It Takes One to Know One

‘The best, the funniest, cleverest, the most enjoyable writer in Scotland today.

The sea was a step away, round the corner.

I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.’
Martha knew what he meant.

That’s life. We move from difficult age to difficult age. Just when we relax because one difficult time is over – wham – we get embroiled in the next one.’

She got kissed and cuddled and tucked up in bed every night. She was loved, and she knew it.

His hair was too long and curled over the collar of his shirt. He frequently ran his fingers through it. He didn’t look thirty-seven.

She wished she’d been smart enough to enjoy being seven when she’d been there.

Her daughter was still a child and, right now, lived a life uncluttered by the hassle of getting on in life. She didn’t have a mortgage, didn’t have bills to pay and could go out to play when school was over. Meals she didn’t have to plan or cook were regularly provided. She got kissed and cuddled and tucked up in bed every night. She was loved, and she knew it. Life was a breeze when you were seven.

I think every age is a difficult age. That’s life. We move from difficult age to difficult age. Just when we relax because one difficult time is over – wham – we get embroiled in the next one.’

A difficult age, seven. It’s a time when you’re becoming aware of the world and innocence is drifting away.’