YOU ONLY HAVE TO ASK

He came up to me in the supermarket.
‘How are you young man?’ he said, ‘not seen you around for a while.’
‘Yeh, I’m well,’ I said. ‘I suppose you haven’t seen me because the front lift’s not in use at the moment.’
‘That’s probably it,’ he said. ‘It’s not easy, is it? without it. I don’t know why they don’t keep one of them working.’
‘The back one is working,’ I said. ‘That’s the one I use which is why we don’t meet at the moment.’
‘Oh, right, I didn’t know,’ he said. ‘I’ve been using the gate on three.’
‘Don’t you need a key?’
‘I’ve got one,’ he said. ‘Got it from the housing office. You only have to ask.’