Wait a minute, I wanted to say. My life’s already overflowing. I like the idea, or at least the idea of the idea, but I’ve got something else to work out first. There’s a scent to follow.

Mr Rainbird was looking down at me, waiting. Jerry would be back at the mike for the closing set. ‘What about your girlfriend?’

‘My ex-girlfriend. She’s seeing a percussionist now.’

I laughed and so did he. I temporised, ‘How about if I call you?’

‘Okay,’ he said at once. He took a notebook out of his pocket, scribbled down a number, tore out the leaf and handed it to me. ‘Don’t lose it.’ These were the authentic tones of a teacher, but I didn’t mind that. He opened the fire escape door and went inside.

I sat watching the cats but Cassie was restless now and after a minute or two she began to cry. It was almost eleven and I knew that the music licence only extended to midnight. If I took Cassie home and put her in her own bed, Penny and Evelyn could come back later to relieve me.

The atmosphere inside was even thicker, if that was conceivable and Jerry had cranked up the volume by another twenty decibels or so. Cassie flinched and whimpered, pressing her hot face against my neck.

‘Where were you?’ Mel asked as I edged around the room.

‘Out on the fire escape with this one.’

‘And the rather nice-looking trumpet player.’

Mel never missed a thing. And she was so happy, she wanted everyone around her to share the same happiness. My guarded instincts made me shrug non-committally as I kissed her goodnight. ‘He’s Jack’s head of year. I’m going to take Cassie home and put her to bed. I’ll call you tomorrow.’

Caz and Graham had gone. Penny and Evelyn were together, at least, dancing in the thick of the crowd. Evelyn’s eyes now had exactly the same overexcited glitter that Cassie’s had held earlier.

‘You’re an angel,’ Penny murmured. Her face was a solid dark red. ‘I can’t leave Eve here, can I?’

The bar downstairs was closing. I hurried through the knots of glassy-eyed people and their Saturday night swell of belligerence and out into the night. My car was parked at the corner and I lowered the sleepy child into the back, and trussed her into the baby seat I kept there for her. As soon as we were moving, under the glaring street lights and between the fluorescent-squared leviathans of the late buses, I felt calm and happy.