I’m six years old: we’re travelling and our family is in London staying in a hotel. I watch Speed Racer on television on Christmas Eve, and they jump over a gap

I’m six years old: we’re travelling and our family is in London staying in a hotel. I watch Speed Racer on television on Christmas Eve, and they jump over a gap and something clicks and I “get” momentum. That night the anticipation is almost unbearable and I pretend to sleep as my parents set out presents. In the morning we get up and the best present I get is a junior science encyclopaedia. That day the weather is terrible, so we stay inside and read and we order chicken sandwiches from room service.