As I stood up to leave the library, an Indian man at the same table commented on how cold it was in the library. (It was one of the coldest days for the last decade, with the cold front — nicknamed The Beast from the East — descending on the UK, apparently triggered by a heatwave in the Arctic area.) I said I agreed with him, adding that I was surprised that with so many people in the library, their body warmth wasn’t generating more heat. He repeated his statement, as if he hadn’t heard. Huh?? I’d already agreed with him, and he couldn’t not have heard, as I’d said a whole lot of sounds, not just a one-word “Yes”. Anyway, I repeated my comment, but he carried on saying how cold it was in the library, as if I didn’t see his point and he wanted to convince me that it was indeed the case.
(London, 2018)
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