The Wrong Paul

Just as Charles is thinking of running away and starting afresh, he gets the chance, with a beautiful young woman and her delightful daughter. The only problem is, can Charles keep up the impersonation with all the pressures he faces as child-minder and computer expert combined. The tale is, of course, purely imaginary and was written over many years as the next stage in the story formed itself in my mind. My wife objects that the characters in the story behave in ways that no real person would, but I feel that the vagaries of human nature mean that anything is possible. There is one thing I'd like to point out, though: the most incredible sub-story of all, the tale of the hitchhiking, is absolutely true and happened to me exactly as described.