Sitting in my car, waiting in a right-turn filter lane at a set of traffic lights one afternoon with a friend, Wise One, we were chatting away, like you do, when our attention was caught by a lady standing with her grandson (we presumed), waiting to cross the road. The lady seemed to be vigorously berating the child, who was hanging his head and truculently swinging his school bag.
As the lights changed to green for the the traffic on our left, the lady suddenly stepped off the kerb into the road, bent down and picked something up. Wise One and I gasped, thinking we were about to witness something Most Unpleasant between her and a car.
What on earth was worth jeopardizing life and limb for that couldn't wait?
With a car almost upon her, she hastily stepped back onto the pavement, immediately raised a hand to her mouth and then carried on scolding her grandson. Both Wise One and I exhaled noisily with relief.
So what was so important? What needed to be retrieved without delay?
Her false teeth.
As the traffic light changed and I turned right, Wise One and I had tears pouring down our faces, howling with horrified laughter after seeing the unfortunate lady putting teeth back into her mouth that had been in the gutter. Teeth with grit on them, an ant maybe. Or worse...
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