Fathers
Many of these stories explore the relationships between children and their fathers. The story's conclusion often involves the father or child seeing things from the other person's perspective. For example, in Another of Mike's Girls, Mike's father notices that the way he sees Mike's girlfriends is wrong, and he changes his attitude. In Mine on Thursdays, Howie begins to see things from his daughter's perspective and concludes that he must change his attitude to keep seeing her.
The telephone
After suspecting his father of lying, Mike begins to observe his behavior. Usually, mike explains, his father never answers the phone, instead letting it ring out as people don't usually ring for him. However, on one particular night Mike's father does pick up the phone. This confirms Mike's suspicions that something unusual is going on.
The Moustache
In this popular short story, Mike visits his grandmother wearing a moustache. Although his mother complains that his mother is not right for seventeen-year-old and that it is costing him money as he is being charged for an adult ticket at the cinema, he refuses to shave it off. This moustache later results in his grandmother thinking that he is her late husband, making it a key symbol in the text.
