I should know better

Not a good week, what with computer and other problems, so it was with no great sense of anticipation that I trailed young Diamond to training class, having missed a week.

I was not disappointed. His idea of progress on the lead still involves sitting down suddenly, leading to his little furry bum polishing the floor as he has stopped dead and I still haven`t. Add to this that his head - he is at the supremely ugly stage of five months - looks like something roughly fashioned out of a melted candle end with a blunt spoon, and he does not fill me with confidence.

On the way home in the taxi, the driver began unburdening his soul. This always happens to me in taxis. I am used to tales of broken marriages, financial disasters, the Other woman, etc. I must have that kind of face......

In his case it was a breakup. As I listened to the tale of woe, and how as a taxi driver you just sit around thinking about it, we passed what was obviously a murder scene (yes, really!), with loads of tape, police and men from forensic in their white plastic suits milling around. The talk turned to death. Well, it would.

He said he knew someone who had just committed suicide. Well, it`s a big problem in this area - it`s a young male problem and really one I have no answer to at all. I wondered aloud why they do it.

"You look at the world and realise you don`t belong in it any more," came the reply.

I was scared, and I`m not often scared. I hoped he hadn`t planned to do it right now by running the taxi into a wall somewhere. Cars are a great tool for the suicidal.

I got stuck in. I told him that plaintive texts to the former girlfriend just wouldn`t do. I told him to pull out all the stops in the romantic line. I told him to be confident and convincing. I told him above all to get out of taxis and make some better money. He said yes he would, he really would.

And then we were home. I waved him off and gave Diamond a great big hug. Suddenly he looked pretty good...