AT A meeting, the minute you saw this particular colleague covering his eyes with his hand, you knew the next thing would be him asleep. It followed as day follows night, at least if you’d been around him a lot. He was a great man for drifting off. On the other hand, people at the meeting who were not familiar with him would have assumed the hand over the eyes signified he was concentrating fiercely on the issue being discussed.
As the discussion progressed, and if someone called out his name, seeking his opinion, he would slowly wipe his face with his hand and think for a moment. Then he would say something like: “It’s what’s behind your question that’s significant.”
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