Liz Groves was thinking about those life-changing decisions we all make and how they never seem so at the time and she was wondering how the hell she ended up in Malta. Digging deep into the memory bank it stemmed from a decision made in 1972. She was working in a small agency which provided temporary holiday jobs for students or others wishing a change in direction. The owner, John Letts, was the father of the second set of quins born in the UK. His wife underwent fertility treatment resulting in sextuplets of whom five survived. John sold their story to one of the tabloids and set up the agency. Although not wishing to apply for the job, Liz replied to his ad in The Times contradicting his statement that any employment agency could be unique. This led to an interview and the job offer.Agency experience was essential as John had never worked in one, yet alone set one up from scratch.
Although the agency did well it was apparent that it would be seasonal so it was necessary to enter the catering employment field. This was somewhat fraught due to the high number of mafia infiltrations,whose main objective was to import Filipinos to work as maids or other menials. Having placed advertisements in the media they were immediately visited by one Angel Sotelo, compleate with razor scars on both cheeks.
John eventually decided he would have to close so off went Liz on seemingly dozens of job interviews. This proved useful as she was asked to write a chapter on the subject for a proposed book by the publishers upstairs. Some interviews were a complete waste of time, some scary and others very attractive. Finally three job offers turned up on the same day. After much thought the decisioin was made to join one of the companies as P.A. to the Chairman of the group.
This lovely man happened to have bought a home in Lija during the sixties which was looked after in his absence by Salvu, one of three brothers were operated the Torri Club in the village. A few years after joining the company her mother succumbed to cancer and the boss promptly despatched  her and her partner off to Malta to have a break after the trauma. Salvu collcted us from Luqa and generally settled them in, insisting that we were to watch the World Cup Finals in the Torri Club. We watched with a group of regulars, amongst whom one was Liz's now husband.

Liz Groves is still here, running the Island Books store in Mosta, smoking a menthol fag or two and ambling around in her cat-ridden garden.