The Perfect Saint

 I phoned the bank to ensure that the bank card erroneously ordered for my account had been cancelled. 

‘Oh yes, effectively, there is a card ordered and we can’t cancel it because it is in fabrication.

Oh ! We were born the same day ! You were born on the Saint Parfait’

She launched into an explanation of how in the old days in France when people were born they were often given the name of the saint who is celebrated on their birthday. Mine is the Saint Parfait.

Perfectus lived in Cordoba at the time of the Moorish invasion. He was cornered into declaring whether Christ or Muhammad was the greater prophet, found guilty of blasphemy, imprisoned until the end of Ramadan and then martyred.

‘Phone back next week and we’ll cancel the card’

‘OK, and meanwhile I’ll change my middle name to Parfait.’

‘Good idea’


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