They heard a sound from within and stepped back so hastily they almost fell over each other. A second later they were back on the right side of the gateposts.

‘It’s well creepy in there,’ Wes said.

I understood that somehow, according to their impenetrable value system, Jack was judged to be doing something quite cool.

‘See ya, sir. Bye, Mrs, er.’

They scuffled away up the street, pushing and trying to trip each other up.

‘Well,’ I said, watching them go. ‘Those are the leaders of the pack, aren’t they?’

‘They’re all right. Not as hard as they pretend to be. They’re pretty good kids, in fact. Wes Gordon in particular is very bright.’ Paul looked down at me. ‘Why are we talking about schoolchildren? I thought you weren’t coming.’

He wouldn’t kiss me under the eyes of Audrey’s house and probably the rest of Turnmill Street, but I knew he wanted to.

‘Here I am.’ I smiled.

We went into the garden and I called a greeting through the letter box to Jack.

As I peered in through the slit he emerged in the usual way from the back room and came to stand on the other side of the door. ‘Are you all right, Mum?’

‘Of course. Are you?’

He nodded and rubbed with the toe of his shoe at some piece of debris on the floor. I waited while he struggled with himself. I guessed that he probably wanted to come out now, but he would have to work out the right way to do it. ‘Wes and Jason and Darren were here,’ he volunteered.

‘I know. Paul and I were talking to them. They said you should go up to the park, when you can.’

‘They probably didn’t mean it.’

‘How will you find out, if you don’t go and see?’

He pondered this, then shrugged, with a touch of regret. ‘Anyway, Mum. Be careful. It’s dangerous out there, I’ve been watching the news.’ Anxiously monitoring one of the worlds from which he had chosen to withdraw, while mourning the loss of his involvement with the other.

I wanted very much to hold him close to me, but I only said, ‘I will. Don’t worry about me.’

‘We do just worry about each other, don’t we, Mum?’ He sighed as he made his way back down the hallway to Audrey and the cats.