Monday, October 1, 2012: At Sea

I am reminded this morning that Mr. Matsushita’s wife is not so retiring after all. At the silk shop yesterday, she stopped at the cashier because she saw I was carrying a bag so I had obviously made a purchase. The shop’s policy was that if you spent over a certain amount, you got a free scarf. She had made a purchase, too, but the total was not enough for a scarf. So she asked me to loan her my receipts so that when added to hers, the total would be enough for the scarf. I was happy to comply. But when I boarded the bus, I wondered if I would have asked for her receipts so I could have received the free scarf. The answer was no, I could not have been that forward.

Today was another lazy day. I spent most of it on deck in the shade reading and napping. I was quite content to do nothing more than go for tea.

I ran into Julie at the bar and we had a drink together but she was meeting friends for dinner so I dined alone. At the table next to mine, the husband spent much of the meal on his cell phone while his poor wife ate and looked into the middle distance. I wonder about their marriage.

During the day, I added Rosanne and Steve, from Toronto, to my list of new acquaintances. He has just retired from being the executive director of the associated Jewish charities in the Toronto area and seemed to know Baltimore but was not famliar with any of Baltimore’s prominent Jewish philanthropists. Odd. I also spoke, briefly, to Rod and Kara, an older couple from Australia, obvious by their accent.

And so to bed.

Stay tuned.