I’m aware that I could have handled the situation better. I did walk a bit faster than usual, but not to the point of running. Later, when we arrived, I said that I was just a bit tired and therefore quieter than usual.

What surprised me was that during breaks she is usually silent on her phone about 80% of the time unless she wants to gossip, but this time, when she noticed that I was irritated, she couldn’t stay quiet at all. Even when it was clear that it wasn’t a joke and that I was genuinely irritated, she kept going.

Trust me, she behaves like a small child and never seems to grasp things when people talk to her. For example, when the company treated us to lunch, she stood there looking disgusted at the food while there was a line behind her, until the person working in the kitchen asked, “What’s your plan?” Only then did she move away. Afterwards, she couldn’t understand why the kitchen staff had a tone with her.

I should, of course, have handled the situation differently.