“Can I bring Tom on Sunday?” she asked.

“Of course, love. And what does this one do?” asked her mother.

“Theatre.”

“Oh my God, what’s he been in? Does he know Hugh Jackman? Or Judi Dench? Has he met any Royals?”

“Ma, he rotates the barricades in ‘Les Mis’.”

“Oh.”

Tim Dadswell is a retired civil servant who loves writing short fiction. Find him on Twitter: @TimD_writer