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money-making tree.’ This was all delivered in a voice that reminded me of Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses , putting his arm around his brother’s shoulder and assuring him that this time next year they would be millionaires. Oh, except Slippery already is a millionaire, several times over probably.
    After that little introduction, he sent over the paperwork, which consisted of long ranting letters from each of TheMoldies but little else. No medical evidence, no real details of the legal case they are trying to make. Which means of course that we need to get them all into chambers for a nice cosy little conference in the next few days. I’ve deliberately booked it to coincide with chambers tea . . .
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    Wednesday 31 October 2007
    Year 2 (week 5): Bombshell
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    I can’t pretend that I haven’t been worrying about today’s meeting with my mother’s loan shark. The deal I’d made last year was that they wouldn’t call in her debts and leave her homeless and destitute on the condition that I would agree to take over her loan next year. It all seemed so simple at the time and it is only as the months have gone by that I have started to regret not having the agreement in writing. But then, why on earth wouldn’t they allow the debt to be passed to her oh-so-solvent barrister son?
    Why on earth indeed? And this is the question I am now left asking as my mother and I try and recover from the bombshell that was delivered today in the form of the loan shark’s new spiv. He told us that he had it from ‘on high’ that the loan could under no circumstances be refinanced on their books.
    â€˜It’s the credit crunch I’m afraid. No exceptions. So, Mr BabyBarista, whatever you say was agreed last year, either you pay up the whole amount now or we start enforcement proceedings.’
    Now there’s no way, even with my new place in chambers, that I can raise anything close to the four hundred grand that is the terrifying total of all my mother’s debt.
    All of this was bad enough but my worries were then multiplied when I rushed back from the meeting for a drink with Claire. I had had to stop at chambers on the way, to catch up with the BigMouth case and once again I arrived late. After apologising profusely I’d explained about everything that had happened with the loan shark and she listened with an increasingly furrowed brow,
    â€˜I hate to say it, BabyB,’ she said, ‘but there may be more to this than just the state of the economy.’
    â€˜What do you mean?’ I asked.
    â€˜Look, I’m definitely no conspiracy theorist, but if there is any truth at all in what your MP is saying about the telecom company you’re thinking of suing, well they’re a pretty powerful enemy to be taking on.’
    â€˜Oh.’
    Then she added enigmatically, ‘And I really don’t know what went on between you and TopFirst, but it’s pretty clear to me that he’s trouble and also that he’s the sort of person who would have no boundaries when it comes to wanting to hurt someone.’
    â€˜But he couldn’t possibly have anything to do with this loan company.’
    â€˜Maybe you’re right. But we both know that half his friends all work in finance.’
    Oh.
    â€˜Listen,’ she added. ‘I don’t know anything and I’m sure I’m just being extra paranoid because I care about you.’ She paused and then added, ‘But even so, what is it they say? Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that they’re not after you.’
    â€˜Do you really think so?’
    â€˜Who can tell?’ With which she smiled and changed the conversation.
    It left me desperately wanting to tell her about everything that happened last year. About TheBoss and his corruption, but above all about the compromises I had made myself. But on second thoughts, I’m in too deep to even