‘But you have to. Because I know you love elephants and in Kenya there’s this amazing elephant sanctuary where they take the babies that don’t have mums anymore because the poachers got them. So then, these humans look after the elephants. They give them milk from baby bottles, but like gigantic baby elephant-sized ones.’ He looks up at her and nods, ‘It’s true.’

‘Sounds wonderful.’

‘And when you visit you can bring me a ton of KitKats because I heard they don’t sell them in Kenya.’

‘Ah, okay, is that the deal then?’ She wraps her hands around her own mug of hot chocolate, knowing she won’t tell Lewis about any of this conversation. He still reacts oddly when she talks about Kiama, as if it’s too close for him. ‘Are you excited?’

‘Yeah,’ he says. ‘My new school has a swimming pool. That’s amazing. My school here doesn’t even have a climbing frame.’

Emma comes over and puts her arms around him. ‘What are you drinking?’

He puts both hands over the rim of the mug, ‘Orange juice.’

She squeezes the tops of his arms, ‘You’re a bad liar and you have a milk moustache.’

‘I think Kiama can pull it off,’ Yvonne says.

Emma wipes his face with an old tissue from her pocket. ‘Did you give your?’ She wiggles her eyebrows at him until he smacks his forehead. ‘Ah, the present.’ He runs back to the booth to get his rucksack.

‘What is it?’ she asks Emma.

‘Wait and see.’

He comes back holding a little H. Samuel box which he proudly puts in Yvonne’s hand.

Emma signals over his shoulder and stifles a laugh. ‘He chose it himself.’

‘Open it,’ he says as he reaches forward and removes the lid for her. Inside is a cheap silver chain with an elephant pendant on it. ‘You like it?’ he smiles at her.

‘Yes,’ Yvonne says. ‘I love it.’

‘Try it on.’ He takes it from the box and starts to fiddle with the catch. ‘I can’t do it.’

Yvonne takes it and puts it on, making an effort to look pleased.

‘Whoa,’ Emma says, ‘that is so Yvonne’s style.’

‘Thank you so much, Kiama.’ She gives him a hug.

He turns to Emma and says, ‘See, I told you she likes necklaces. I think the chips are coming, I’m going to get some.’

Emma twiddles the pendant. ‘All these years and I never knew you loved elephants so much.’

‘I don’t and I don’t know where he got this idea from.’

‘You must have said something before. Probably some passing comment he’s run with. You know what he’s like.’ She looks into the empty mug of hot chocolate. ‘I saw you talking to Julie in the park. Was she asking you to convince me to stay?’

‘Kind of.’