“It’s amazing how little control we have over our own lives, when you think about it. In theory, I could keep driving, back into the city, then up the M32, the M5, the M6. I could be in Scotland by the evening. But obviously that won’t happen. Family, responsibilities, fear, the awful reality of service station food. The easiest thing is to accept your role as a passenger, staring out of the window at the rolling scenery. The years pass like traffic.”
