24 September - Women, they talk too much

The social interaction of women is just bizarre. We all know that men say v. little and we rage about it but the opposite is not ideal either. Am at a yoga class in a place I never go to but they have one at the right time I need one so I go. At the end of it I glance at a tall blonde woman who reminds me of a friend of mine but isn’t that person. The woman comes over and says 'hello Lisa' and I am stuck for who she may be. She says her name and that I went for dinner at her house a few months back. Ah yes, she’s E. friend of the BF and indeed it was dinner for four so you’d think I’d recognise her but no, she had left my mind completely though she’s interesting, has lived in Angola of all places, has travelled, and was very welcoming. Now am scrambling my brain to remember name of her son (I can’t) and boyfriend (I can’t) or ex husband (I can’t). I make some excuse about not recognising her because it’s out of context, I never come here, blah blah.

Anyway, she says we should exchange numbers, we do and as we walk into the changing room she carries on telling me she’s moved, sold high, now she’s renting behind the new organic place in high st ken, a small house for her and her son who’s 5, she doesn’t say the name and goes on to say that she would really like to move out of town to where Jeremy lives in Cambridgeshire (he was at the dinner and was perfectly lovely but can't remember him or waht he does) but they had a falling out, and they’d only being going out less than a year and it was too much stress selling and moving and she didn’t want to go to the countryside immediately. She fills me in on his children (2 adults but one has failed A levels so still lives at home, the other is mentally disabled so will forever be living with father) and it would complicate things/access to her child by ex husband who’s much older and very possessive and will not let her go (well er, he funds her life still to a major extent so I guess if she could not depend on his money, he would be unable to control her) and she’s starting a new book -tk god she doesn't elaborate, I do remember photographs come into her life, but she needs a PA just for a few hours because it’s all too much and now she’s back with Jeremy but they’ve not seen each other that much and I swear to god all this came at me in in five mins as we’re both in a hurry to get to restaurants where friends are waiting for us. I say as little as possible as I have a pathological dislike of people who have clearly audible to everyone else conversations in changing rooms. I have a work colleague who I go to the gym with and she's confident and in possession of a loud voice, and will be heard by everyone talking to me (me, not answering, hoping she stops) about stuff to do with us/co-workers etc. However talking aloud in an enclosed space can be useful because suddenly the yoga teacher who’s putting her jacket on pipes up that she’s hired a recently graduated MA student for £8 an hour (crikey this is cheaper than my friend’s Portuguese cleaner at £10) to do a few things for her and so she gives E. her number as possible part time PA. E. tells me we should have dinner again etc etc and I say yes of course and will call you, but I know I don’t want to.

What is it with women, why do we constantly need to talk about our lives and in such great detail, to new women? I have come to this class to just stretch and disappear in the crowd of yogis I don’t know and don’t give a jolt for and now I have an open invite to dinner which in reality is an invite to talk and listen. And I don't know who reads all those real life stories in those ghastly weekly magazines but I don't! And I cannot be rude to her as she’s acquaintance of the BF who, being a bloke, has no commitment to speak to her more than a few times a year. Oh no! However, I did at least compliment her on her beautiful coat and was mildly jealous that her dinner with g/friend was at nearby Kensington Place which is a short walk from where she lives/lived her strangely gilded but not quite satisfying life.