I can see Lara’s emotion, and I understand it in a way that I don’t really understand anything else. ‘She goes to university in Leeds, doing engineering. She has long hair, very straight, and wears lipgloss. She’s doing really well, Lara. So you don’t need to worry about her anyway. She’s OK. I’ve seen her social media, and she really does seem happy.’ I look at her face. ‘Social media is the writing and photos on the internet. It’s how Ariel finds out about people. I wish I could show you.’

We talk about Mabel for ages, and I think about the amount of love that goes into Lara’s daily knitting, for an unborn baby who’s grown up and gone to university. Knitting is the only way she can demonstrate how much she loves her granddaughter. It’s the only thing she can do for her and it’s completely pointless.

‘Thank you, Joe,’ she says in the end, visibly making an effort to calm herself. ‘This is incredible. They did say they liked Mabel as a name. I said it was a bit old-ladyish, but I guess by the time she was born it didn’t matter what I thought.’

I checked the time.

‘Next thing,’ I said. ‘I didn’t see what happened to you last time. We’d driven off by then. Want me to try again sometime?’

‘Would you?’

‘Course. I’ll come back in a couple of days. I’m sure I can cover my tracks so the police aren’t there to meet me. I’ll at least buy enough time to walk up that slope with you. If you want me to.’

‘Thank you,’ she says. She takes my hand and it’s the most real contact I’ve had in twenty years. I never want to let go.

There are no police waiting at Reading. I get into a taxi and ask for the Yoga Dojo, and the guy knows where it is and starts driving. I watch the meter, wishing I’d taken more money from home. I have £8.25, but of course it doesn’t matter if I run away without paying for the cab. Also, it’s taking me to my mum. She’ll pay because she’s my mum.

In the end, though, it’s close to the station and I have £4.50 left over. There’s a shop selling flowers just down the road, and £4.50 gets me a bunch of pink and white carnations, and I steal a box of chocolates on my way out too, because Mum probably still likes chocolates. Everyone does.

The dojo is on the first floor of an office building, and no one stops me when I go in through the main door.

No one stops me going up the stairs.