‘Three years ago.’

‘Have you got an address?’

‘Have we got an address?’ said Jim. ‘If we’d got an address I’d get me fifty quid back. And I’d be asking for inflation on top of that. Vanished into thin air, the four of them. Packed up one night and buggered off.’

I stared at him. Shirley ground out her cigarette. There was a silence, then I asked: ‘Four?’

He nodded.

Shirley said: ‘Her, and Barry, and Teddy and little Victoria.’

‘Victoria?’

‘Her daughter.’

I nodded, as if I knew. Another moment passed. My head throbbed. ‘She had a daughter?’ I asked, just to make sure.

Shirley nodded.

‘Here?’

‘Well, in Spalding General.’

‘She had a baby with Barry?’

Shirley laughed. ‘I don’t think she had any other offers.’ She paused, and smiled dreamily. ‘Gorgeous little baby. I can’t have any, you know.’ She started untucking her sweater.

‘Shir—’ said Jim.

‘Can’t have kids. Take a look at these scars.’ She stood up and pulled down her skirt. I saw her belly.

‘Shirl!’ said Jim.

‘I’m only showing him. We tried for six years, didn’t we, Jim. I had this operation, and then another one.’

She sat down suddenly and started to cry.

Jim turned to me. ‘What you do that for?’

‘I’m sorry,’ I said. I stood up. ‘Better be going.’

Shirley wiped her eyes. ‘You going back into Spalding?’

I nodded.

‘Give me a lift, could you? Got to catch the shops and all our cars are bust.’

Jim asked: ‘How’re you going to get back?’

‘There’s the bus at six.’

He frowned. ‘You take care of yourself.’

She grabbed her coat. I said goodbye to Jim, who didn’t move. He was gazing at his wife.

In the front yard, the dog rose to his feet, wagging his tail. I went up to him and stroked him.

‘Remember Teddy?’ I asked him. He slobbered over my hand. I thought: my son has stroked this fur. He’s slobbered over Edward, too.

Shirley said: ‘Rinty got run over. That’s a new one.’

She walked beside me up the road. Her perfume was strong enough to smell out here. She didn’t seem surprised to see a coach. In fact, neither of them had asked me anything about myself, or why I was here. She climbed in and sat next to the driver’s seat, across the aisle. It was such a grey day that it was already dusk.

‘She did my horoscope,’ she said. I climbed into the driver’s seat. She turned to me. ‘Said I’d meet a tall, fair stranger.’

‘Oh yes?’ I started the engine and tried to turn the coach in the narrow road. It took three goes, shunting to and fro.

‘She said I’d do a lot of travelling.’

I felt vaguely uneasy, and didn’t reply. We drove along the road, back towards Spalding.

‘Smoke?’ She lit a cigarette, and passed me one. Then she said: ‘There’s something I want to tell you.’

Warily I asked: ‘What?’ She wore the same sort of white cowboy boots as Eleni; I could see them out of the corner of my eye.