The extra member of our book group was DM’s new mentee: a large woman called Sara. From now onwards, she would meet DM three hours before the start of our meetings, then join the rest of us for the dinner and chat. I wasn’t terribly keen on this arrangement, but did not voice my opinion.

I walked home with MHH, who was meeting her new boyfriend Alfred for a late evening date. Our route took us past the new opera house. Plastered across the front was a hoarding to announce the call for the new opera house president. The silhouette of the figure to represent the person sought looked suspiciously like that of DM.

Back home I discovered that TPR and I were still hosting my mother and MHH’s clone as before, plus a new lodger – Sara’s disabled son. However would five people cope with living in a flat that comprised only a small sitting room, bathroom, and kitchen the size of a small cupboard? Furthermore, why were we doing so much for this stranger called Sara?