‘Indeed. Sometimes bad things just happen, a part of life. Loved ones die, move on, meet someone else.’

‘Thing is, what if I’ve met the right one then ruined it all by this subconscious attitude that I have?’

‘Is that what you think has happened?’

‘I’m not sure, but the idea of that has made me think, and my friend Marcia won’t let it drop.’

‘How’s that made you feel?’

‘Pressured to do something about it, to a certain degree, and the session with Saranya Ji, she was the psychic, was a birthday present. I’d hurt Marcia’s feelings if I dismissed it all.’

‘What else did this psychic say?’

‘I … It sounds insane.’

‘Believe me, I’ve heard it all in here. Whatever you tell me is in the strictest confidence, plus the more direct we are with each other, the more you will get out of the sessions. I am not here to persuade you into anything. I am here to guide and to help.’

‘Saranya Ji said that in a previous life, I was …’ I filled him in on the whole story, ‘so if there’s any truth in any of it and if I am to find this man now, how will I know him? I find myself looking at everyone from the cab driver to the postman and thinking: is it you? But he could be in Australia or married and I might as well not waste my time. Really, I don’t know what to think or do.’

Simon nodded and looked thoughtful. ‘I can understand your dilemma – what to believe? But from what I’ve read and witnessed here with clients, it does appear that souls are reborn in clusters.’

‘Clusters?’

‘In families, groups of friends, bound together through time; maybe because of unfinished business, so the chances are that he isn’t too far away or that you have already come across him. A daughter may be a mother in another life or a grandparent may return as a son.’

‘Really? That sounds far-fetched to me, or wishful thinking.’

‘Why not? We don’t actually know a lot about where we’ve come from or how we got here, do we? But haven’t you ever had that feeling when you’ve met someone: that they’re familiar; like you’ve met them before but can’t place them?’

‘I did with my friend Marcia. I think she’s hoping that the search for Billy and Grace might lead to me finding a soulmate.’

‘I see. You do know that if you do find him, he might not be what you expect. A soulmate can be the one to teach you the hardest lessons; someone who challenges as well as cherishes you. It might not all be candles and roses, because a meeting of an equal soul may confront you, press all your buttons.’