POSTING #84

Tickets to the Phantom of the Opera

For a number of years at our Ottawa bed and breakfast, Blue Spruces, we had three guests each December from the Maritimes who came to sell their goods at the annual Ottawa Christmas Craft Sale, held at nearby Lansdowne Park.

Sadie and Alice worked together to design and produce silk-screen items and Scott crafted hand-turned hardwood bowls (I have changed their names). In their 50s, the three had had a variety of life experiences before ending up in the crafters' world, a world that could be satisfying artistically but not always very rewarding financially.

We enjoyed having them with us. They were kind, thoughtful, hardworking people who enjoyed a bit of fun. We rejoiced with them when sales were good and commiserated with them when they weren't

At the end of one show, they would always book rooms for the next December.

In August of one year, Scott phoned to say that he would be bringing his wife---whom we had never met although we felt we knew because Scott spoke about her often---in December. An important anniversary was coming up, and he was trying to plan a very special evening. He said that he would like them to have a fine dinner and then go to the Phantom of the Opera at the National Arts Centre---his wife loved the Phantom.

Scott knew that in my travelling as a consultant, I used an American Express card. He said he had heard that holders of that card could use something called, the 'Front of the Line' to reserve choice seats that were not available to the general public.

Could I buy two really good tickets?

Of course.

I bought two tickets in the Orchestra section, in the middle of a row, near the stage.

Excellent seats.

When I brought the tickets home, Pat and I had a brief discussion about where to store them for the 4 months until December. We talked about what would be a 'good safe place'. We agreed on a place and Pat stored them.

It was a busy autumn with many guests, plus some consulting work, so we didn't spend any time thinking about the tickets.

Then, a week before the Craft Show was to start, we decided that we should dig out the tickets and have them ready to give to Scott.

When we began the search for the tickets, we realized that we had forgotten which 'good safe place' we had chosen.

But no problem. They were probably in the silver teapot---a favourite place for storing things.

Not there.

We then looked in the 58 other tea pots.

Why would we have a total of 59 tea pots, you may ask? C'mon, how many shoes did that Imelda Marcos have---3000?

Tea pots are warm and cosy, and speak of home, hearth and hospitality.

Besides they can be irresistibly attractive, sitting on an antique store shelf with an expression that says, 'Come, buy me, and I will make your life complete'.

We once had a young woman from Australia who stayed with us for a month while she was on some kind of exchange with Agriculture Canada. She loved tea, and Pat served it in a different pot every morning, including one that played 'An English Country Garden', when it was lifted off the table---I must say that that brought forth a few choice Australian oaths from the startled woman.

But the tickets weren't in the tea pots.

This was getting serious.

Systematically, we emptied the sideboards, bureaus and cupboards in the living room, the dining room and the kitchen.

Still, no tickets.

Finally, I called the National Arts Centre and explained our problem. The clerk said she could offer a good-news-bad-news solution. The good news was that since we had our Amex receipt, she could issue new tickets for the two seats. The bad news was that they would be stamped 'Duplicate'. If persons showed up with the original tickets, they would have to be given the seats.

So, Scott wouldn't have a problem if we had simply misplaced, or accidentally destroyed the original tickets.

On the other hand, if someone had taken the tickets---a theft that we hadn't detected--- and sold or gave them away, then Scott and his wife could find their special, anniversary evening ruined.

I got the duplicate tickets and we put them on a desk in plain view---no more 'good safe places'.

Pat and I talked about how we would break the news to Scott. We couldn't come up with a strategy that seemed sure-fire, and decided that we would just wing it.

Sadie and Alice checked in the day before Scott and his wife were due. After some warm hugs, and some catch-up stories, Sadie said they had met Scott at a craft show in the Maritimes and he had told them about how we were helping him organize a wonderful evening for his wife. She said it was good of us to have bought the tickets.

Pat and I looked at each other and silently agreed to come clean.

After swearing them to secrecy, we told them the story, and ended by saying: "Please, please don't tell Scott. We want to break the news to him ourselves."

The next day Scott and his wife arrived in Ottawa, went directly to Lansdowne Park to unload their van, and then came to the B&B.

While his wife went to the bedroom to unpack, Scott told us that he had met Sadie and Alice at Lansdowne Park and they had told him something quite mysterious. They said that he should ask us about the tickets. They wouldn't tell him any more, just that he should ask us about the tickets.

Damn those women!

We sat him down in the living room, gave him a cup of tea, and told him the story.

He took it better than we had hoped--- I guess craftspeople have to be resilient.

On the night of the dinner and show, they came downstairs looking elegant, but with some tiny worry lines around their eyes. Would they have seats for the Phantom?

We went to bed with our fingers crossed,

The next morning, we just had to look at their faces to know that the evening had been a great success. Apparently, the dinner was superb, and no one had shown up at the National Arts Centre to claim their seats. Scott's wife said that the Phantom was spectacular, breathtaking.

Pat and I were so relieved that we couldn't stay angry at Sadie and Alice, who to give them credit did manage to look a little bit guilty.

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We have moved three times since Blue Spruces and in all that packing and unpacking the tickets have never shown up.

We no longer put tickets in a 'good safe place'. We pin them to a bulletin board, and haven't lost a single one.




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See you on September 5th for Posting #85 with more stories from our family’s universe! If you have comments or suggestions, please leave a comment at the bottom of this posting, or email me at johnpathunter@gmail.com