Yesterday evening a man was very frustrated on a bicycle beside me about a rowing machine. I attempted to calm his agitation since he was effin and blinding in my sweaty ear. He replied to my mild suggestion that he consult staff about his agitation that he might as well go home and commit suicide. He took off a toute vitesse and my trail of “don’t say such a thing” uttered, tripping at 5.7 miles an hour was lost and ineffectual.

It was a very extreme reaction to an impediment with rowing. But somehow I wasn’t quite ready and able to respond to it.

The worst of it was there was a woman working in the facility who is the most helpful person on the planet, but she was round the corner and didn’t witness his outburst.

Is it my imagination but are the most helpful women in the world regularly called Mary?