Sick

I’ve been coughing for two days, and have a fever today. I must have caught it at the Pykes’, while repainting their damp, cold basement. I had the idea of going in sick and working mechanically, very peacefully. Big mistake… Mrs. Pyke was visibly scunnered and followed me around with attention, offering me bland cups of tea and wee home-made biscuits with a strange stoory aftertaste . All this attention had one aim: opening up a “little chat”. Happily she had this with herself, yapping away on lots of different subjects, none of which interested me at all. My participation was limited to some cleverly thrown-in noises : an “oh” here, a “really?” there, as well as a few “aye, of course” - all very convincing. I heard about the recent installation of those famous « intelligent lamp-posts » in Dundee, operating with solar energy and also serving for WiFi relay. Mrs. Pyke was indignant about the eventual replacement of our good old public lighting, and already saw our modest wee village invaded by awful pylons, bringing those new technologies for which she had a certain defiance that almost bordered on repulsion. Of course I didn’t tell her that I was in favour – I didn’t want to hurt her, or to run headfirst into a sterile debate. All the same, she made me lose valuable time, and I’ll have to go back to finish it. Today I don’t have the necessary courage or strength. I’ll call her, cough down the phone and make my excuses – I’m sure she’ll understand. I don’t think I’ll feel guilty…