feeling listless

Life I've recently realised that ione of my defence mechanisms in situations where my existence is a problem for some random stranger is to become incredibly oblivious. The other day I was in Bolton for reason's that should be guessable for regular readers and happened to be walking and reading a Tourist Information booklet for a few seconds whilst I decided what to do next. Next thing I know, there's a woman with a push chair bellowing in my ear 'If you looked where you were going it would be a big help."

I'd imagine some people would have an answer for that or might even have apologised (although given that from what I could see she'd approached from me from behind and had essentially tailgated me until I'd allegedly got in her way and I'm not exactly hard to miss I didn't see why). Instead I ignored her and just carried on my merry way towards Boots to buy my lunch (and haven't their triple chicken sandwiches become less tasty across time?). Out of the corner of my eye I could see her glaring at me as she walked backward into a British Home Stores.

Tonight, on the bus home, the woman I was sitting next to kept glancing across to me from her book and not in the way you're thinking and certainly not in the way you'd really want. She had a slightly irritated look in her eye and I'd clearly done something to irritate her. Was I sitting too close to her? Was my mp3 player on too loud? I changed my underwear this morning and had a shower so it couldn't be that. My fly was not undone.

But she kept glancing and all I could do was pretend she wasn't. I just kept looking forward, arms crossed. Then I sneezed. And she said "Bless you." I said "Thank you." And we carried on the with same routine, the glancing, the ignoring. Then I got up and I heard her sigh in that way that says "Thank goodness for that." I'm quite happy to revel in my obliviousness, but it's actually really hard work trying not look like you don't care.