THE SCENE:  A TV  Chat Show.

Protagonists: An interviewer and her guest; a well-known and respected middle-aged actor.

INTERVIEWER:  ‘You never married, why is that?’

GUEST: ‘ I didn’t want to give up sex.’

FEBRUARY 2018.

The Man Within:   GRAHAM GREENE.

Nutshell:   IAN MCEWAN.

The Ministry of Fear:    GRAHAM GREENE.

A Most-wanted Man:  JOHN LE CARRE.

The Scarlet Letter:   NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE.

Two More Pints:    RODDY DOYLE.

Physics begat Chemistry begat Biology begat Life begat Single-cell Organisms begat Fish begat Mammals begat Homo Sapiens begat Stan Bowles.

A Play. (David Hare?).

The Scene:  The Lounge bar of a pub, early evening.

The Protagonists:  A middle-aged man and woman, friends of 20 years, who meet regularly to ‘catch up’. Both ‘professionals’ , he  married with children, she single.

WOMAN;  ‘ You know, I have a  job I love, money, plenty of interests, a lovely home, lots of good friends…. but sometimes I get home, close the door… and I feel so lonely.’

MAN; ‘ What do you know about loneliness?  …. You’ve never been married.’