Dot had kept quiet about a few things in life – including her name. Christened Isadora by her fanciful mother, she’d gone from Dora in her 20s to Dot from 30 onwards, not keen on either, but ambivalent about alternatives.
That summed her up, really. She felt… ambivalent.
Jonathan said her approach just meant she was willing to see the shades between black and white, that she was thoughtful and engaged.
She liked that about him – the fact he was a ‘glass half-full’ kind of person. She liked a lot of things about him. Ambivalence certainly didn’t apply to her feelings for Jonathan. They went out dancing together, visited pop-up restaurants in ‘happening’ places, enjoyed lively political debates…
‘You mean arguing,’ said her sister Mia, who didn’t approve of Jonathan (or age-gap romances in general). ‘I’m not sure you can keep up with him long-term, Dot. There’s something… hectic about him. He never stands still, in case the grass grows under his trainers. Wouldn’t you like somebody more – I don’t know – cosy and easy to be around? Especially’
