Just make it up: 02 (London)

An octogenarian student of mine (let’s call her Susan) texted to suggest going for a meal, mentioning in the next line that her daughter was visiting from abroad between Date X and Date Y (staying with her, as usual).

    I texted back, asking for the significance of the mention, wondering (in the text to her) if it meant that we couldn’t go for lunch during that period.

    No, she texted back, we could still go for lunch, the daughter had her own plans which wouldn’t affect her going for lunch with me.

    A few days later, she texted to say that she wouldn’t be going for the monthly gathering of a social club on Sunday because of her daughter’s visit.  My immediate thought was, “But she said only a few days ago that the daughter visiting her wouldn’t make any difference to her own movements.  She’s contradicting herself.”

    Another week later, she texted to say that she wouldn’t be going for the healing session on Saturday because her daughter was visiting her.  That’s the second time she’s contradicted her first text, I thought.

    I saw her for lunch the day after the daughter left, and brought this up at one point, as I was confused about the contradiction.

    She said, “Oh, it was too complicated.  We were going to have a meal with someone on the Sunday of the social club gathering, then on the Saturday of the healing session, we were doing something else with somebody else.  I decided it was too complicated to explain why I couldn’t make it to both those occasions, so I just said it was because my daughter was visiting from abroad.”

    I said, “But you did specifically say that your daughter visiting you wouldn’t affect your movements, so wouldn’t it be better to say, ‘Long story’, instead of plucking anything out of thin air, and confusing the reader because of the contradiction??”

    Ha!  I got a text yesterday saying she had felt a huge improvement in her health after the healing session, adding, “Long story.  Will tell you when I see you.”

    It is such a simple trick I’m surprised she had to be taught it in the first place.  So I wasn’t gaslighting myself then.

(London, 2025)