely concerned me. My colleague took offense at an ill-advised joke about her rigid body language, and laid into my 'yapping'. I have many faults, but unfiltered stream-of-consciousness is not one of these, except here.

It gets worse at home. A close friend of the Big Wan finds herself pregnant at 15 yrs. She's in the kitchen when I get home, but confidentiality means I cannot speak as an auntie, as I would wish. The sperm donor doesn't love her, has another 'proper' girlfriend and wants to keep this embarrassment conveniently under wraps and discreetly dealt with. I feel heart-sorry for the lassie and her vulnerability, and worry that her teeter-totter status will encourage a devastatingly wrong decision. All I can do is pull out resources for the Big Wan to pass on, since I'm officially in the dark. There but for the grace of god went I.

I caught one of the kiddos smoking cigarettes last night, which broke my heart. Of all the stupid things you could do, this is one of the worst; to buy into an addiction from an evil-minded corporate grabber who recruits you at 15 for a lifetime of enslavement and ill-health. It killed their grandpa in Feb. I'm sick and guilty, for where did it come from but me? I wish I could protect them.

I've made a new friend at the all-night garage, though I don't yet know his name. I've so far discovered he's of Pakistani origin (with fluent and purple English), has a love for Milton and a flagrantly camp manner. He declares that I have a 'lovely temperament', but I rather think this issues from him since he allows me in to buy tobacco, Pick-Me-Up and milk even when they're closed for cashing-up. He's officially joined Smiley's and the Chinese veg shop in my local community.