A nice cup of tea

Helen sat at the kitchen table, her stomach in knots. She looked down at her hands, the paleness of her fingers contrasting with the dark wood. Her fingertips rested on a groove, and her face tensed as she remembered how it got there. ‘What are you doing?’ He shouted, and she flinched as he raisedContinue reading “A nice cup of tea”

A year in moments #15 – the ‘what have I got myself into, am-I-going-to-die?’ moment

I was told I was to accompany Sandeepan’s husband later that day to some accommodation outside of Shimla. It seemed like an instruction rather than a request. I was in Northern India and had connected with a family who ran an NGO which helped with the education and empowerment of women and remote villages. TheyContinue reading “A year in moments #15 – the ‘what have I got myself into, am-I-going-to-die?’ moment”

Birthday rollercoaster

It’s Laura’s birthday the day we speak, the 7th May, and she’s planning a chilled day with the family. Not that she can really do much else, she tells me, being in the middle of the UK lockdown. The way Laura pronounces the words ‘music’ and ‘avenue’ remind me of my Mum, and I haveContinue reading “Birthday rollercoaster”