I was in the waiting room at Swansea Bus Station waiting for the Greyhound bus to Cardiff, there had been either something wrong with me or First Bus' timetable on the internet because at that time of the day I believed there to be a bus every fifteen minutes. Anyway the bus was due to leave at 10.15 and it was only 9.30, but I had my paper with me so the waiting was not a problem. After 5 minutes an elderly gentleman arrived, sat two seats away from me and placed his paraphenalia on the seat between us. He seemed agitated and kept looking into the area outside the waiting room and sighing, later the sighing became "Oh, where is she?" I had no answer to his question and also my mind was trying to take in the latest scandal of the banking world so I successfully avoided giving a helpful answer to his question. By the time 9.40 arrived he was clearly getting increasingly worried and impatient and I was beginning to get concerned that he might soon stand up and explain in a loud voice to all and sundry how this was always happening and how his wife was such a worry to him.

But he did not.

The minutes passed by and his dearly beloved still did not appear and good heavens there is only twenty minutes before the bus goes! I began to fear a seizure was on the way. At 10 o'clock his wife appears, saunters over and sits quietly beside him.

"Where on earth have you been", he said "you've been shopping or talking to somebody I suppose."

She gave a quiet placatory answer which I didn't hear, picked up his newspaper and passed him the Saturday supplement for him to read. While her husband was still agitating she flicks through the paper and gets to the Travel Section. Clearly this is her favourite read on a Saturday and I hear little "Oohs" and "Aahs" every now and then. Her attention rests on a full page feature, she turns to her husband and says.

"Ooh look, it's Montenegro!"

He leans over and peers at it.

"Oh, yeah," he says "have we been there then?"

She looks at him and I suspect there is a hint of triumph in her face.

"Yes" she said "don't you remember, that was where we had to take you to the hospital!"

Poor man!