"I WAS A STRANGER, AND YOU TOOK ME IN"


It was a nice day so we decided to try for another BBQ. Our two previous attempts were marred by forgetfulness. They were just low key picnics. The first, we opened our little basket, got out our diet biscuits and as we attempted to pour the coffee from our smalll thermos, we discovered that we had no cups. The second time we made sure that we had cups, sugar and even tea spoons. We opened our diet biscuits, got our cups out, and the spoons, but alas, as we poured from our small thermos, out came ,,, milk! We had forgotten to put in the coffee as we made it. We drank the sweetened milk and I have to tell you, it was very nice.
But the last time was a real BBQ, we took 4 sausages a well as the coffee and diet biscuits.
We tried the first "free" BBQ, marvelling at it's stainless steel top just sparkling in the sun, some yobbo Ozzie yelled out, "That BBQ doesn't work mate We waited as another Ozzie family finished their cooking on the adjoining barbie, being entertained by their discussion as to whom in their group was having realtionships with whom. Our turn came in due course and we layed our 4 sausages on this well used stainless steel plate, blackened by the previous users liberal use of some sauce on their already marinated spare ribs. As we watched our humble sausages begin to sizzle, along came some "strangers". We were able to inform them that the barbie they were about to use was out of order. As they waited for us to finish, I invited them to use the three quarters of the plate not taken up by our sausages, but they declined as they thought that we might be unimpressed by what they were going to cook. We spent the time asking them questions and discovered thet they hailed from Vietnam and there were 12 of them in the family group and I thought them to be quite delightful people.
As I thought about this afterwards, I thought that I would not be the best choice of person to take over Mr Ruddock's job, or we would have "boat people" arriving every week!
In Adelaide some years ago, I got booked for parking my car near some obscure sign, when I went to pay the authorities, I said to them "I was a atranger, and you took me in".