I would complain about wanting to go out and play or not being able to find the TV remote and she wouldn’t listen, let alone respond and so I hated all phones for that.

But as I got older, it didn’t seem so bad. When I asked if I could go out with my friends to the pub when I was only fifteen, she just nodded absently and sent me on my way. I don’t think she even remembers that happening – probably because her conversation was so enthralling, it would have killed her to stop listening and taking part.

I swear to you that a nuclear bomb could go off in our house – yes it sounds cliché but at the state of my room, previous occurrence is not so far-fetched – and she would not notice.