Lisa was feeling restless, nothing much stirring in her body or marriage for months; hot flushes, dry spells, regular excuses and nothing but gentle understanding from her husband. She was sitting in the living room watching nothing in particular. She had just finished a cup of herbal tea and was too listless to rinse the mug. The mug tipped sideways on the armrest and left a faint brown ring on the cushion. Fuck, she tho...

Sarah was feeling frustrated, nothing exciting had been happening in her marriage for some time; routine job, steady pay, regular bills and nothing but silence from her husband lately. She was sitting in her office watching the clock tick. She had just finished a quick sandwich at her desk and was too annoyed with life to clear away the crumbs. The wrapper slipped off her desk, fluttered down and left a greasy streak of m...

Jo met Tom every Friday after work at the Crown pub on the corner of High Street. This meeting had become her small ritual. She always ordered a single gin and tonic to mark the end of the week and welcome the weekend. Her mother had followed the same habit every Friday evening, although she had enjoyed her drink at home with a bottle of Gordon’s and a slice of lemon. Jo still missed her mum terribly since the funeral thr...

This occurred last autumn in our quiet suburban home and I felt I had to tell you what happened to me unexpectedly whilst I was there. I was on a coffee morning with my oldest friend, Sarah. We had been meeting like this for years, ever since our kids were little and we were both navigating the chaos of school runs and PTA meetings. Now, with the children grown and flown, our chats had shifted from nappy disasters to empt...