She stomps downstairs again and opens the back door. The dog charges past her into the garden. Jamie has parked himself in front of a children’s cartoon channel. Outside, part of the hallway is reflected in the mirror, showing all the toys that have ended up along the skirting board covered in balls of dog hair, like tumbleweed mixed with grit and mud. Her mouth opens, letting out a vapour of shame. So this is what her house looks like to other people. She stands closer to the mirror, her hands resting on her hips, arms out.

She rings next door’s bell and waits for an answer. Just when she’s going to turn away, Jill answers the door. She’s barefoot, her toenails ridged and yellow like claws.

‘Are you all right?’ Jill raises two badly drawn eyebrows.

‘Don’t suppose you saw Adam put this here?’

‘Sorry, I’ve been out all day. Don’t you want it?’

‘I didn’t put it there.’ Adam must have been back again. Is he clearing out her stuff?

‘Sorry love, too busy packing; we’ll be out by the end of the week.’ She picks at the flaky skin on her chin; a large piece spins to the ground like a sycamore seed.

‘Don’t worry,’ Alison sighs. She pictures all the skin she, Adam and Jamie must have shed in their house, collected together as a grey shroud of dust on the TV, in between the rungs of the banister, everywhere. Adam must have noticed the stack of magazines tucked behind the front door and the cobwebs on the ceiling. Piles of papers line the stairs like a frill; Lego bricks are still scattered across the living room rug. Is this why he isn’t talking to her? He knows she hates cleaning. Doesn’t he think she’s good enough to be his wife?

She heaves the mirror back inside and drags it up the stairs. Once it’s in place she lies down on the unmade bed to get her breath back. Something dark on Adam’s pillow catches her eye. Several long dark hairs are caught in the brushed cotton. She sits up and shudders. Sandra has dark hair, but is it this long? Is it her doing these weird things? But why? She needs to speak to her. Between her thumb and forefinger, she pinches the hairs and drops them in the toilet, giving it a full flush.