Janice packed a pile of Mima’s stuff, and I filled the boot of the car and took it home with me. I would collect more the next day and so on until we actually had her stay with us.

I rushed home and found Stella reading the riot act to Kiki, who’d chased a cat from the garden. I quickly told her what was happening and she was horrified for Janice, what a choice to have to make, leave a sick child or a very sick husband.

I suppose in the end, she had to go to her husband as he was at greater risk than her daughter, and also we could help with Mima, but not her hubby. To cut a long story short, Stella, was a little surprised at my offer but understood it. Looking on the positive side it would give me practice of looking after children — to practice becoming an auntie. Yeah, right!

As I moved clothes upstairs and made room downstairs for the wheelchair, I began to wonder when my need to save the world would diminish? I act before I think things through, offering help when playing the good Samaritan isn’t always the sensible choice.

How was I going to cope with all this? I had no idea, except to believe it was an opportunity to borrow someone’s kid for a few days, spoil them to death, and give them back afterwards. More like a grandparent than a mother. I began to seriously worry that I didn’t know enough about dealing with the disability to properly care for Mima and I really needed to spend all day with Janice before she went, to appreciate the routine.

I was cogitating on this when the phone rang, Stella told me, it was for me, so I dashed to answer it. It was Janice, she had a flight the day after tomorrow. I asked her if I could spend the day with her and Mima to really understand what was needed, and she wholehearted agreed with me. I would go at eight the next morning and spend all day with the two of them.

I felt much happier after that, I stopped tidying and made up a new bread mix and chucked it in the breadmaker. Then, I got on with making dinner. After we’d eaten, Tom asked some quite searching questions. He showed he’d been thinking about our visitor and how we were going to cope.

Stella wasn’t surprised at the fact that Mima would sleep in my room, she helped me move a spare single bed and mattress. I did most of the humping, she more or less guided things and then helped to make the bed.

Tom wondered about the dog, but I reminded him that Mima had enjoyed being with the dog and wasn’t frightened of her. “I was thinking the opposite, Cathy, if Kiki would be terrified of Jemima and her wheelchair.”

“She’ll cope, dogs do, it’s people who don’t.”

“You mean like me? An old fart.”

“Um,” I shrugged, “could be me too.”

“Come off it, you’re the one who volunteered.”

“Yeah, so? I could have got it wrong, horribly so.”

“Indeed, but I doubt it, Stella will help, it’ll be a good chance for her to practice her maternal instincts.”

“My what?” asked Stella.

“Your maternal instincts.”

“Like I said, my what?”

“Stella, you’re pregnant, surely your hormones are preparing you for becoming a mother.”

“If they are, I hadn’t noticed. All they’ve done so far is make me throw up and go a bit more loopy than usual.”

“That explains a few things,” I said smirking.

“Yeah, like agreeing to help with your latest madcap adventure. Why couldn’t we just have got you a Barbie doll or even one of those mock real baby dolls, rather than the real thing.”

“I don’t know, if I get fed up, I can always take her back home.”

“Not if her mother’s not there.”

“Yes I can, we could lock her in the garage until her mum comes home.”

“Or sell her on Ebay?” suggested Stella.

“Not unless you have a Paypal account.”

“I do,” said Stella.

“Ladies, please be serious for a moment. This little girl is going to need all our help and probably beyond what we’d happily give. We don’t know how long she’ll be with us, nor how difficult it’s going to be to cope with her, or her with us. She is going to be anxious and miss her mother. It’s going to be a very difficult time for us all.”

I rinsed off the dishes and placed them in the washer, Stella agreed to sort out the table and I went off up to bed. I felt knackered.

I slept fitfully and crawled out at seven to shower, gulped down some cereal and a cuppa and left for Janice’s house. I got there at exactly eight o’clock. She showed me how to get Mima up. To wash her, empty her urine bag and deal with anything in the nappy. Yes, she wore a nappy to catch any faecal material that didn’t wash out with the enema. We did that next, and I wondered how I’d cope with it on my own. Life was certainly going to be different.

After the toileting, we dressed her and I carried her downstairs, where she had some breakfast and Janice and I had a cuppa. I got to learn what her favourite foods were–I’d need to do some shopping, and what she liked to do. She enjoyed playing on the computer and loved being read to.

After lunch, she rested for a bit, I did the leg exercises and she rested some more. At tea, she ate some sandwiches and then we played snakes and ladders. Finally, another enema, a wash and off to bed for the night, with a story.

I was exhausted and Janice smiled at my yawning. “How do you cope on your own?” I asked her.

“I have to, I don’t have a choice.”

“I suppose not. What does Lawrie say about it?”

“He’s quite pragmatic about it, but then he’s not had to deal with it himself, except in worrying about his favourite girl.”

“When did he last see her?”

“About six months ago. I half dreaded him coming home, because she’ll hardly recognise him. It’s going to be hard work.”

“Could he not find something nearer home?”

“Not at the salary he gets now, plus health insurance and so on. However, it didn’t save him from being shot.”

“No,” I said agreeing with her.

“His boss, says they think it was a robbery gone wrong.”

“Not terrorism, then?”

“It’s always possible, I suppose.”

“Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Yeah, Lawrie is a bit of a philanderer.”

“Oh, poor you.”

“Well, I’m not with him, so what can I expect?”

“Fidelity?”

“He’s a normal hot blooded bloke.”

“I thought adultery was punishable by various horrible methods?”

“If they catch you.”

“Well yes,” I agreed.

“I wonder if it was someone’s father or husband who popped off at him?”

“Oh goodness, how awful?”

“Exactly.”