Mum finished the crossword without me and left it folded on my place at the table with a little note saying she had needed no assistance. I was amused, then rather put out, which is a ridiculous response to a crossword. I had been looking forward to sitting down with her after a slow afternoon at the shop. She offered to find another puzzle, but that was not quite it and I could not explain without making her feel she had done something wrong. We talked about her afternoon instead. She had plenty to tell me. Mine improved while I was listening, though I did still check the down answers after she went to bed. All correct, unfortunately.

I walked home from the shop by the longer route because the evening was mild and I had spent most of the afternoon at the machine. At first my head still wanted to lean forward, as though there were a seam to examine on the pavement. After a few blocks I was looking at the houses instead. The right side of my neck remained tight, but my legs felt better for moving. I stopped outside a garden with a bench and noticed I was hungry enough to want supper, not just another coffee. Mum had left the kitchen window open. I could hear the radio before I reached the door, and took my shoes off slowly because my feet had warmed up inside them.

A customer asked whether we could copy the fit of his old trousers without copying their shape. I nearly said those were the same thing, but he meant the ease of moving in them, not how wide they looked in a photograph. I had him show me where the new pair felt wrong and the question became much clearer. I have been doing this long enough that I sometimes hear the familiar words before the person has finished explaining. He did not know the word rise, but he knew exactly what happened when he sat down. I made a note in his ticket so I will remember that part. The measurements alone would not have reminded me what he was asking for.