I’m eager to see how his first full day with Mona went. ‘Daddy.’ I sit down close to him, speak into his ear. His eyes flash open. ‘Hello, Daddy. How are you?’ He stares at me, waiting to surface from his dreams. ‘Theodora, God’s precious gift,’ he says, smiling. My heart warms. ‘Yes – hi, Daddy. I just came down to see if you wanted anything.’ ‘I have everything a man could wish for. I don’t want for anything, my dear. Though you might like to be a darling and bring me a whisky.’ ‘You had a good day with Mona?’ I ask as I pour him his ‘two fingers’ and add a little soda, the way he likes it. ‘She’s a lovely girl, you know,’ he says. ‘An excellent cook. Generous too. She bought me clementines. And chocolate. And we bought something else . . . oh, I don’t remember now . . .’ I squeeze his hand. Tell myself it’s fine that he should believe she bought the fruit with her own money; it’ll help them to establish a good relationship.
