Yesterday we had a new freezer delivered (old one died). It was bought online and the delivery notification was via a computer robot voice phone call. The robot even called with a 30 minute warning. So sure as shooting, there the truck was, just like the robot said.
The truck parked in the alley. It turned out that the two freezer delivery men were from Africa - or more precisely from Burkina-Faso!
One tall laid back cool guy in sunglasses (Djbril) and another guy who sounded like he'd might have a college degree with excellent english (Mathieu). They unloaded the freezer and began to carry it through my backyard, with a shoulder strap harness. At this point I remembered we were supposed to ask them for I.D. to prove that they really were the people who were supposed to be carrying a freezer through my backyard instead of some dangerous impostor freezer-carriers hellbent on getting that freezer down an impossible stairway and back door. But I went on trust.
Of course the first problem was the freezer wouldn't actually fit through the back door - even though I had taken the back door off. They don't make slim freezers anymore. They're all gigantic now. And this was the smallest freezer I could find anywhere online. Oh no! Mathieu suggested we remove the extra panel that stuck out at the bottom. I got down on the ground sideways to try to see where the screws were. Excellent idea. We tried to get that off - but it didn't work.
There was some discussion in Bukina-Fasese and shaking of heads. It looked like they were about to give up and pack it back up to return. Oh no! Then it occurred to me we should try the basement window. Lo and behold - it measured out with 3 inches to spare! Djbril and Mathieu carried the freezer around to the side window. And in it went.
I got to chat a bit with Djbril, telling him that my dad had spent 6 years in Ghana, which is the nation just south of his. He said he'd never been there, but they had lots of tasty food in Burkina-Faso. Also that a good deal of french is spoken in Burkina-Faso.
I got to chat a bit with Djbril, telling him that my dad had spent 6 years in Ghana, which is the nation just south of his. He said he'd never been there, but they had lots of tasty food in Burkina-Faso. Also that a good deal of french is spoken in Burkina-Faso.
I tried to not feel too guilty about my fat comfortable life as I imagined what kind of life a refugee from Africa must have had to wind up delivering freezers to cold, wet Seattle half a world away. I'm glad we managed to get the freezer in through the window so at least that little adventure ended happily ever after.
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