V

Three months ago.

I’m in the biggest comic-book shop in the North of England.

My son and daughter are browsing the Manga section, I’m in Graphic Novels.

They saunter over.

Favourite Daughter: Oh it’s that Anonymous dude.

She’s looking at the cover of Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta.

Me: No. They just adopted the image. The story is about a totalitarian England the government of which don’t tolerate anyone who is brown or gay and don’t allow any form of popular culture and the man here – V – makes it his business to destroy that government.

Favourite Daughter: Sounds like my kind of hero.

Favourite Son: [Overhearing] That Trump idiot would hate him.

Me: There’s an actual TARDIS over there…

They look at my like I’ve lost my mind.

My son is twelve. My daughter is fourteen.