A Luxembourg City man has been forced to apologize after he once again greeted someone he doesn’t actually know, in this case, a woman walking her dog.
In his defense, Joseph Cobb claims that the woman lives in his neighborhood and that they have walked past each other hundreds of times, sometimes even solemnly acknowledging each other’s presence with a nearly imperceptible nod.
Sources have rated Cobb’s assertions as “very probable.” Still, experts say that he went too far and too fast by saying “moien.”
“To the woman whose sense of security I violated, forcing her out of her comfort zone and obliging her to mumble an insincere moien back, I’m sorry,” he said at an impromptu press conference delivered to his cat on Wednesday evening.
“It’s true that I have inhabited this land for many moons, long enough to be familiar with its people and their many unwritten rules,” he continued. “And yet I am unable to shake off some of the freakish customs of my homeland.”
Isabelle Molitor, the victim of the unwanted moien, admits that she and Cobb live on the same street and have indeed seen each other dozens of times, but she says this does not justify his misdeed.
She does say, however, that she will overlook Cobb’s offensive blunder as long as he agrees to cease any further acts of recognition.
“When we see each other, he is to walk at a steady pace and either look ahead stoically or divert his attention to his phone,” she said. “In the future, we may engage in light and meaningless chit chat, but that is only if we find ourselves stuck in a confined space, such as being trapped in an elevator or stairwell during an earthquake.”
Although Molitor’s indignation may seem excessive to newcomers, especially those coming from countries where sunshine spills out from even the sidewalk cracks, for residents of Luxembourg and the Greater Region, her response is considered healthy.
Experts remind foreigners that just because they happen to reside in the same area or live in the same apartment building as someone, that does not mean they need to do anything about it. It is pure happenstance and means nothing, they say.
