Tuesday, 28 September 2021

Accepting the Visitor.

There was a young woman in my bedroom this morning. Did I become breathless and weak at the knees? No. Did I become excited and begin to tremble uncontrollably? No. I took it all in my stride, maintaining a laudable degree of equanimity in spite of the fact that no other young woman has crossed that hallowed threshold in the fifteen years I’ve lived here. I didn’t even need to make any effort, and so it would appear to be true that old habits do, indeed, die hard.

You will no doubt have surmised that it was the land agent come to check whether my place of abode is a fit and proper habitation for a denizen of the 21st century to lay his head at night (I didn’t get around to mentioning that I’m somewhat removed from being a denizen of the 21st century, and she didn’t ask, so I think I managed to keep my reputation intact.) ‘Do the taps work,’ was what she did ask. ‘Yes.’

As she was leaving I decided to grill her gently, and maybe a little surreptitiously, in order to establish an opinion as to whether she is a nice person. I got the impression that she is, so she can come again if she wants to.

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