An Unexpected Benefit.

I’ve just come back from a meeting with a lovely Japanese woman called Sachiyo. She was impressed, apparently, that I pronounced her name right. It was written on the front of her diary, but she said that English people rarely know how to pronounce it. She touched my arm in congratulation.

I’d forgotten how nice it is to have my arm touched; it happens so infrequently these days. In fact, it always was a rare occurrence. It’s almost as nice as having my ear licked by a Springer Spaniel, something that fortunately happens a little more often. Dogs and children respond to me readily. Adults tend to be much more restrained.

Unfortunately, the legal advice was of relatively little value.