As January became February, DU.IT HQ was back doing one of the many things it did best: proving that life was stranger than fiction.

First was Ted, whose sudden outbreak of sullenness and unscheduled absences was explained by his doctor, who had the unenviable task of telling him he had prostate cancer. At least Ted's GP was used to telling people such things; for DU.IT's line managers, telling their teams that a colleague had cancer was an uncommon task they wished never to have to do at all. Everybody was sympathetic with Ted, although this sympathy hampered their ability to complete sentences in his presence. "Ted…I just…you know…" and so was often heard coming from someone or other's lips until almost everyone became expert at walking on eggshells.

Everyone, that is, except Mavis whose real feeling for Ted shone through, putting a smile on his face for the first time in ages by gently taunting her colleagues' embarrassment at mentioning the 'C' word.

The fact that Mavis and Ted had been childhood sweethearts helped and she soon become the rock of small kindnesses on which Ted came to rely and Mavis came to enjoy, especially when he took her out to say "thank you."

Mavis had been divorced for five years now and it was literally decades since she has been sweet on Ted. Were those feelings really being re-ignited or were they just echoes from a distant past her ego had bullied her memory into causing?

If this is were an American 'movie', Ted and Mavis would walk into a sunset and corny pop-rock music would be playing on your PC. If it is, get it fixed. There are no sunsets and definitely no pock rock ballads here. Well, not yet anyway.

Instead, young Jack starts wearing make up. No sooner is Mavis cool with the cosmetics when she spies him leaving work in a dress. Gemma's explanation is that her 'boyfriend' Jack is a "woman trapped in a man's body." This isn't much help to Mavis, who spends the weekend suffering major mental gender meltdown trying to get to grips with transvestites, transsexuals and several other conditions banned in at least 14 U.S. States and considered 'deviant' in 17 more.

The fact that a new man called Jed had been hired would have missed Mavis' radar completely if it hadn't been for the fact that the new chippy was a bit too chipper for her liking. Still, Mavis was secretly pleased another person of similar age had joined the 40-something posse. Not that Mavis was feeling old - except when talking to 18-year-old Gemma.

While Gemma's enthusiasm for something called 'Google Buzz' left Mavis confused, Mavis' liking for Nirvana and a song called 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' left Gemma equally dumbfounded. The only difference being that Gemma didn't give a fig.

But enough of generation gaps and misunderstandings. We end on the Friday before Valentine's day, a day when Mavis' kids will be out. Mavis is conscious she owes Ted for the night he took her out (meanwhile, her subconscious is shouting: "Who are trying to kid girl? You've got a thing for the man and it ain't getting any smaller!"). What better way of returning the kindness than to ask him round for Sunday lunch? Ted accepted the invitation unhesitatingly. And both wondered if the other realised Sunday was Valentine's Day….