My time in the pool was being ruined by a group of men being competitive. Those who weren’t engaged in the race were hanging on to the sides screaming encouragement at the competitors. As I hung to the side I realised that A was doing the same. How stuffy of him to be wearing a blue shirt in the pool. At least he had removed his tie! But as he joined me to wish me happy new year, I realised I was naked. He grabbed me and, without warning, dragged me down in the warm water. Was he trying to kill me or open up my life to a whole new experience? After all, although I was scratching at him, my struggle was merely a gesture. I could actually breathe down here.

Later I met two women who were obsessed with collecting strange items. One collected mattress ticking from prisons.