GORDON LIGHTFOOT | Culture
POLITE ESCAPE
A 33 year old Wellington man has once again deployed the time tested phrase “we should go for a coffee sometime” after unexpectedly running into a former colleague at Moore Wilson’s on Saturday morning.
Nathan Wilkes confirmed he had not spoken to ex marketing advisor Jeremy Clarke in just over two years before the chance encounter in the olive aisle.
“It was good to see him ay,” Wilkes said. “Nothing against the bloke. Just wasn’t prepared for a full life update between the balsamic and the feta.”
Wilkes said the conversation quickly escalated from a casual “how’s things” to a detailed breakdown of Clarke’s new role, gym routine and thoughts on the property market.
“He’s a good guy,” Wilkes explained. “Very thorough. You ask how work is and you get the strategic overview.”
After approximately nine minutes, Wilkes identified what he described as “a natural gap” and moved decisively.
“I just said, ‘Mate we should go for a coffee sometime,’” he said. “It’s friendly. It’s open ended. It acknowledges the connection without locking anything in.”
Wilkes confirmed there are no current plans to schedule said coffee.
“I’ve got a lot on,” he said. “Young family. Bit flat out. You know how it is.”
Clarke later told friends he was “definitely keen to catch up properly” but had not committed to sending a DM via Linkedin.
Relationship expert and part time mediator Karen Bishop says the phrase remains one of New Zealand’s most elegant social tools.
“It signals goodwill while preserving distance,” Bishop said. “Everyone understands it, even if no one admits they do.”
Wilkes ended the interview by saying that he’ll definitely get round to thinking about setting a date at some point.
More to come.
