I know I have written about incidents like this on here before, although not for quite a while. I was in Costa earlier, just for a cappuccino. I just go there once or twice a week: the staff there are friendly, and now know my coffee preferences quite well. I was sat in my usual spot, on the bench seat which runs along one side of the cafe, eating a cheese toastie. A few minutes into my meal a lady came to sit next to me. Not that it matters, but she was wearing a tight headscarf, and I would guess she was from North Africa. She sat down, but looking to her right she saw me and immediately got up again to go to another table.

I couldn’t help feeling extremely hurt: she didn’t say anything, but looked at me with such distain; the way she changed seats so soon after seeing me made me feel like she thought I was somehow contagious. I know that she may not have meant it that way, but when things like this happen I can’t help but feel hurt. It may have been some kind of cultural misunderstanding on either of our parts of course, but I’m sure anyone else would have felt just as hurt. Do I really smell that bad? Do I look so filthy? Would she have walked away so contemptuously if I wasn’t drinking my coffee through a straw? As I said, similar things have happened to me before, but such behaviour always makes me feel really unwelcome.