Irony

Robbie got himself into a strop on the phone on Monday. He rang in part to ask if I was going to the supermarket and I said that I hoped not to go because I had a lot of work to do and I wanted to get it finished. He said that he needed to get some bagels, cream cheese and salmon for his lunches this week because I hadn't bought them at the week end. I suggested that he could buy them in Birmingham, because if he chose to stay out all weekend on a 'jolly' I didn't think it was my job to do his errands for him. Almost as soon as I had put the phone down it rang again and it was Robbie asking if I needed anything since he now had to go shopping. I said no thank you and I thought no more of it. Yesterday I was going to the supermarket and shortly before I went Robbie rang again and asked me to get the same things, I expressed surprise in view of his phone call on Monday. His response was "Oh, that was irony" - he will have to try a bit harder next time because that was lost on me!