The fear of being told off...

Him (suspiciously): You all right?
Me (suspiciously): Yeah. You?
Him: Yeah.

Heavy silence.

Him: It’s just, this is my flat.
Me: Oh, I’m sorry. I was just taking a picture of that handrail. Want to see?
Him: Oh, no, that’s OK. I thought you might be from the council because of the mess. Only, the mess isn’t my fault.
Me (under my breath: I quite like the mess): Oh no, it’s not that. I like the colours. Look... Oh... look, you’re in this one.
Him: That’s OK. You can take more of me if you like. You an artist?
Me: Yeah.
Him: My girlfriend’s an artist. She’s always stopping me, saying, ‘Hey, look at that light, look at that colour. Hey, I’m sorry if I sounded rude.’
Me: No, I’m sorry if I sounded rude. It’s just I’m used to being told it’s illegal to photograph, when it isn’t.

Amused silence.

Both: laugh.


I was astounded by the reaction to yesterday's. I can't be a very good judge of what people like but thank you very much.