Men
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
This cafe is full of older men. Retired. Or lone laptop typers, like me, habitues with a coffee and a scone or a sandwich. Who knows what we’re writing, if anything. Sometimes on a sofa, one of us will doze off, head dipping and the thumb on his phone creaking to a stop in its scrolling, the screen darkening ten seconds later. A few moments later, one of the very Gen Z staff, frequently androgynous (and we know we’re not meant to use that word any more) will cough tactfully. And then again, louder if necessary. It’s quiet here. Safe.