‘In a big house in Chelsea for Mrs Alderton-Steele. I do the cleaning. It’s all right, but the lady is a bit weird sometimes. She’s got this son called Godfrey who blinking hates me ’cos he tried it on with me once and I told him where to get off! How’s Tommy?’

‘He’s fine. In fact, I’ll be getting him into school soon.’

‘I’m sorry to hear about your mum …’

‘What about my mum?’ Sarah asked.

‘Oh, I assumed you’d heard … she’s not well.’

‘She’s not been well for years, Jenny, we both know that.’

‘No, this is serious, Sarah. I think … she’s dying,’ Jenny said awkwardly.

Sarah caught her breath. She hadn’t been expecting to hear that. It hadn’t been that long since she’d left home. How could her mother have suddenly gone so far downhill? She’d never thought of her mother’s demise, and somehow just imagined she would live forever.

‘I can see I’ve shocked you. Tell you what, why don’t you walk back with me and call in to see her?’

‘I … I don’t know, Jenny. We didn’t exactly part on good terms.’

‘Come on, you’ll regret it if you don’t.’

‘Yes, probably. All right then,’ Sarah reluctantly agreed.

As they walked, she asked, ‘Do you know what’s wrong with her?’

‘Yes, it’s some medical word called sir … eye … orsus, or something like that. My mum said it’s her liver that’s packed up ’cos of all the booze. She’s refusing to go into hospital though, so my mum is doing what she can and that bloke Eddy has been to see her a few times. Maybe she’d listen to you and go to the hospital if you told her to?’

‘I doubt it, my mother has never listened to me before.’

‘But it’s different now, you know, with her being so poorly.’

The rest of the journey was filled with small talk until Sarah found herself at the bottom of the concrete stairs that led to her mother’s flat. She’d vowed she’d never come back here, and recalled the night her mother had chased them out with a cane in her hand.

They arrived at the third floor. Sarah thought her heart might pound out of her chest. Not because of the hike up the stairs, but for fear of how her mother would react to seeing her.

‘Do you want me to come in with you?’ Jenny asked.

‘No, I’ll be fine, thanks. I’ll see ya,’ Sarah said and nervously approached her mother’s home.