'...what men are for. Do they serve any useful function these days? They impregnate the woman. Later, they might occasionally send money over. What else could fathers be? It wasn't a question Dad had to ask himself. Being a father wasn't a question then. He was there to impose himself, to guide, to exert discipline, and enjoy his children. We had to appreciate who he was, and see things as he did. If we grew up to be like him, only better qualified, we would be lucky.'
Hanif Kureishi, Intimacy, p.115.
