Introduction to Jameson.

Let me introduce you to one of our regulars.
Jameson is a Chinese student, studying at Uni here. Story is, he mailed Katherine asking to be able to rent a room at The Apple for two whole years while he was at Uni. Katherine tried to discourage him, pointing out that renting a room for that length of time, even at a discounted price, would be far more expensive than just finding a flat, but he was adamant. He asked to come and stay for a night to try the place out - he evidently liked it here, as he's now at an agreement to book in one term at a time, and is settled in.

When I first met Jameson, I'd already heard a little about him. In the first day he came to live here, he came to talk to Katherine about one thing or another quite a few times, making Katherine dispair of getting any peace. He asked to use his own bed sheets, and seemed put out when Katherine pointed out that, seeing as The Apple's pure white, crisp bed linen is washed and supplied by a local laundry, he'd have to do his own sheet washing. Having heard a little about him, I was curious to find out what this student who'd asked to live at a guest house was like. The impression I got of him when I served him breakfast one morning, was, well, effeminate. He had a habit of avoiding making eye contact, and held his hand up near his mouth when he spoke, like a shy Victorian girl just bought out into society. His breakfast order was peppered with ums and erms, and he smiled at me hesitantly, as if I was going to bite him.

Now he's settled in more. When he comes down for breakfast, he always sits either in the centre of the breakfast room, or on the right hand side next to the door. He orders his breakfast as if he's rehearsed it, and eats yogurt and banana while waiting for it arrive, concentrating his attention on a book or paper covered with mathmatical equations that he's invariably brought down with him. He always jumps when I come with his plate, and hurridly moves his book out of the way for me, and says thankyou with a smile.

Since the internet incident, we're almost on chatting terms. I shall explain the internet incident. Usually when room service and cleaning starts at 10am, the guests have left either the guest house to go on their way, or their rooms to go to work or touristing. It's easiest to do your side one floor at a time, and to go through and clean each room one at a time, then hoover them all at the end. Therefore the doors of all the rooms on one floor are propped open at one time, to make manuvering the hoover etc easier. I came out of one of the rooms I was cleaning, and nearly tripped over a laptop lead stretched across the hallway. Jameson (whose room was at that point in the other side of the guest house) was sat cross legged on the floor in one of the other guest's rooms with his laptop, tapping away at the keyboard, a look of concentration on his face. So as not to be noticed by him, I tiptoed down the stairs, and went to ask Katherine if she had any idea what on earth he was doing. It turned out she's given him permission to go and find the room that had the best and fastest internet connection. So for the rest of my cleaning, Jameson followed me around with his laptop, checking each room, till he latched onto one and sat in the centre of it, in the middle of all the other guest's belongings, until I powered up the hoover.
Two days later, he moved into that room, and has seemed pretty content ever since.