Once we have reached a certain age, it’s hard to be reconciled to the fact that people are always going to be impatient with us. In the past, I was never aware of the existence and meaning of gestures such as rapidly giving assent, avoiding eye contact, and repeating “yes, yes, yes” like clockwork. Or checking the time, or rubbing one’s nose—these days I fully understand this entire performance for expressing the simple phrase: “Give me a break, you old bag.”
