A certain friend of mine, let’s call her Alice, has been having some work done on her house. Last week a tradesman asked her why such an attractive and vivacious woman didn’t have a partner.

I said to Alice “Well, that was a bit flirty!”

“No, I don’t think so,” said Alice, “It was just a nice caring comment.”

Later in the conversation Alice revealed that the tradesman (a visiting tradesman, not a friend or colleague…) had also asked her for a hug.

“Oh really?” said I. “And that’s not flirting?”

“It was just a nice caring hug.”

Even later in the conversation Alice revealed that the tradesman had given her another hug.

“O-k-a-a-a-y…”

This morning Alice said to me in an email: “To add to the conjecture as to ‘flirting’ or ‘caring’, I’m still thinking he was ‘caring’.”

So I told Alice I would pass the matter over to the wisdom of the Cow readers for comment.

Flirting or Caring? Let the Hive Mind of The Cow decide!