I was reaching into the fridge when I noticed that she had been watching me like a hawk in an almost frozen pose for some time. At first, I tried to dismiss it, thinking perhaps she had a lot on her mind but then she came out with it and blurted out what was really troubling her.

I was startled at first that she’d even noticed that something was wrong with me. I just brushed it off saying that she was paranoid, that she had made up some fantasy in her head after watching too many soap operas on the telly.

At first, I thought I had fobbed her off… but I would find out afterwards this was just the start of her concerns for her only daughter.

When mum and dad left, I was cleaning up in the kitchen and putting the dried dishes away when I heard