He gets up, charges into the hallway, picks up his jacket and storms out. The front door shakes on its hinges. I take a sip of my wine. Suzy sits there, not moving.

‘You’d better go,’ she says eventually.

‘Yep.’ I get up and fish my phone out of my bag. ‘I’ll call myself a cab. It’s been a lovely evening.’

‘I mean now. Before he goes and has a drink. Otherwise he won’t come home at all.’

I let that hang in the air.

‘I’ll ring him and tell him that you’ve gone.’

‘OK.’ I find my shoes and slip them on, losing my balance slightly as I stand. I didn’t bring flats.

She follows me to the door as I put my jacket on and wind my scarf around my neck. I take my time.

‘That’s a pretty scarf,’ she says. I don’t say anything.

‘I’m sorry,’ she says firmly as she closes the door.

It’s a mild night with a fine drizzle. I check the clock – quarter to one – and head towards the main drag, dialling the number for the cab. My leg’s starting to bother me again. I take a short cut. Up ahead of me, in the middle of the road, I see Dave, urinating in an arc.

Acknowledgements

I am very happy to acknowledge financial awards from the Society of Authors (Authors’ Foundation) and from Arts Council England.

I would like to thank my publishers and editors at Galley Beggar, Sam Jordison and Eloise Millar.

I’d also like to thank the editors of the publications in which these stories first appeared: Ellah Wakatama Allfrey, Brendan Barrington, Joe Melia, Euan Monaghan and Kay Brugmans, Susheila Nasta, Joyce Russell, Jacques Testard and Ben Eastham, Susan Tomaselli, and Tom Vowler.

Thanks also to Matthew Krishanu, Aisha Phoenix and Julian Poidevin for being the manuscript’s astute first readers; to Cathy Galvin and The Word Factory, Eva Lewin and Spread the Word, and Amy Zamarripa Solis and Writing Our Legacy, for their longstanding support; to Alison MacLeod and Nicholas Royle for valuable feedback and advice; to Talha Ahsan; and to the archivist and librarians of the Vestry House Museum.

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