It’s 7pm on Saturday and John and I are on our way out of London. My brother rings. He had been planning to go over to my mother’s to spend the evening with her. “She’s not back yet,” he says. “There’s probably no reason to worry, but what do you think?”

“Probably not,” I say. “It’s what happened the other week, isn’t it? She didn’t get back until 9pm then, so maybe she’s got a bit lost again.”

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/mar/08/familyandrelationships5