We’ll be quite a crowd tomorrow. Ivy wanted a party, and as Chanel said, Why not? It’s not as if we have anything to hide. Ivy made a guest list, and we spoke to everyone on it. They all expressed support for Ivy’s decision and admiration at our courage. People from her old walking group will be coming along, as well as several line-dancing seniors. Thuy is getting an early flight from Hobart, and the girl from the food bank will be catching a train from Ballarat – she settled in a storage unit there when the rent at the Melbourne facility drove her out.

Ivy wanted to tell Mel that she’d be taking the Amendment, and have Mel and Dene attend her Joyful Occasion on Zoom. We had to point out that strong emotions could destabilise Mel, who’s immersed in her all-important final project. The concept is Reimagining Chartres Cathedral, and she’s working 24/7 on a really innovative design for a multistorey shopping centre.

That still left the question of Sydney. Chanel and I discussed our options. We could send him a message via Astrid. But Sydney is sure to be against the Amendment since he opposes the government on principle. It was more than likely that his community would share his views. They might all feel compelled to travel down to Melbourne together, seizing an opportunity for shaking the grass. Chanel and I pictured a yurt city in Spumante Court, media and dissenting healthcare workers alerted, placards and cameras at every window. Sydney would sit beside Ivy, scratch himself and talk, the maddening slowness of his speech adding weight to his words. It was quite possible that, just to please him, Ivy would change her mind.

In the end, we advanced the same reason for not inviting Sydney as we had for Mel – it would be too wrenching, we told Ivy. ‘You know that we all love you dearly,’ said Chanel. ‘But Sydney is the really sensitive one. Your Joyful Occasion could throw him badly off kilter. He’s so close to getting his doctorate – you wouldn’t want to jeopardise that, would you?’ Ivy considered this. She said, ‘We could postpone everything until he’s finished his studies.’ But she sounded uncertain, and that was when I came up with my brilliant idea.

‘Let’s video the whole thing,’ I suggested. ‘Every minute, first to last. The children can watch it when the time’s right. You could begin with a message to each of them. It’ll make a really special keepsake.’