But then I spied a single stand of meadowsweet, freshly
green and with a new show of sweet smelling flowers. It seemed she was late for
some reason; July is the month for meadowsweet, and I wondered what I should
make of it.
* * *
Today in the town was different. Today, no less than four different
dogs were anxious to be my friend, and a little girl smiled at me, presumably
for no other reason than she thought me worth smiling at, and the special offer
beer in Sainsbury’s that should have cost the reduced price of £1.25 went
through the till at 50p. I didn’t complain.
And then there was the woman in another of Ashbourne’s
stores. She’s a recent acquisition to the staff, and I’ve noticed how polite
and respectful she is to people. Today she needed to get past me with a trolley
full of merchandise, and did so with politeness, patience, and a level of
graciousness that is quite rare. I’m pretty good at judging whether such outward
shows are manufactured or genuine, and I have no doubt that she is as genuine
as they come.
She was on the till when I went to pay for my discounted
copy of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and
I noticed how lovely she was being to a customer’s child. When it was my turn
to pay I detected a foreign sound in her voice and asked where she came from. ‘Poland,’
she whispered. So what does it say about so many people that an individual of
such apparent quality has to whisper their origins, presumably for fear of
attracting abuse? It reminded me of why I’m an internationalist at heart, and
why, if there is benefit to her being here in Britain, such benefit accrues more
to us than it does to her. I told her it was good to see her, and wished her
well.
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