'I'm meeting friends' he says nonchalantly 'can you give me a lift to town - we're going dress shopping' he throws in as he wanders off up the hall.
'Hang on a minute' I call as he disappears ' you don't like shopping - and' I suddenly thought ' I've never seen you in a dress!' though to be honest, nothing would shock me with that boy!
Later it transpires that he's meeting two girls from his group of friends. 'But you hate shopping' whine Tall Girl and myself churlishly in the car on the way into town, 'you never go shopping with us' - our voices all hurt.
He smiles his winning smile and waltzes off into Broadmead without a care in the world.
Give it half an hour, I think to myself, and he'll be calling up for a lift home again. But no; three hours later I get a call, can you come and pick us all up and can the girls come back to our house.
By Sunday he was complaining that his arms ached. 'What have you been doing?' I asked suspiciously.
'I carried all the bags' he bleated. Oh bless him, so chivalrous.
It turns out he spent the whole three hours in Primark - I think he needs a medal for that alone - and some of that was in the bra department. He goes on to recite to me how womens bra sizes work - how he thought I had got through my life not knowing this is anyones guess but I play along and off he goes with the whole messy business.. 'Well they start at triple A and then go to double A and then just A and...' His sister walks through the door..
'That's batteries isn't it?'! she asks
Sometimes I just have to keep calm and carry on!
