G'day @Tight-Control,

Your post made me smile.  So much appreciated! 😉

For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I exist, as well.  My chief difficulty seems to be in convincing others that I do.  Or at least that I exist on my own terms, rather than on theirs.  It's an ongoing negotiation.

I don't have much of a relationship with Hope, to be honest.  She's a fickle mistress at best, and I'm pretty sure she's flat-out pathological.  I tend to keep my distance.

Actually that's just given me an idea for a story I'm trying to write.  Hey, thanks!!  Better go before I lose it ...

Slàinte,

A.