Well, Harold is beaming merrily and my mother is wearing her usual sardonic semi-smile.They actually make a rather compatible couple in a visual sense. My six-foot-two, well-built father always looked much too large for Mum, who is just a shade over five foot and weighs the equivalent of my daily calorie intake. Harold, on the other hand, is only slightly taller than she is and his plump little figure and tonsured white hair make him look like a rather jolly chap. Which makes her look almost pleasant by association. As usual they are both rather formally dressed, despite the increasing heat. ‘What a surprise!’ I attempt to beam back as a rather unwelcome thought hits me. ‘Are you finished in there or are you just on the way in?’ ‘Oh, we’re finished – the twins are simply beautiful.’ ‘That’s great!’ I breathe a sigh of relief. ‘Well, I’d better get going then.’ ‘Not so fast.’ My mother frowns her disapproval of my unseemly haste. ‘We were actually on the way to your house – and what is that dress you’re wearing?’ ‘You were?’ ‘Yes.
