She allows Virginia to put her jacket in the washing machine. ‘I’m brilliant with stains,’ she says. Hazel doesn’t doubt it. She imagines Virginia is one of those people who is brilliant at everything. Her watch says it is nearly 7.30am. She still has an hour to decide about school. Virginia opens the door and the whole bird-singing, commuter-whistling morning bursts in. It catches Hazel unawares because she is out of routine. Usually this part happens when she is at home, eating breakfast. She sways a bit, feeling dizzy at the thought of going home to get ready for work ‘out of sync’.

‘Are you sure you’ll be OK? Would you like to stay here a bit longer?’ Virginia is concerned.

‘No, it’s fine. It’s only at the end of the road. I’ll… I’ll be OK at home. I like my home,’ she adds, just to be clear. What she doesn’t say is that sometimes she wants to put her head down on her tiny table and cry fat tears of loneliness and despair.

‘That’s good. I’ll see you later, then,’ says Virginia. ‘Bye.’

‘Bye. Oh, by the way, what were you doing out on the corner of the road so early?’

‘Oh.’ Virginia is airy. ‘I was praying.’

Hazel’s mouth falls open. ‘Praying! What, to God?’

‘Yes, to God!’ laughs Virginia. ‘Who else would I pray to? I pray for the people in the road, on behalf of the church.’

Hazel stands on the step while the town’s heartbeat quickens. Bruno from number 10 limps back with his paper from the corner, dragging his leg and his dog. The doctors from the big house next door nose by in matching Mercedes. It is that kind of road, full of contradictions. Hazel decides she should back away from all this churchy stuff while she has time. What has the church ever done for her? Did anyone from the church ever help when her father was ill, and her mother was losing her mind? Her mother had distrusted all religious people. Flipping hypocrites, the lot of them!

Hazel takes one last look at this amazing woman and wonders why someone as kind and intelligent as her has taken up with the church. Worse than that, she has just said she prays on behalf of the church. Why would anyone do that?

It comes out before she can stop herself. ‘Why would you do that?’

Virginia waves at the woman from number 6, who is marching her toddler to childcare. Then she looks back at Hazel and it feels as though she can see right through her, and out to the other side.

‘Because I’m the minister,’ she says.

Chapter 2

Harry