It was one of those Saturdays that I love to come to work on. Today it was pouring with rain. I love these days. I like knowing i can arrive at work, get in a nice full day, and not have to bother about opening and closing and shaking off my umbrella all day long. As i look down to the street below from our lounge area sure enough; everyone has got out their umbrellas and I’m relieved to have already arrived where i want to be.
So it was one of types of mornings. Heavy lead colored clouds hanging over Kyobashi and the first student is waiting in the lounge for me. Gavin had already been chatting to my student and I came out to greet him. Gavin told me to ask him about his umbrella in the lesson. So off we go to the classroom and I asked him to show me his umbrella. No run of the mill convenience store plastic umbrella was this!
From his side he drew the sleekest black umbrella I had ever seen. The first thing that I noticed was that it was embossed with the Lexus mark on the handle, which was of coarse leather. As it happened he had told me in a previous lesson that he had recently bought a new car so I asked him whether the umbrella had come with the new car. Actually he had gotten a book from Lexus with a whole range of products that customers can buy to complete the Lexus package.
The student then opens up the umbrella in the lesson to show off its near 3 meter circumference. From the next classroom I could hear another coach calling not to do that indoors, which then meant that I had tell the student about our superstition about opening brollies indoors. But there was more to this umbrella than met the eye. The piece de la resistance was that this umbrella, with the quick flick of a wrist, could shake off all of the rain droplets. Unbelievably it was made from a certain kind of material that meant that water simply rolled off it with ease. Now this got a gasp from me.
So not only was it a nice wet early afternoon but I also got to witness one of the most remarkable umbrellas ever. I just wonder whether I need to buy the Lexus to get the umbrella or whether I have the guts to use it while riding my shopping bike home.
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