I DON’T KNOW what to do. I put Splints out the back for a pee and lie on the couch waiting for him to scratch to be let back in. He takes his time. When he’s done, we sit under the window in your room and wait.

I can hear murmuring, then the gate opening, then the slam of a car door and a car leaving, and I know the councilwoman’s gone. I squish my face into the window, trying to catch sight of Lettie’s front porch.

Her face looms out over the side fence, making me jump, and she gives me a grin. “You can come back now, kiddo, she’s gone.”

I pull on your jacket and head over, Splinter on my heels. I drag our bins in, then grab hers from the curb, parking them where I can find space among the bags.

“What was that about?” I lift my chin in the direction the car went.

“I am getting some assistance. Whether I like it or not.”

“Do you?”

“What? Like it?”

I nod.

Lettie tips her head to the side, eyes on the rubbish bags piled against her front fence. “Yes. And no. Mostly no. Except for the part that’s yes.”

I nod. I get it.

“Not sure I can cope with having more of that wallpaper revealed, though.”

I don’t bother to smile.

“So what do you need, then?” Lettie sits herself down into her chair on the porch.

“What?”

“The look on your face when you skedaddled out of here was more than just understandable relief to be out of the presence of the council.”

“I wasn’t—”

“We neither of us want much of that attention.” I look away from her bird eye. “I’m stuck with it and didn’t need more for contributing to the injury of a kid. How is it, anyway?” I shrug. “See. You don’t like attention either.” She peers at me, all magpie eyes. “Except you came over here looking for something before you got scared off. I’m wondering what.”

I think I need to sit down. I wrap my fingers around your phone in my pocket. I feel a little sick and I think it’s because my body’s leaning into the wait, expecting it to ring, here, in front of Lettie before I’ve had a chance to—what? Convince her? Lie to her? I’m not sure what to say. I just thought the words would come and now I can’t decide if I should even sit down.

“Sit. You’re making me nervous.”

I sit. Splints rests his head in my lap, his brown eyes focused on my face. He waggles his eyebrows at me. I feel a tiny bit less sick.

“Spit it out.”