A couple of hours later, Sarah knocked on George’s door, to be greeted with surprise, but a warm welcome.

‘Wait ’til you see this, Sarah,’ he said animatedly, and showed her through to the front room.

Sarah’s eyes widened. ‘Wow, George, you’ve got a television.’

‘Yep. Well, I reckoned if my mum’s going to be moving out I’ll need the company. It takes a bit of adjusting with the aerial, but once I’ve got it right, it’s a really good picture.’

George showed Sarah how the television worked, and she watched with fascination. ‘Tommy would have loved this,’ she said, glad she could talk freely about him with George.

‘Funny you should say that ’cos I thought exactly the same thing,’ George said, and smiled warmly at her. ‘Anyway, what brings you here today?’

‘I’m supposed to be going out with Roger, but I’ve done a runner. Don’t get me wrong, George, I do love him, but he’s not very caring about my feelings. I can’t mention Tommy in front of him, and it’s hard not to ’cos he’s always in my thoughts.’

‘You know what I think about the man so I won’t harp on about it, but I’ve known Roger a long time and he’s always had a selfish streak. He doesn’t take life seriously, and if it ain’t fun, it bores him,’ George said.

‘Yes, I got that impression too. You don’t mind me hiding out here with you, do you?’

‘You know you’re always welcome here. Mum left me some lunch so do you fancy a bite to eat?’

Sarah was peckish and happy to share George’s lunch. They talked about Albert and Lena’s forthcoming wedding, though no date had been set yet, the weather, the latest music, but mostly they talked about Tommy. ‘Thanks, George,’ Sarah said afterwards. ‘It’s been good to share so many lovely memories.’

‘I miss the little man, and it’s nice to talk about him, especially his day at the funfair.’

Sarah helped George to wash up, and then went back to the front room to sit on the sofa. She felt so much better. She’d enjoyed sharing memories, laughing at Tommy’s antics, and crying a few times. It was just what she needed and now she felt ready to face the week ahead with renewed vigour.

Mo had convinced Samuel to go to work, saying that she felt much better. He got extra in his pay packet for working on Sundays, and she knew he hated turning the overtime down. In truth, there was nothing wrong with her, but it gave her a good excuse to hide away from the outside world and anyone who might have seen her photos.