‘Why say exhilarating when you can say sexy?’ she asked him. ‘Because an arts festival isn’t sexy.’ ‘And you want to know why that is? Because you insist on using words like exhilarating.’ ‘What’s wrong with it?’ ‘It’s indirect language.’ ‘There’s nothing indirect about exhilaration.’ ‘There is the way you say it.’ ‘Could we try for a compromise with exuberance?’ he asked, without any. ‘Could we try for a compromise with you getting another job?’
