‘Ahem. Yes.’ Small pieces of egg stick to her lips as she nods but Kiama gets the vibe she’s not really paying him her full attention for she keeps glancing over to the house girl. He doesn’t want to get out his photos now, to have these random girls looking at Mum and asking questions.

‘You came to see your grandparents. What a good boy you have grown into.’

‘And, of course, I wanted to spend time with you again. I was wondering if we could—’

But she cuts him off to shout something across the room. She was always like this, busy, conducting several conversations at the same time as making dinner and hanging up a wash. Maybe this is why it felt so jilted and quiet with his grandparents, it wasn’t only because Mum was missing it was Purity too. Her energy buzzes through everything.

She rises and starts pulling open drawers from the cabinet and rustling papers. ‘I had something to give you, Ki-Yama. Hold on. I will find it.’

‘Are they photos of kid Kiama?’ Delia says. ‘I bet you were so super cute.’ She stretches her arms above her head until her scrubs ride up and expose her stomach. Is she flirting with him?

A car honks outside.

‘That’s our ride,’ Alice says. ‘Purity, we need to go.’

‘I am coming. I am coming,’ Purity shouts.

Kiama stands too. ‘You’re going?’ There’s more than a mild panic in his voice.

‘Yes. I have work to do at the medical centre.’

‘I can come with you? I can help out?’

Purity reaches up and taps him lightly on his cheek.

‘When will you be back then?’

She takes another egg and drops it into the pocket of her skirt. ‘Later.’

‘What, like lunchtime? Afternoon?’ he looks at the girls for help, for a clear answer, but they’re busy making up sandwiches to go.

‘Evening? Dinnertime?’

‘Yes,’ Purity says, ‘after.’

He follows them into the yard and watches the car as it drives off; Purity doesn’t even wave to him. Is she serious? He came all this way to see her and then she just disappears after ten minutes and expects him to wait around all day for her. And it will be all day. Just like when he was little and a quick trip to the market turned into an all-day marathon of dropping in to see this person and that.

He goes back in the house, sits alone at the table and stuffs a slice of bread in his mouth. It’s too quiet, the house girl simply nods each time he speaks and he almost wishes for Dad’s music.

Finally, Yvonne comes down, her hair hangs wetly around her face and she looks cold. ‘Morning?’ she croaks. ‘Did everyone leave?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t realise you would be eating alone.’ She sits opposite him.

‘Purity came back.’