Ten years ago, Ginny’s then one-year old daughter had fallen seriously ill and was hospitalised after she had left the house with her husband to go to a musical for the first time in months. Although she was reluctant to leave home because her child had a fever, she opted for the evening out with her husband while her sister took care of the toddler.

During intermission, she called home and her sister told her that her child’s condition had worsened she had been taken to the hospital. Ginny left the theater in a panic, followed by her husband. During the 90-minute drive to the hospital, Ginny was beside herself. In the end, the situation ended happily; the child recovered quickly.

Now, almost ten years later, the event still made Ginny cry. It became clear that she had wished to be there when her daughter became seriously ill for the first time. She also had a fear that her daughter would die. The sentences resolved both this unfulfilled wish and this fantasy of her daughter dying.