Chapter 24

"Global warming," claimed Andy as an example of an unknown that could turn predictions upside down.

"Yes we could soon be extinct but if we are then this talk means nothing so we might as well assume we'll be here with a booming economy in things like solar panels."

"If you buy property then history says in the long run you'll make a profit."

"Sure if the maintenance and tax doesn't bankrupt you first."

On that April evening of 2001 we could have passed for any group of city dwellers in the breadth of our holocaust scenarios and sure fire winning schemes except maybe an older group would have been drawn from a narrower base and eventually have agreed on some particular set of people not included in the gathering, to blame for all of life's problems.

"What makes you think there is something about our having become 18 in the year 2000 that makes us worth writing about Simon?" I asked having pretty much decided that The Millenials were a non-starter as a book topic.

"Come back in 20 years and I might have a good answer for you Venus but at the moment I just believe that your generation will have to cope with bigger faster social changes than any of us can imagine while creating the generation to come. That means writing about you and your friends will be like writing about The Beatles and their friends 40 years ago."

"Who?"

Simon's words 'Creating the generation to come' felt like a knife going in. I know there are girls who don't want children or at 18 haven't given it much thought but I'm not one. Back in Bilbao I'd described myself to Aarón Martinez as a genetic melting pot person but knowing that at times in history as many as 90% of women had children, a comment like Simon's could make me feel totally outside the human race. What made me a bit like everyone so far seemed to be barring me from a fundamental human experience.

Looking across the bar I could see myself reflected wearing the bloody silly cardboard tiara. I took it off and tossed it at the mirror - "Some bloody Wonder Woman you are!" I said to myself but out loud, and I rose to my feet and headed for the toilets. I didn't really need a pee so was still standing by the wash basin when Serena and Gwen came in. Reaching into her bag Gwen pulled something out and offered it to me. It didn't register so the two of us were left standing like a pair of frozen china dolls until Serena said "Tampax" breaking the spell and letting me dissolve into tears.

15 minutes later I felt much relieved having explained that I'd yet to have a period and that in any case my doctor had suggested using a sanitary towel.

"You'd better stick one in your knickers then girl because your friends in Cardiff might not have noticed but you've come a long way since I last saw you." The pad I put in I'd been carrying as a sort of talisman since my last operation and I couldn't help asking Serena, "So just how much do you and the other girls talk about me behind my back because I haven't even had time to tell Gwen about my operation yet?"

If Gwen and Serena felt guilty they didn't show it but I reckoned that if I did ever become pregnant I wouldn't need a test kit because they'd know before I did.

As it turned out that incident was a false alarm but it did make me feel closer to the other girls and so less isolated. Also by chance it gave me an idea for my future as a large scale financial player. Sanitary towels are bulky and must be expensive to ship so how did women cope in poor isolated places? To both make and dispose of towels locally might make a lot of sense and a lot of compost!

The hiatus in the evening seemed to allow everyone to catch their second wind until at 11:15, when the landlord finally threw us out to close, it didn't seem silly for Philip to persuade Evan, Gareth, Andy and George to toss me, tiara in place and red scarf flying, up info the air from a car blanket as a pose for Wonder Woman in flight so he could get a shot for his portfolio.

I think I remember saying that modelling was not harder than it looks but that was before I was tossed in the air hundreds of times after a heavy night's drinking - or at least if not hundreds then enough times that Philip was a happy photographer and I was throwing up into the ditch. I hate to say it but I think Litara and Simon witnessed this and by then she was holding onto his arm.

Every year Good Friday was a family gathering and this year Grandma Tina and Bill wanted it to be at Bill's larger house so Litara and I packed the makings and took them around to prepare Roasted trancons of turbot with a sauce vierge while 'the old folks' went to church. I'd put extra effort into adding to my fish recipes but was glad that I wasn't the one who had paid for enough turbot to feed eleven adults.

As we got on with our work I was tempted to tease my sister about Simon but when the opportunity arose I just felt happy to see the smile on her face as she prepared a couscous salad. It seemed likely our days of spending a lot of time together would be coming to an end soon so instead of teasing I just came up behind put my chin on her shoulder and arms round her to whisper in her ear "Love you too big Sis."