‘No! I just thought…thought it was my back gate,’ Seymour lied, finding his voice at last. ‘I just moved here and they all look the same from the alleyway.’ His fingers scrabbled at the latch, seeking escape from this new predicament, but he found himself staring covertly at the girl. She was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen in his life. Her large gentle eyes were the colour of rain-wet lichen, fringed with dark lashes that curled back upon themselves, and although she was a grown-up, she wasn’t really threatening in any way. She just lay there soaking up the sun, quiet and calm and easygoing, with her hands linked behind her head.

‘Don’t take off, I won’t bite you,’ she said. ‘What’s your name?’

‘S…Seymour.’ The embarrassment of saying aloud that pretentious name, which sat so uneasily upon him! It should, he thought, belong to a middle-aged business man with a grey suit and briefcase.

‘That’s nice,’ said the girl. ‘Sort of classy. My name’s Angela, but you can call me Angie if you like.’

Her long hair, haloed by the sun, seemed composed of fine gold and silvery threads. Angela, Angie, Angel…

‘Listen, Seymour, would you like to be a real pal and make me a cup of coffee?’ the angel said lazily. ‘You’ll find everything just inside that door there, even though it looks like a barn, but it’s not, it’s my flat. Sixty-five dollars a week and don’t you reckon that’s a rip-off for a shed in a back yard? I ought to report her to the Tenants’ Union, still…what was I saying, oh yeah, you’ll find cups and stuff next to the sink, but don’t take any notice of the mess, okay? I haven’t got around to cleaning things up today yet. Make a cuppa for yourself, too, why don’t you? Oh, and would you mind emptying this ashtray while you’re in there? There should be a plastic bin next to the sink.’

She started taking polish remover and cotton wool out of a little pink basket and began to manicure her nails. Not knowing how to refuse, Seymour edged past reluctantly and up two shallow steps into an extremely messy room. The far end contained a hideous old wardrobe with a mottled mirror set in its door and an unmade bed strewn with clothes. In the nearer section was an ancient gas stove, a jumble of tiny cupboards and a sink. It was difficult to find cups amongst all the junk, hard to find anything.