Why Mrs. Bloxby Likes Agatha Raisin

Agatha Raisin is a fictional creation of M.C. Beaton.

Mrs. Bloxby is the Vicar's wife.

When Agatha Raisin took early retirement from her Public Relations career, she decided to settle in a small village in the Cottswolds. Agatha Raisin is a pushy, nosy, manipulative middle-aged woman who is addicted to falling in love. She smokes and drinks too much, she can't cook or bake to save her soul, and she never had a friend in her life until she moved to Carsely. She doesn't really fit in with village life. She tends to say the wrong things, offending people far too often.

But, Agatha Raisin is herself.

When she calls on her friend, Mrs. Bloxby, she is just herself.

She's never had much to do with the Church, and gets uncomfortable when Mrs. Bloxby mentions God, but she doesn't put on airs, and she doesn't treat Mrs. Bloxby any differently than she would if Mrs. Bloxby were just an ordinary person, and not the Vicar's wife.  

This, I think, is why Mrs. Bloxby likes Agatha Raisin.

This is why I like Agatha Raisin, in spite of her personality.

It's disconcerting to be chatting with someone, getting to know them, only to have them discover that my husband is a Minister. (I usually say "Minister" because people usually understand what a Minister is.)

The "Vocation" is out there. The eyes go all "deer in the headlights", a spasm of panic passes across their face and you can see the mental Rolodex start to turn... What have I said? What have I said? Oh, God, what have I said?...

It hasn't happened to me for a long time. Not very often since we moved from Winnipeg. I expect getting older has something to do with it, and being busier. The people I "hang" with are either from the kids' schools, or from Church, and they likely knew what we were about before they started hanging out with me. In spite of this, I find that I still tend to not volunteer that information until it's absolutely necessary.

All that to say that I do, sincerely, appreciate the Agatha Raisins of the world. Those people who know who I am, and know what I'm about, and feel comfortable just being themselves with me.

God bless the Agatha Raisins.