I have read that the volcano Vesuvius suffered six paroxysmal eruptions in the nineteenth century

In 1839 1850 1855 1861 1868 and 1872

I believe the next one was in 1906

What has this got to do with the Brompton Road Nelly

Nothing at all

Then why bring it up

Do you know that the Brompton Road runs from Knightsbridge to the Fulham Road

Yes I live here

Your parents are quite well off are they not

You could say that

Daddy owns a publishing house

You should know that as you work there

Have your parents ever climbed Vesuvius

I am not sure I know that they have visited Pompeii

Look over there

Where

By the coffee shop

What am I supposed to be looking at

That cyclist that chap in yellow was pushed off his bike by the man in the black car

Why did he do that

I am not sure

Probably road rage

Is the cyclist okay

He looks to be anyway he has attracted a crowd

The cops will be called

But nothing will happen

Do you know that if you over cook or over boil vegetables the vegetable salts will be lost

My mother taught me to be gentle with vegetables

Do you know that the square root of 1253 is to eight decimal places 35.39774004

How do you know that as you normally terrible at sums

Somebody had written in on the junction box near the tube station

And you remembered it fully

I wrote it in my diary

You do not keep a diary

In a parallel universe I keep a diary

In a parallel universe the cyclist would not have been knocked off his bike

Do you like pampas grasses

I have never really thought about it

Mummy had some in our Richmond garden

Yes I remember them

They were brought to Europe from South America and New Zealand

My brother told me a joke about vegetables

Tommy or Tim

Tommy

Then it is probably distasteful

It is

Do you want to hear it

Not really

What part of a vegetable can you not eat

What vegetable

It does not matter

The core or the leaves or the skin

You have not specified the vegetable so I have no geography

The wheelchair

The wheelchair

That is a sick joke Nelly

I know but you are smiling

Shut up

You are you are smiling

Fuck off I am not

At this time if I believed in coincidence then a troubled person in a wheelchair would pass us and you would feel ashamed

I have looked on both sides of the street but I cannot see any wheelchairs

Lots of buses and people but no wheelchairs

What are you doing this weekend

Popping down to the coast to see Jayne

I need some sea air

London is so grubby

I shower twice a day bit still feel grubby

What are you doing Cathy

Studying for my exams

When are they

June

Not long then

I feel that I have not even started

You will pass them

I wish I had your confidence

All my friends pass exams that is why I befriend them

Kisses

What

Kisses

I can see Phillip waiting for me

He is so loyal

You do not deserve him

Kisses

See you on Tuesday

I will be by the tube station as normal

Same time same place

Kisses

Enjoy the sea

I will

Give my love to your parents