The children grew and we prospered. Promotions in the Fire Brigade came slowly but surely, in no small part due to the support I received from "The Boss." We left our small cottage in Woolton and moved to Netherley, where I took command of the local fire station, then to our own house in Halewood, when I became a Senior Officer. We had a decent income, a nice house and a good car. Despite the improvement in our fortunes, we missed the close companionship of our early neighbourhoods and in 1981 the first signs of agorophobia began to appear. Soon she was to be confined to the house and my ambitions in a Fire Service career began to wane as we concentrated on her well being.