Because he ignored her, she raised her voice. ‘Adam.’ He smiled down at her and started to walk down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, he reached out for her hand. This was happiness. They were friends again. ‘Do you want to play with a puzzle?’ She would sit with him like that other mother. Moni was good at puzzles too, not just board games. She would teach Adam all the tricks and shortcuts, what to watch out for. He shook his head.

‘You’re still not talking?’ She had almost forgotten that he didn’t speak. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she had found him and that he was not cross with her. It was true that his name was Adam. He had answered when she called him. So, she had been the one at fault, not believing him that other time. She must make amends. ‘Are you thirsty? Would you like a drink of juice?’ He nodded, and smiled when she swung his hand and said, ‘Let’s go.’ It was a joy to treat him, to see him enjoying himself. Together they walked out of the refectory and headed towards the snack machine.

I am not a physiotherapist. Even that turned out to be unattainable. I’m a massage therapist. Anyone can become that. You just need O levels (the equivalent of the Thanawiya Aama) or a certificate in Anatomy, which all these university years amounted to. I do work in a hospital. That was not a lie. The pay is less than working in a private clinic – those alternative health ones that offer aromatherapy and reiki. And I would even do better if I was self-employed, but I’ve needed to say ‘today at the hospital’ or ‘they need me at the hospital’. Over the years, my parents forgot that I wasn’t a doctor.

‘You are a doctor,’ he said. ‘To me you always will be. Here your degree is just as valid as mine. You’re in the wrong country, that’s all.’

‘That’s all?’

‘Yes.’

‘You make it sound as if I just stepped out of the picture for a few moments. As if I popped out for a break.’ Twenty years of marriage, four children, a job, a house, the Arabic Speaking Muslim Women’s Group . . .

‘If we were together now, I would convince you. I would, which is why these calls aren’t enough,’ he said. ‘We need to see each other, we need to be in the same place. Where are you?’

‘I won’t tell.’ She felt powerful. Distance gave her power. A sense of invincibility. ‘Besides, you don’t have a visa.’

‘Who says I don’t have a visa! I have a five-year visa that I can use multiple times.’

‘Bluffing.’ She was safe. What was he going to do? Drop everything and hop on a plane. No one in their right mind would do that. She could relax.