‘I can’t believe you have a kid,’ Joe said. ‘And that you named him after me.’

‘And you know my nephew is Rafael Joseph.’ I put my hand through Joe’s thigh. ‘You see?’ I said. ‘You might be dead, but you have a legacy. There are two little boys with your name, and two little girls with your genes. That’s pretty good going for a fifteen-year-old.’

‘Hell, yes,’ said Troy. ‘Ariel’s going to take me to meet Gus and his family tomorrow. It’ll be good to see him.’

Joe looked from me to Troy and back to me.

‘I hope I’m going somewhere,’ he said, talking fast as the seconds evaporated. ‘I hope I get to see your mother, Ariel. I have so much to tell her. She’ll be so proud. Troy, I’m so happy that I know it wasn’t you. I’m …’ He paused, and I thought he was going to cry, but realized he was smiling instead. ‘I’m sorry about the football trophy.’ He burst out laughing. ‘I do one stupid thing and it haunts me for eternity.’

I smiled at that too, and so did Troy.

‘I’d have given it to you,’ said Troy, ‘if I’d known it would cause this much trouble.’

Troy stood up and took half a step away, and I knew why he was doing it. I edged into Joe and whispered, ‘I’ll love you for eternity.’

He said: ‘And I –’

And then he was gone. I was left with the certain knowledge that he had gone forever with the words ‘love you’ on his lips, and that was the best way it could possibly have happened.

50

‘And I love you and I always will. You’re the love of my life, and my afterlife.’ That is what I’m trying to say, but the door opens and I’m cut off after the first two words. I think she’ll know.

I look up.

It’s him. It’s the angry man from the mall. He’s come back. Her dad. We knew he would.

I look back at Ariel, but she and Troy have gone. I have never lived this bit before, apart, I suppose, from the first time. I know how it ends, but I don’t know how we get there from here. I suppose I may as well hurry it along.

‘I know your daughter.’ I’m taunting him. I just want it to be over.

‘You don’t.’

‘I do. Your wife, Anna, is much nicer than you are. She’s hot.’

‘What the fuck?’

‘Your daughter Sasha is very cool. But it’s your other daughter, Ariel, who’s the best person I’ve ever met.’

‘Are you on drugs?’

‘I wish. Are you?’

‘You are a little shit, you know that?’

‘Why did you come back?’