I tried to make conversation with him, but his almost surreal lack of charisma made this difficult. He seemed like the sort of guy who needed to clear his throat to get his reflection to come to the mirror. He was maybe a bit overwhelmed by the melee that was developing around us, and I could sympathise. I used to have a kind of flat-pack, outgoing personality that I could throw together to get through family occasions and stuff, but over the years I seemed to have lost a few screws and bolts.
