As she sat there, Adele could feel herself itching. She was tempted to scratch but didn’t want to offend her mother when they were only just attempting to get back on track.

Adele tried to think of something else to say. ‘That’s a nice TV,’ she commented.

Her mother bristled with pride. ‘Thanks. Our Peter got it for me,’ she said.

Adele was struggling once more for something to say so she enquired after her mother’s neighbours. Then she listened patiently for half an hour while her mother waffled on about the local gossip.

Adele watched the clock, desperate to leave. This visit had been harder than she’d thought it would be. When sufficient time had elapsed, she made her excuses and got up to go. Her mother got up, too, putting the cats down on the rug.

‘I’ll walk you to the door,’ she said.

At the front door, Adele gave her mother a tentative hug but soon withdrew when her mother remained stiff and unresponsive.

‘I’ll come again,’ Adele said.

‘Yes, that would be nice,’ said her mother formally, almost as though she was a stranger, but Adele noticed the half-smile on her face. It was the first sign of emotion she had shown towards Adele during her visit. But it was a start.

Adele walked away with a heavy heart. Once she had gone a few metres she stopped to scratch the itch that had been troubling her for the last half-hour. She rolled up her trousers, exposing the flesh of her legs.

There were tiny black dots along the top of her socks and she gazed at them, confused. Then she reached down with her hand. The black dots began to move and she drew back her hand in alarm before realising what they were. Cat fleas, loads of them, nestled into the tops of her socks. The place must be overrun with them!

Adele tried to suppress her repulsion. It was difficult seeing how low her mother had sunk. As a child, Adele had been used to the acrid stench and the mess, but it seemed to have got worse.

Adele could tell that her mother wasn’t totally ready to forgive what had happened. But she knew that her mother still needed her, and she felt a tremendous responsibility towards her. She had done so even when she was little because her mother had always seemed so incapable. In view of everything that had happened, she felt that responsibility even more now, and it weighed down on her.

In the past few years an enormous chasm had formed between Adele and her mother. But, nevertheless, she was determined to visit again. She vowed she would do her best to help her mother and try to make things better between them.

Chapter 28