Madi shrugged. ‘Act.’

‘Oh, come on. You’ve already done that, a thousand times over. Nothing left to prove. What else?’

‘Learn to swim.’ Madi sipped at her tea and took a Jaffa Cake from the packet Tom had just opened and waved in front of her. ‘Something I never got around to. And see the pyramids, I suppose. Finish a Times crossword without cheating. Be a better mother …’

‘And what’s been stopping you?’

‘From what?’

‘From doing all those things? There are lots of swimming classes for beginners, for older people, even women-only classes if that’s your bag. And we’re not far from the sea here. What’s to stop us going for a splash right now, if we wanted to?’

‘It would be freezing!’

‘True. Maybe not the sea then, or not today anyway. But the pyramids? A holiday to Egypt? How hard can that be to arrange? Plenty of specialist singles tour operators out there if you’re worried about going on your own. And what better time to perfect your crossword skills than on a long lazy holiday? Or buy a book to help you learn. As for the better mother thing …’

‘That’s the one I really can’t do much about, isn’t it? I was a poor mother while my son was growing up, and now I’m paying for it. I haven’t seen him, or spoken to him, in months.’

‘And why is that?’ Tom offered her another Jaffa Cake and she took it, nibbling at the edges so she could save the orange filling until last. ‘Because it’s never too late, you know. You need to fix these things while you still can. There might come a day when you realise your chance has gone. When something happens to him, or to you …’

‘You’re talking about your wife?’

‘Exactly. Not that we had any unresolved arguments to settle, but you never know when it might be the last time you see each other or spend time together, being happy, enjoying a normal life … the last time it’s possible to say what you want to say and know it’s been heard and understood. You always think there will be another day, another opportunity, and then suddenly there isn’t.’

‘Yes, I could have died, I know that, but I didn’t want to burden George with my illness. He has troubles of his own. They couldn’t have children. Or he couldn’t, apparently. And his marriage was breaking up. Probably has by now.’

‘Even more reason to talk. Sounds to me like you stopped communicating just when you needed each other the most.’

‘And what advice could I give him? About hanging on to a relationship, making a marriage work? I never married. His father was married to someone else. Hardly role models, were we? And my only pregnancy happened by accident.’

‘We all make mistakes. No son should judge his mother because of something she did, or didn’t do, years ago, before he was even born. It’s what you do now that matters.’