Read below to see what happens to Lucy when she fails to renew her insurance .....don't do a 'Lucy', rest assured, be insured. ..
It will never happen to me�. There is never a dull moment in Lucy�s life� �Lucy !� Alex calls out to me from the bathroom whilst shaving. �Whilst you are out today, do you mind renewing our insurance.That kind lady at Hamilton�s called to say we needed to collect our new policy today�. �Umm, ok� I agree hesitantly � not enough time to think of a good enough excuse.But there goes my long drawn out breakfast with my friend Bella� and the thought of dropping into the shops at La Canada � I would have to go to Sabinillas instead. �Cheers!� shouts back Alex � �I�ll leave some cash on the dining room table � our house cover should be about 400 euros�. You what?.. 400 euros � surely that�s criminal.We�ve been trying to save lately � less meals out, only window shopping allowed and drooling through restaurant windows so 400 euros on buildings and contents insurance sounds like a real waste of money to me and anyway what is the probability that our house will be burned down, and there is nothing to rob from our house � a thief would be bored by our belongings. �Oh, and sweetie� calls Alex from the bathroom and breaking my thought.Now he�s calling me sweetie so there is obviously another job for me. �Yes, what?� I ask, almost impatiently �Could you please scan a copy of the policy and make a photocopy so that I can file a spare away�. �Um-hm� I nod to myself and allow myself to smile.My husband is super organised you know sometimes to the point of senility. All the household papers are in order; household bills and documents are all filed and colour-coded.Even instruction booklets from all different appliances are filed in alphabetical order. A little excessive really!Anyway me and my crazy ideas � decided I would play the supportive wife and offered to help with some of these household account duties and dare I say. �What a mistake-a to make-a�. Oh!I bite my lip not to complain; after all I did offer to help �.Oops my mobiles ringing. �Hi Luce, hey fancy coming to La Canada, I thought we could do breakfast there � what do you reckon?Also I need to buy a dress for my cousin�s wedding so maybe you can help me choose � after all you have been doing a lot of window shopping lately�. �Umm, I really don�t think I can do La Canada today.How about tomorrow?� I say with little enthusiasm. �Oh come on Luce, I need to sort out a dress today really � it may need altering and I may need to pick up matching accessories � I need the rest of the week to ensure everything is ready as the wedding is next weekend.Besides, I need to take Danny to the dentist tomorrow.Why can�t you make it today?� �Well I promised Alex I�d renew the house insurance at Hamilton�s in Sabinillas�. �Hey but we�ll be quick � we�ll go to La Canada early and get the shops as they�re openingand be back before 2pm so that you can nip into Sabinillas on the way back�. Her plan sound s great but is it really realistic to think I can be back before 2pm? Well, why not?As long as I leave La Canada by 12:45pm, I should have plenty of time � may even be able to grab a quick coffee on the way. �Well ok then � as long you give me a nudge to leave by 12:45, ok�. �Done � but don�t worry, I think we�ll be done before that.� assures Bella. I suddenly have loads of energy and quickly gather my stuff together.Get the kids sorted and packed into the car and before I know it I�m on my way to school and then straight to La Canada. I arrive at La Canada just as they are opening the doors � 10am on the dot � huh, we will definitely be the first into the shops.I cal Bella on her mobile and she is just parking.Perfect .. both here at 10am.Time for a quick coffee and toast before shopping. Ten minutes later, we are both sipping a Spanish style coffee and tucking away into our �sandwich mixtos� (ham and cheese toasted sandwich).We chatand Bella fills me in on her latest outing with the kids.We discuss the forthcoming High School Musical show and decide to do a crafts afternoon and pizza making with our children. �Ooh, it�s just so nice to sit�, I say, stretching my arms up in a pretty un-ladylike yawn (something I would usually tell my eldest daughter not to do!!).I really fancy another coffee but I guess we don�t have time�. Of course there�s time � just a quick one to give us energy to start looking�. �Ok then� I say without needing much encouragement �I could quite easily sit here all day. Twenty minutes later we are walking around La Canada � we walk into Caramelo, Tintoretto and make a pact not to settle on anything till we�ve looked through all the relevant shops and made a short list.Then we�ll re-try the three dresses on the shortlist and finally make a choice.I feel like an elegant personal shopper.I scour the racks with my beady eye as Bella tries on the different dresses I pass through to her.Then she parades up and down for me so that I can assess the suitability of each item. I have a special points system.The items I look out for include, 1.Is it flattering � are any bumps suitably hidden and does the dress enhance her figure 2. Style � is it modern and �with it� or is it something my granny would wear. 3. Sex appeal � �is it a wow dress� or mediocre.Anything to revealing is no good � too suggestive and tasteless and anything too covered up makes her look like an old dame � boring, over-conservative.Something in-between is perfect � dynamic, exciting, yet not too over-bearing. My mobile sounds and I reach for my phone. �Darling � just checking you�ve done the insurance.I was worried you�d forget and we really need to collect it today�. �Don�t worry �I�ll get it today �ok� �Where are you? Sounds noisy over there�. �I�m at La Canada but will be leaving soon, Bye� I quickly hang up before he can say anything. I look at my watch. 12.30 � no it couldn�t be already, could it? Well, I have fifteen more minutes. I�m proud of myself.It is now 12:45pm and I turn to Bella and say that I need to dash.We now have the shortlist and she�ll need to choose one from the three we�ve selected. �Oh � is it time already?� �Yep � must go � speak to you later�. So I walk out of Tintoretto and start walking towards the parking when I realize I need the loo � better go now.There�s no way I can hold throughout the journey.So I decide to go quickly.On the way, I bump into one of the mum�s from school and have a little chat, well it would be rude to just rush past.I finally get back to the car -all strapped in and ready to go. I drive towards Sabinillas but get caught up in San Pedro traffic.I start beeping aimlessly hoping that we�ll move faster but I realise that there�s an accident up ahead so I�ll just have to sit it out.I look at my watch 13:30 �how did it get that late �never mind, I can still make it.I decide to turn off and take the motorway.Great now I�m travelling at 120k an hour on the motorway � I should be there in no time. But then I hear a beeping and look at my dashboard to see what�s going one.To my horror I realise that I am nearly out of petrol so I turn in to the next possible petrol station.I am now breathless � I have legged it into the shop to pay for the petrol.A man in front of me is chatting to the cashier.I feel like nudging them and telling them to hurry up � not all of us can afford the luxuries of a long drawn out chat at this precise moment. Finally I�m back in and driving again � then I look at the clock and to my horror realise that it is passed 2pm.I am devastated.It really isn�t my fault �there was traffic and no petrol etc.Surely Alex would understand?Although in my head I�m thinking that shopping in La Canada and having a large breakfast doesn�t bode well � it makes my excuse sound ridiculous, �Hey while you were out working your guts off, I had to go shopping and couldn�t possibly have made it back!!� No, he really wouldn�t fall for that so I think the grovel approach may go down better.And I should throw in a�you were right� just to massage his ego a little!! Anyway, �relax� I tell myself.After all it�s no big deal, who really needs insurance.When I was a student I never had any and nothing ever happened.A day won�t make a difference � I�ll do it first thing tomorrow.I make a solemn promise to myself that I�ll do it first thing in the morning and drive home. Alex is running out onto the driveway to greet me.He looks rather sheepish and looks worried. Fantastic!Perhaps he�s done something wrong and my not getting insurance will seem small in comparison.I get out of the car and walk towards him. �Hey what�s up� I ask quizzically.He really does look pale. �Well, I thought I�d prepare a quick lunch and was frying some chips.The phone rang and I got chatting and to cut a long story short, I kind of burned down part of the kitchen�. �Yeah right� I smirk, he must have found out that I didn�t get the insurance cover and be trying to catch me out. But his face doesn�t crease into a grin � he looks rather shocked really.So I walk into the house and move toward the kitchen � and there it is � my new wooden kitchen furniture around the hob completely destroyed. Alex looks at me, �I�m so sorry but at least we�re insured.Isn�t it lucky that you renewed it this morning?� The moral of the story is �rest assured and be insured.Insurance seems like a boring and waste of time product and whilst it�s better that it never has to be used �sometimes it can be useful�..don�t be like Lucy, insure your home now.Click here to find out more about house insurance in Spain.