Jip’s reaction to visitors may be changing slowly. Until a few months ago, she rejected most people’s offers to drop by. If guests came over unexpectedly, she often deflected their attempts at conversation, or made it clear that she wanted to get back to her schedule.
When I knew in advance that someone would arrive, I usually didn’t warn her. That way, she didn’t have time to think of all the reasons why she didn’t want company. Sometimes she had a good time in spite of herself.
Jip hardly said a word about my parents staying with us when they were here not long ago. Then we had a call from a couple Jip hadn’t seen since the mid-‘80s. They came over with old pictures that looked familiar. (Sure enough, I found a near perfect match for one of them in a photo album of ours. Clearly it had been taken on the same day.) These folks stayed more than two hours—a Bangkok record—and Jip hardly stopped talking the whole time.
If you asked her, Jip would still say she prefers an extremely consistent routine. But now and then she can deal with little swerves and surprises.
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