"A few months," she answered, having stayed silent while he obviously thought about what she had said. "I live in New York." She was aware, too, that just because he spoke in an accent she vaguely recognized (English, and then her understanding stopped right there) didn't mean he came from a place that had an England, and, therefore, may not have a United States in which her New York existed. Still, beating around the bush or asking him if he knew New York State would just be a waste of time.

"I come here for extra time. My life is busy at home and I can relax here. Well," she amended, with a short, humourless laugh, "The past half hour being a bit of an exception."