When they arrive, he never asks, but he gets told anyway.
The shocking weather and the exorbitant price of fuel, as icebreakers. He gives a friendly grunt. Then comes the heavy stuff. They talk about the neighbour’s dog that continually barks in the evening or the boy bullying their daughter at school or how their son-in-law lost yet another job because of his drinking. The listener just pulls a face, grunts and nods. Then there’s their sister’s marriage break up. He’s always pleased to see you and understands better than most why you’re there. Of course, he has stories of his own, like how his brother-in-law won a small sum on the lottery, just enough to take the family out to dine at a swanky restaurant and how well behaved his two kids were and how much they all enjoyed it. But, you’ll never hear about that.
No, the one-sided chatter continues while he’s busy with his scissors, they just keep on snipping.
He never asks, he just grunts. But he always listens.