The British are very polite; everyone knows that. And they are. Except, perhaps, for a few bank tellers. The fact that it had taken me a year to get my name on my husband's pre-existing account notwithstanding, when the moment came for it to be all "sorted" as the British say--once and for all--I threw a spanner into the process by being cheeky. I didn't mean to; it resulted just from a misunderstanding. And, indeed, the glitch really made no difference to my finally being able to access our funds. No, rather it was a painful reminder that while the British have a sense of humor, it doesn't extend to unintended slights.

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