Chess in Hermann Park: I lose and he nods

I was sitting at a chess table in Hermann Park on a Saturday morning, waiting for nobody, when a man sat across from me and started setting up the pieces. We played four games and I lost three. He gave me a nod after each one, including the one I won. I come back every Saturday. We have been playing for a year. I now lose two out of three. I count that as progress. He counts it as a very long lesson with a very slow student.