At the moment of greatest triumph, the coffee ladies are troubled.

As some will know, I have been eavesdropping at breakfast time on the coffee clatch of computer ladies at a restaurant nearby. They are obsessed with a television series called Felicity which I inadvertantly assumed was their real life (I don't own a TV). This week, at last, Felicity and her hunk, Ben (who is a Canadian!) finally got back together again. Great joy is heard around the table, but also mild murmurings of discontent. Having intruded on their conversation last week, they were eager to let me know this development. I replied, "This will surely wreck the series."

This immediately prompted a raging literary discussion which would have graced any university Eng Lit classroom -- can a TV series survive after the two lovebirds have finally gotten together? Examples blizzarded the room: Lois and Clark (Superman show), died. Mad About You (comedy show) survived. I pointed out that all romantic novels end the moment the lovers are finally united. "But" said one lady, "All the real problems start then!". And another replied, in a classic literary response: "Yes, but that is life, not TV." And so it went. We parted on excellent terms, but there are storm clouds -- or rather endless blue skies -- on the horizon. They have months to work on this: the end of the season is at hand. But the writing is on the wall: the coffee ladies have decided that Felicity is dead.