This story is a part of the February 17 edition of Good Weekend.See all 11 stories.
It was an otherwise ordinary day when Shane first made a noise as he sat down.
“You just ‘oofed’, ” Hayley said.
“Did I?” he said, sounding pleased.
Credit: Jim Pavlidis
He was an oofer from then on, and the further his freefalls onto soft seating, the louder he was.
Previously unassuming, he became raucous in other ways, too: his sneezes rattling windows, his yawns evoking foghorns, his laughter turning heads in restaurants.
When Hayley accused him of being performative, he quoted Dylan Thomas: “‘Do not go gentle into that good night,’ ” he said.
“You’re 36!” she scoffed. “Nevertheless,” he replied, as if that were explanation enough.
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