The Art of Waiting - 2

My mum has just gone into the surgery, so I have all the time in the world to gaze at the reflection of the window in the framed print of the hollyhocks.

Why do I like it so much? I'll tell you. Everything framed within the window is of pleasing and regular proportions. There is, at the bottom, a section of metal grid, formed in regular squares. Above it, the triangular curve of a sailcloth over the path outside. Behind the sailcloth are several branches, bare except for four leaves outlined against the clear blue sky. Higher still, four electrical wires are strung musically from left to right, and a fat little Dusky Seaside Sparrow sits on the topmost one.

In addition, there is a paper sticker in the lower left corner of the window, and the sticker says NO CASH. The sticker is on the outside of the window, to deter potential thieves, as if the metal grid would not be enough. If I were looking directly at the window, the letters of the words NO CASH would be reversed. But because I am looking at a reflection of the window in the glass, the letters are reversed twice, and so NO CASH appears the right way round.

At first I do not realise this is interesting. But suddenly I realise that it is, because it is an example of that branch of science known as optics.

I've been sketching this, remember? I haven't even drawn the wires and sparrow when my mum appears. That was quick, she says. I didn't even need to have any stitches.

Momentarily, I wish that it had taken longer.