It was a tough thing to contemplate and everytime I thought I was perhaps making a little bit more progress my ideasled to a dead end. I felt like I w...s going around in circles, but it wasalso a good feeling because eventually I might find my way out of themaze.Every day this week was more or less the same. I was invariably relievedwhen it turned to five O'clock in the afternoon so I could quit thinkingabout the problems that were giving me such a headache. Looking forwardto being with Miriam. Okay, maybe the drunken drugged Maxine wasn’t an issue. The problem for me was that the Sunday morning Maxine still wasn’t any concern to Margie. I mean she fully expected me to do her bidding, no matter what it was. Why was that, I asked myself? I tried to read them and their motives all afternoon. I finally gave up. I just washed the fuzz that passed for my hair and went to bed early. 22 forgive yourself Sunday turned into Monday and I was grateful. I opened a new book when I woke alone on. Are you still going out with that cute little blonde guy? He’s far too small for you. You need someone at least six feet tall. Mind you, he’d be ok for me, just the right size, he’d probably enjoy having an older woman teaching him a few tricks. Mum said she’d bought you a new dress, you are so lucky still living at home, it’s so much cheaper.”She rattled the words off at a furious pace. I was used to her non-stop chat, so understood it. Most people had to ask her to slow down so they could. They were a horrible lot that everyone tried to avoid if they could. They were a mixed gang, sometimes numbering twenty strong and they always picked on people who were out on their own. They did get their comeuppance in later years as the people that they’d picked on got older and bigger but at the time they were formidable and ruled their patch without opposition. Amongst other things, they had a reputation for debagging lads, throwing their trousers into the park duck pond, then hurling.