‘Good,’ Juliet said. She walked to the doorframe where her mother had recorded her height. ‘Still there,’ she said, and Glenda nodded. ‘I’ve started my own on James’s bedroom door. I suppose that was your room,’ she said, and Juliet nodded and bit into her lip. Molly couldn’t work out what she was thinking.

‘Would you like to see it?’

‘No thanks,’ Juliet said as she walked over to the wall and got down onto her belly to examine the skirting board. Glenda and Molly shared an uncomfortable look.

‘Are you OK?’ Glenda asked.

She got up, smiling. ‘I’m fine.’

Molly put her hand on Juliet’s shoulder. ‘We should go.’

‘Yeah, thanks for letting us look around,’ Juliet said.

‘I actually have some things belonging to your mother in the shed,’ she said, reaching for a key. ‘They were in the attic.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry, I thought we’d taken everything.’

‘Don’t be silly, things get forgotten, and you should have this.’

Molly took ownership of a large box stuffed with old records and books, diaries and photos and knick-knacks collected over the years.

‘Thank you,’ she said. They left and got into the car. Juliet clawed through the box excitedly, ‘Photos! Gran, photos of me ma when she was my age.’

‘Ah, isn’t that lovely,’ Molly said. The child was glowing. It was as if she’d struck gold.

‘And look at all this stuff – ticket stubs and old laminates, and what’s that?’ she said, pulling a weird furry doll out of the box.

‘Ah no, you’re joking.’ Molly took it in her hand. ‘That was her Monchhichi doll, she got it as her Christmas Day surprise when she was nine. She took that bleedin’ thing everywhere with her.’

‘Smells like it,’ Juliet said, taking a sniff.

‘We’ll lash it in the wash,’ Molly said.

‘Gran, can I call into Kyle and say hello?’ Juliet asked, now buoyed by the huge gift of her mother’s stuff.

‘ ’Course ya can, love. One question, what were ya doing on your belly on the floor?’

‘Ma’s blood – it’s still on the wall,’ she said. ‘I circled it in biro.’

‘Why did you do that?’

‘I knew they’d take away everything else.’

‘Right,’ Molly said. Fucking weird. Mention that to Davey!

‘Do you think it would be OK if I asked Kyle to come to the gig?’

‘I think that would lovely.’

‘Brillo.’