At one point, the main character found himself genuinely wondering whether his life was difficult.
Not tragic.
Nobody was preparing a documentary.
There was no sad piano playing while he stood alone at a bus stop.
It was just difficult in small, irritating places.
His life did not collapse dramatically. It became complicated through polite messages.
One person needed confirmation.
Another person needed an extra shift.
Somebody’s children now needed a later bedtime.
Tuesday continued approaching with the confidence of a day that had never once been cancelled due to childcare problems.
This is how difficulty often arrives for ordinary people.
Not as one enormous disaster, but as six reasonable things that cannot all happen together.
He had to be at work.
His children had to be safe.
His colleague had to finish her extra shift.
Her children had to be put to bed.
The rota had to be covered.
Tuesday had to remain Tuesday.
Every individual requirement made perfect sense.
Together, they formed a small hostage situation.