Changes

When we first meet Meredith Maggs it's Wednesday 14 November 2018 and she's not left her home for 1,214 days. She'd ''like'' to: in fact, she so nearly does. Her outdoor clothes are on and she's even considered which shoes to wear if she's going to catch her train. Then, she can't. She simply can't force herself to leave the safety of her home. She's fortunate that she has a good friend, Sadie, who visits regularly with her two children, James and Matilda. Sadie's a cardiac nurse and full of sound common sense. In fact , it was Sadie who gave Meredith her cat, Fred. Groceries are online deliveries and there's also an internet-based support group where you'll find Meredith as JIGSAWGIRL, so you can guess what she does in her spare time. Then Tom McDermott arrives. He's from Holding Hands, a charity which supports people with problems such as Meredith's.

Meredith's a freelance writer and the income is enough to keep the wolf from the door. She's turned into a decent baker and Tom enjoys sampling what she produces. All-in-all, she's managed to make something of her (rather relatively restricted) life. There are three people missing from the scene, though. Gavin was the boyfriend but he's now moved out. That leaves Mer's sister, Fiona (who's eighteen months older than Meredith) and their mother. There hasn't been any contact for some considerable time. Meredith misses Fee. As children and young adults , their relationship was scratchy but they'd always have each other's backs, parfticularly particularly where their mother was concerned.