I spent last Sunday in Dublin between the BT Young Scientist's and a small bit of retail therapy. I've learned that retail therapy doesn't work on me the same way it does most people. I spent nearly €26 on books in Eason's which is something I never do. And I really don't need any of those books. I love reading and I want to spend more time reading this year but I feel guilty about spending so much money on unnecessaries. (Not to mention the amount of unread books I already have.) Especially with the amount of homeless people I saw on the streets of Dublin. They have to beg to have enough money to buy themselves a meal because no one will employ them because they can't provide a home address. It's a vicious circle. And here I am walking past them in my River Island shoes carrying a bag of paperbacks that will just continue to pile up on my shelves. It makes me want to give away everything I own. Live with the bare essentials. But I concede, I am a hypocrite.
My mum, my sister and I had lunch in a tiny, sardine-tin of a cafe with tables that came just above our knees and obstructively wide armchairs. My sister and I ended up squeezing into two seats just adjacent to a corner table on my left at which a young woman was immersed in a book and a hot beverage of some kind. My mother sat in the chair opposite her as it was the only remaining one in the shop. There were about two inches between our two tables and a small aisle just wide enough for a person to pass down between my table and another on the right. Try to picture us in this squashed little room that smelled of coffee and paper and cakes. Are you jealous yet?
Anyway at this particular table to my right there was seated an elderly woman also reading a book. A few moments after we had settled down a man arrived with two beverages and a slice of fruit cake placing them on her table. He then asked her if she took sugar or milk in her beverage which I assume was tea or coffee, I wasn't paying full attention at that point. She took it black though whatever it was. This was the first thing that struck me as strange about this couple, they clearly weren't well acquainted. This became even more apparent when they began speaking. The woman had a vaguely American accent but it wasn't as strong as if she had lived in the country her whole life so I'd wager she moved there in her adult life. From their conversation, which was not a comfortable encounter, I gathered that the man had a daughter who worked in writing educational textbooks somewhere in Ireland and that the woman also had a niece in the same line of work. The woman talked a little about Florida where she lived and the weather and all those boring things that must be discussed before getting down to the important business. I'd take a guess and say that she had come home to Ireland for a funeral perhaps but I'm really just chancing my arm, if I'm honest.
I unfortunately did not stay long enough to learn what reason they had met up for. Damn those civilised people and their small talk.
Anyway at this particular table to my right there was seated an elderly woman also reading a book. A few moments after we had settled down a man arrived with two beverages and a slice of fruit cake placing them on her table. He then asked her if she took sugar or milk in her beverage which I assume was tea or coffee, I wasn't paying full attention at that point. She took it black though whatever it was. This was the first thing that struck me as strange about this couple, they clearly weren't well acquainted. This became even more apparent when they began speaking. The woman had a vaguely American accent but it wasn't as strong as if she had lived in the country her whole life so I'd wager she moved there in her adult life. From their conversation, which was not a comfortable encounter, I gathered that the man had a daughter who worked in writing educational textbooks somewhere in Ireland and that the woman also had a niece in the same line of work. The woman talked a little about Florida where she lived and the weather and all those boring things that must be discussed before getting down to the important business. I'd take a guess and say that she had come home to Ireland for a funeral perhaps but I'm really just chancing my arm, if I'm honest.
I unfortunately did not stay long enough to learn what reason they had met up for. Damn those civilised people and their small talk.
