Sanctuary and solidarity in Waterstones

Image: Tripadvisor

I enjoyed sitting n Waterstones cafe waiting for a friend yesterday and turned to listening and looking. 

It seemed to me that the place was a sanctuary: a hiding place. 

Women in scarves; teenagers with headphones on. A remnant people seeking shelter from all the chaos and misery outside amongst shelves of ordinance survey maps and ‘indoor games’. 

I liked the fact there were clearly tables for one: one chair where people could resolutely sit and think or work without a societal pretence of being sociable. 

The staff were cheery, joking with customers in the queue, who spoke to each other. We clutched our loyalty cards: members of a community of strangers who had somehow found our way home.