And my mother came across that ballroom in front of two hundred people and took hold of my wrist and said, with her hostess smile still completely intact:
Not here. These people are donors.
I met Tamsin in the November.
She had not asked to meet me. Her solicitor asked whether she would like to and she said she would think about it, and it took nine days.
I did not bring a cheque. There is money now — properly, through the process, and separately from me — and I am not going to write about it because it is hers.
And the surgical window is gone. A cheque does not buy a year back. Anybody who has ever needed something at a particular time knows that.
We talked for about two hours, mostly about other things. She is funny. She is much funnier than I am.
