It had been a long day. Paul had gone to bed, and I was sitting on the sofa in my dressing gown, drinking another sherry. I wasn't entirely sure how many I had drunk, but there was a distinct sway to the room. We had been and collected the turkey, and that was all prepped in the oven, ready to cook in the morning. We had peeled potatoes, scraped parsnips and carrots, shelled sprouts, and made stuffing balls. The table was...

Paul was at work, and I had a day off. I decided to pop round and check on Dad. Since I was up to date with the laundry and had a casserole quietly cooking for tea, I felt prepared. I had a few hours spare, and seeing Dad was a wonderful way to fill them. I showered, put on clean underwear and a dress and flat shoes, and I was ready. I grabbed my keys and phone, locked the house and set off for Dad's. He lived just a few...

Jill lives next door; she is married to Jim. We had agreed that we would go to Meadowhall, a shopping mall near to Sheffield. We wanted some new outfits; it would soon be spring, and the summer clothes would be gone from the shops. It was now or never. Jill was driving; I was navigating. Meadowhall isn’t that difficult to find; it is bigger than some villages and is signposted from the motorway, but Jill liked to be direc...