Annoying People Sitting Next To Me

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I did some errands in Hyde, Manchester today, after another frustrating job interview. It was a warm sunny afternoon, so I sat on a vacant bench in the Town Hall Square. I ate my sandwiches and I’d just taken a book out to read when an old lady asked if she could sit down there too. I was happy for her to do so, but had I seen five minutes into the future I might have been less inclined to welcome her. She fidgeted like crazy and eventually decided to get a cup of tea from a nearby vendor. She asked me to guard her shopping, which I was happy to do, though as puzzled as ever when someone trusts a complete stranger to stop complete strangers stealing all their things. She returned with her coffee and asked me where I’d got my food. I pointed to the shop across the square. She decided she would get herself one and asked me again to watch her bags. I realized I’d be there all day as she carried on buying more stuff if I let her so I told her I was going soon. She decided she didn’t want a sandwich anyway, but then she dropped her coffee in its plastic cup, spilling lukewarm coffee over herself and partly over me too. I finished my food and moved away as quickly as I could. I so wish I’d been able to keep the bench to myself. Arthur Chappell