"She's not herself today, I'm afraid"
Mrs. Tamarind sits in a chair in the respite home. Her eyes are shut and her old hands are folded. Two visitors arrive, Jeannette Biggs and her reluctant teenage daughter Marie: the carer in charge says apologetically, "She's not herself today, I'm afraid."
What did she mean? That she was quiet and unresponsive? That she was angry and awkward? What did the carer know, after two weeks, what self or selves were attached to Mrs Tamarind?
Is this an appropriate way to describe an older woman, taking on the power to know what 'herself' might be?
Although Mrs Tamarind has shut her eyes, she is very present in herself and aware of her surroundings.