Having a date with someone other than your ex-wife after being a married man for more than twenty five years was an important occasion alright, but wearing a tie she bought with such strong emotional value attached to it was a form of cowardice, a subconscious reluctance to let go.

The face of self-pity was universally understood.

Minding his own business had been his motto living in a strange foreign country with a world-recognized social issue of failing morals.