Life's little pleasures...

There's an old boy where I work who's had a few knocks over the years, and as a consequence he doesn't like people and can be nasty to anyone who tries to get close. It's only self-defense, but it can be difficult not to take it personally. Anyway, for some reason he's taken a liking to me, and on Tuesday I went with him to find out about his new home, and the area. I showed him around a bit and helped him work out how to get to the shops, things like that. In the end I had to go back to my office while he went to get some shopping. Before we parted, he said: "Can I give you a kiss?" adding straight away "on the cheek" with a shy smile. I felt honoured and moved. While we were going around checking out the location, his eyes were shiny and smiley like I hadn't seen them before, and when he offered a kiss I realised how important it had been for him. Bless!

Then today this bloke from the TV licensing authority came in asking about a couple of residents, and I directed him to their rooms, volunteering that he might have problems communicating with one of them as his English wasn't very good. So he asked me if we had anyone who could translate. Now, this man obviously couldn't know, but a couple of years ago I had a long running argument with the TVLA, with them sending me very threatening and intimidating letters saying they'd take me to court for not paying the TV license. It's true, I don't pay it. I don't have a telly, as I had already told them.
This man's attitude was perfectly in line with that of the apes I dealt with at the time, no disrespect to apes. The chances of me doing anything I don't strictly have to to help the TVLA are marginally lower than those of hell freezing over. Of course I told him that our language services didn't include aiding other agencies in *their* work. This sent him apoplectic, and he started telling me how important his business was. He went as far as calling the people he'd come to see criminals, without even knowing them (he'd asked for room numbers, not names), or if they had a telly and paid a license for it.
He then inquired as to the sort of people we accommodate in our centre. I was intentionally vague and kept repeating "all sorts" (I knew we didn't have anyone particularly dangerous at the moment). He kept asking, explaining that he had to think of his own personal safety. I managed to hold my tongue just before I blurted out that yes, his own personal safety was at risk... from me if he didn't sod off and let me get on with my work. I did behave though, and watched him walk into the building on his own, looking as if he was going to his death. Just a pity I didn't have time to go and ask a few select residents to hang around the corridors and do their best impersonations of some crazed junkies :D