Chapter 1

What can I tell you about Trudy Stump? For a start, she's a girl. When I say girl, I mean a young woman. When I say young woman, I mean she's thirty-two (but only just). So, she's a youngish woman, and she lives in a downstairs flat. Some would call it an apartment, but only if they were snobs. No. Trudy called it a flat. It might not be flashy. It might not come with bells and whistles, but it was hers. And she loved it.

                Since Trudy could remember, she had wanted to be a vet. She loved animals. She never ate them and even had a pet cat called Winston. To be honest, Winston didn't really belong to her. His actual owners lived in a big house down the road. But the baggy ginger cat didn't like them. They would often miss his meals, which he enjoyed five times a day (when he could get them). And anyway, Trudy always let him lay in on Sundays. They didn't.

                Although Trudy wanted to be a vet, she never got the chance. After her parents got divorced, she ended up staying with her mother. Her father kept in touch for birthdays and Christmases, but apart from that, didn't bother. He eventually moved abroad with a young Thai woman called Hom. Which apparently means sweet smell? But Trudy thought the whole thing stank.