She sat for a while, thinking. Should she wait or should she take the plunge right now? The inside of her skull felt a little like the battered walls of an indoor tennis court. Eventually, out of sheer exhaustion, she made a decision: she would do it now.

She prepared it carefully, following all her mother’s advice.

To her utter disgust the first bite was terrible! She should have listened to her father; he always said that patience is a virtue most useful in reading the subtle language of an avocado skin and deciding if it is ready to eat. Lemon juice is not always a saviour.

Disappointed, she dropped the apple-like avocado flesh into the compost bin.