July 1, 2019
I was hurrying along my street this morning when I saw two men outside a house with an enormous tree. I stopped to say how much I love the tree. The man standing next to the gate seemed taken aback by the compliment. He mumbled something about its size.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘It’s magnificent.’
Again, he seemed uncomfortable.
I upped the ante. ‘It lifts the spirits,’ I said. ‘I admire it every time I walk past your house.’
The man finally found his voice. ‘Please don’t say that in front of him,’ he said, pointing to the other man. ‘He’s from the council and I’m trying to convince him that I need to cut it down. It’s too big and is damaging my wall.’