Overheard on a London Bus

One of the joys of being in England is that I can eavesdrop without effort, since everyone is speaking my native tongue. I sat on the bus tonight, listening to a young couple behind me.

She was talking, in a lovely Scottish accent, about just how hard she works, how she often gets up before 5am to get to the office, and that she is so invested in her job that she "hasn't read a novel all year".

What a thrill, I thought from the seat in front - someone bemoaning the fact that her life is so busy she hasn't had a chance to read!

But then I was immediately seized by the urge to turn around and say, "What about short stories? You've got time for short stories!" and to thrust a Short Review postcard into her hand.

Luckily, I restrained myself. I remembered that the British - well, Londoners, really - don't expect strangers to butt into their conversations, and that my behaviour might have been seen as a form of insanity. So I said nothing. A missed opportunity? If you're out there, woman from the number 91 to Crouch End, read a short story!