I think of Faye. Where is she now? Has she seen the report? Faye was my best friend back then. Confident, wild, she made everything exciting and fun. The day I first set eyes on her small skinny body she was standing by the back wall of the school yard, her green skirt and white shirt pristinely ironed and her hair pulled back from her face by a matching green hairband. Faye was scanning the crowd like she was deciding who she would and would not become friends with. A silent confidence oozed from her and it fascinated me how someone who took up so little space could make such a big impact on me. When break was almost over, I leaned against the wall a few feet away from her. Faye lifted her foot up behind her and rested it against the wall. I did the same. She crossed her arms. I crossed mine.

‘Are you copying me?’ she asked in a quiet voice. I could tell she wasn’t annoyed.

‘Yes,’ I said.

She smiled, revealing her two front teeth were missing. When I smiled, revealing mine were missing too, we both laughed. We were only eight at the time, totally unaware of the years of fun we were about to share.

And now Faye is Dr Faye Connolly. I knew she’d make it. Behind all that confidence was a kindness and willingness to help others that was matched only by her determination to succeed. Faye didn’t hesitate the day I asked her for help. I remember it like it was only yesterday but it was more than three years ago when I walked into her bedroom not knowing what her reaction would be. Faye was in the middle of exams at the time and was studying at a makeshift desk Andriu her boyfriend had put together for her. I can still feel the comfort from her gentle smile as she offered to do anything she could to help me. Faye made it seem like it was no big deal. But it was, especially for her.

‘Come in out of the cold,’ Lucas says now, sticking his head out into the elements and pulling me out of my memories. His soft blue eyes squint in an effort to avoid the ruthless cold wind that hits him in the face. The man was reared on sunshine and surfboards. Embracing this weather seems crazy to him.

‘I’ll be in in a minute,’ I say.