The New Job

Back in 1963, I was returning from Stoke Poges to my bachelor flat in London on a very wet rainy Sunday night and driving down the Earls Court Road I was obliged to stop at the pedestrian crossing outside Earls Court Underground Station. Glancing in my rear view mirror I was alarmed to see that the vehicle behind me, a three wheeled Meschersmit, was not going to stop in time and was skidding on the wet road. Following the inevitable impact, the exchange of names and addresses, made worse by the rain and some ribald comments by some Australians sheltering in the station entrance, took place and it transpired that the man driving the Meschersmit was a certain John Priestly who lived in Shawfield Street off the Kings Road in Chelsea. We left the scene, he with his creased Meschsmit and me with a crumpled rear bumper and I returned to my flat. The nxt day, Monday morning, I was starting a new job and joining a firm of Surveyors as a junior surveyor whose offices were in Flood Street in Chelsea, just off the Kings Road. Being somewhat nervous on the first day, I arrived at the office far too early so decided to walk round the block a couple of times to burn up some time. I was amazed to find that the very next street to Flood Street was Shawfield Street where my earstwhile assailant of the previous night lived and there, sure enough, was his creased Meschersmit paked at the kerb outside his address. This seemed to me to be something of a remarkable coincidence. Rejoicing in the fact that I knew where to send the bill for the damaged he had caused I went back to the office of my new firm and entered. I spent perhaps, the first hour being interviewed and briefed by my new boss, Paul Browning, dealing with practical matters and office procedures when Paul eventually suggested that we go to my work station and meet my new colleagues. Sitting at the same desk in the same office was John Priestly, my new work colleague, the man who had crashed into me the night before. I do not know who was more surprised but we became good friends and worked happily together for a number of years and yes, he did pay for the repairs to my car!