Omar was still sleeping when Olga woke up, and while the water boiled, she tried to remember how long it was since she had last made her own morning coffee. He had to be tired after his efforts in the gym; he had fallen asleep before her in front of the television the previous night, and was still asleep.

She still hadn’t told him about his residence-permit appeal being rejected. Maybe she wasn’t prepared to deal with the sorrow that she knew would engulf her afterwards, the sadness and fear that would meld into a feverish mist. She would have to nurse him like a sick child. But the lawyer’s words were also in her mind, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to tell him about the failed appeal without bringing that up as well. She would have to ask who he really was, what his name was if it wasn’t Omar, and how he had come to be in possession of a dead man’s documents.

It made little difference when she brought the subject up. She could give herself time to think things over. He was hiding in her home, and the authorities had no idea where he was. In fact, she was the only person who knew, and it could stay that way for a few more days – or even weeks.

Olga didn’t have the energy to boil or fry eggs for breakfast as Omar did, but she placed a mug on the table for him along with a bowl, spoon and a box of Cheerios. It would be waiting for him when he got up, so he could start the day with cereal and keep the eggs for lunchtime. She poured herself coffee, added a little milk and sat at the kitchen table with her laptop open in front of her.

Facebook showed her that her cousin Guðný had returned from honeymoon in Bali, tanned and happy, her brand-new husband sunburned lobster red. There were a few reminders about the reunion for her father’s side of the family, later in the summer, for those who wanted to reserve a room rather than sleep in a tent. 143She wasn’t going to the reunion. The thought of relatives introducing their children and grandchildren was still too painful to contemplate. She had nobody to introduce. All she had was one dead son, and the whole family knew well that he had been nothing but trouble.