And good luck with that, I thought. ‘Very wise,’ I said, inclining my head to show humility. Lyric stared at me. Their eyes are bird’s eyes. They survey me from a life apart.

On Tuesday morning, when Russ was supposed to be back at work, he called. He asked if I’d check a PowerPoint presentation that he was due to give that afternoon – right now he had to take Prada to Tadpoles. What if she got into difficulties in the pool? The Moldovan couldn’t even dog paddle.

I mentioned the matter of his password (it’s Babygirl16). ‘Yeah, saw that message,’ said Russ. ‘Seems to be a fetish with Lyric. That kind has issues, Porsche tells me. There’s one at that wine bar she used to like.’ A child screamed in the background. ‘Got to run, mate. But no worries. I’ll have a word with Lyric.’

The next time I used Russ’s password, Lyric didn’t react. What could they do? They could report the incident to Security, and after that? The head of Security reported to Russ’s brother-in-law. Not so long ago Lyric was competing with all the other overqualified overachievers for casual hours at the warehouses of megastores. It’s unlikely that they’d want to find themselves back there.

When the Amendment passed into law a few years ago, I saw the news that evening. There’d been another protest outside parliament – health professionals and the usual socialists, and a small band of Christians hoisting placards that promised dire Biblical avengings. The Minister for Health, speaking from the steps of Parliament House, assured us that safeguards were still built in. The Amendment simply made everyone’s life and death easier by doing away with the superfluous bureaucratic regulations that had burdened the original act of parliament. ‘Dignity, choice and speed,’ repeated the minister. He spoke about the ongoing damage to the economy inflicted by the grey tsunami and the imperative to unlock the housing market. He mentioned the cost of residential facilities and stressed the relief in sight for ordinary working families struggling under the burden of elder care. The Humans Against Boomers Authorised Activists stomped their boots and cheered.

The minister’s father was interviewed next. He had pulmonary fibrosis and was delighted with the new legislation. ‘I’ll be taking the Amendment as soon as I can,’ he said. ‘If those medicos outside parliament really cared about our welfare, they’d be supporting this government’s determination to bring our suffering to a quick, painless end.’

That was the first time I heard the expression ‘taking the Amendment’. I didn’t pay attention to it back then because I was preoccupied with an urgent matter involving Bram. He used to attend the same yoga class as Chanel, and they’d often have breakfast together afterwards. On the most recent occasion, he’d confessed that he was in a terrible predicament. Chanel went over their conversation in detail when she told me about it in bed that night.