Imagine you are the narrator of the short story ‘The Address’. You visited 46, Marconi Street, the residence of Mrs Dorling in search of your mothers belongings. Write your reaction at the unrewarding meeting with Mrs Dorling to your friend Hans.

120, James Avenue Amsterdam

20th March, 2008 Dear Hans

It takes all sorts of people to make this world. Mrs Dorling is such a character that everyone would like to forget. You know how we had to flee to another place during the first half of the war. But as they say misfortunes never come alone. So came Mrs Dorling as our saviour but proved totally otherwise. She suggested that my mother should hand over all her nice things to her. She would keep them safe. My mother suffered from war-fright. She willingly gave all her silver cutlery, antique plates, vases and other articles to her. No written agreement. She just had faith in Mrs Dorling.

You know I came back home alone after the war. My poor mother couldn’t survive the war. I went to 46, Marconi Street in search of my mother’s belongings. Mrs Dorling met me. She refused to recognise me. I told her that I was Mrs S’s daughter. That didn’t move her too. Perhaps she was not happy to see me alive. I was anxious to talk to her. But she was not. She was wearing my mother’s green cardigan. It hurt my feelings. She regretted that she could do nothing to help me. Nor did she talk about those ‘nice things’ that she had taken away from us. I was shocked and surprised at her behaviour. Her behaviour was evasive, unfriendly and even insulting.

Yours truly Edwina