My stepdad’s older brother, Joe, has worked abroad for years. Divorced and single for some time, he comes to stay for a few weeks at a time when back in England. Now in his mid-fifties, he is quite good looking in a slightly gone-to-seed sort of way. His latest visit was after a gap of eighteen months, having been away on a long contract in the Middle East. Now in my last few weeks of school, I had matured into a young wo...

Andy’s older brother, Joe, had been working abroad for years. Most recently, he had been away on a two-year contract in the Middle East. When back in the country, he always came to stay with us for a few weeks at a time. On the Friday night of the latest visit, it was our youngest daughter’s sixteenth birthday, and we were due to go out for dinner to celebrate. I wore the dress Andy had bought for my fortieth birthday. Re...