A good idea!

And then an idea came to me, a tiny flash of inspiration nudged my brain into gear.

I wouldn't confront them face to face, I was too cowardly and awkward for that. Too much room for misunderstandings and hesitations and, anyway, I wanted them to hear me out without them dominating the proceedings.

In the main we were talking about fairly forthright individuals here, not the types who would allow me to finish a single painfully constructed sentence, let alone a complete paragraph of conversation. I would take a leaf out of my mum's book. Whenever she had a row with the old man, she knew she could never defeat him in a straight argument. So she did the next best thing - she tore him to shreds in written form. She'd write him a letter, pouring out all of her emotions and frustrations into heartfelt prose. She'd then leave it where he'd find it (by his moneybag - he's a taxi driver), then go out shopping for the day, leaving him to struggle with her innermost thoughts and rages, once he'd overcome the problem of her rather appalling spellings.

So I would do the same, minus the spellings (thanks to my spell-checker). I would write to them, each individually. I would address their situation at the very heart and pose questions. Yes, that's what I will do. That'll stir them up. Jewish people love questions, mind you they prefer asking them than answering them. But tough on them! Let them answer my questions first, then I'll answer theirs. There's nothing to lose, but all to gain for them. And so I powered up my PC, activated my word processor and engaged brain with fingers. Let's go for it, I thought as I decided to tackle Morry first. After a few moment's thought, my first words flickered into life ....