‘You are oblivious to my feelings,’ said Iman. ‘You don’t know me. If you knew me, you wouldn’t talk to me here like this.’ What she wanted to say was the forest should not be sullied with their pettiness. They should walk in silence, be in awe. They should be one with nature. But that was what Iman knew and Salma didn’t. That was the difference between them and it was greater here than it could ever be in the city.

‘I was happy walking,’ said Iman. ‘This outing today was your idea and I was going along with it and then you have to spoil it by talking.’

‘I’m talking because I’m disturbed. And I’m disturbed because you’ve changed, Iman. Why have you changed towards me?’

‘Because, because, because. Enough.’ She did not want to explain. She was forever struggling to explain, to put words to feelings. Salma would outsmart her with words. Salma would win every argument. She said, ‘Salma, there is no point. Get it through your head. I’m not going to move in with you. It’s final.’

She saw tears spring to Salma’s eyes, watched her jump up, scrunch the kitchen towel that her sandwich had been wrapped in and throw it in the bin.

They followed the trail in silence, Iman averting her eyes from Salma’s face. Never had one of them cried without the other comforting her. But there was nothing more to be said. It had come to this. After all these years and hours of laughter. Friendship was not much of an investment after all, instead it was sand pouring down the hourglass, water meandering downhill; an act of defiance against the natural state of loneliness. A sound caused them to stop and turn around. Was it a deer thrashing through the forest, pursued or believing it was pursued, heading towards them or past them? Or was it a man running? A reddish-brown streak appeared through the dappled green of the forest, veering away in another direction.

In an instant, Salma was off the track, following the sound, that red moving through the green. Iman caught a glimpse of her tear-stained cheeks, the excitement in her eyes, and then she was on her own.