‘Pretty sure,’ I say, although I am now completely positive.

‘He wasn’t in the church, though, was he?’ Daff says. ‘I mean, you didn’t mention seeing him.’

‘No, no. He wasn’t there.’

My mind is throbbing with questions. He must have been here, on this street, the first time around, too. It’s not difficult to work out how I missed him then: I hurried straight out of the churchyard as soon as the funeral was over, when the road was still full of cars, and stormed off in the opposite direction.

What’s more difficult to work out is why he’s here. Why would you bother coming to a funeral if you weren’t even going to show your face in the church?

Daff looks at the car again, and then back at me. ‘So what do you want to do?’ she asks. ‘Because whatever it is … I’m with you.’

I run a hand through my hair and shrug. ‘I’ll go and speak to him, I guess. But I think it’s best if I do it on my own, if that’s OK?’

She looks at me, her forehead wrinkled with concern. ‘Yeah, of course. If you’re sure?’

‘I am. Definitely. You head over to Simon’s, and tell them all I’ll be there in a bit. You can just say I … went for a walk or something. Needed some time to myself.’

‘OK.’

I give her a hug, and when we break off, she says, ‘Are you sure you’re all right with this?’

‘Yeah, honestly, I promise. I’ll see you there. I love you.’

‘Love you too.’ She smiles.

I start heading slowly towards the car, watching as the man at the wheel becomes gradually clearer through the glass.

I can hear my heart pounding in my ears. I have no idea what to say to him. No idea what he will say to me. I haven’t seen him since I was – what, thirteen years old?

After he moved out, I’d still visit him occasionally, spending the odd awkward weekend at the flat he shared with Clara, the woman he’d left us for. But these trips dwindled with every passing year, until – just before my fourteenth birthday – he told me he was moving out of London and up to Norfolk.

He promised to keep in touch, but there were no calls, no surprise drop-ins. Throughout my teens, despite Mum’s muttered warnings, I tried in vain to arrange trips up to see him, but they’d always be knocked back or cancelled at the last minute because he was too busy. Eventually I gave up trying.