“Of course I don’t forget to eat, I cook for myself every day! She flew at me.
Ooops, wrong tone in my question, so easily done.
“Yesterday I cooked a chicken and roast potatoes and some vegetable just the way I have always done.” She said almost crossly.
“Oh that’s wonderful” I said, “I love to cook for my family but don’t always have the time now that I work”. “May I have a glass of water?” I ask the lady of the house.
“Of course my dear” she says so sweetly as she gets to her feet and heads to the kitchen.
I follow her, and as I step through the door I notice the most enormous dead plant resting in the sink.
It has been the only occupant of that place in many a week by the looks of things.
“Oh we have plants in common too” I exclaim. “Is this chap having a holiday?”
“I do this too, I pop them in the sink while I go to work, it’s a bit like self watering” I laugh and my lady laughs too.
I look around the room.
It has been many months since any food has been prepared here and many weeks since any of the cups on the side have been washed in this sink.
We talk about the plants, their names, their likes and dislikes until my request for water has been forgotten.
I leave with the promise to return again to help with the watering and pruning.