‘I’ll do my best,’ I say, because it seems the right thing. But I can’t bring myself to look at him now. My eyes defocus over the red squares of the tablecloth as though I’m waiting for some hidden 3D image to reveal itself. Whatever everyone at school says, I am not a compulsive liar. And lying to Gramps hurts every time I have to do it.

‘Let’s show your mother what you can do,’ he says. There’s unconvincing laughter in his voice now. ‘Prove how her old dad’s doing a half-decent job in her absence.’

‘She knows,’ I mumble.

As I raise my head, he winks at me. I set my remaining sandwich to one side.

‘I see the doormat has taken itself for a walk again this morning,’ Gramps says, with an off-centre smile, like this is a running joke of ours.

‘Spilled some coffee on it.’ I try to look right at him as I say it, but our eyes become locked for too long.

‘I’m not having a pop at you, Ollie-wally. It just made me chuckle, that’s all. How many times has that happened now? Four? Five?’

It’s three times. Definitely three. Or it could be four. I shrug.

‘You’re a daft old stick, aren’t you?’ He playfully jabs my arm with his fist. I give the weakest, fakest laugh I’ve ever heard.

It’s gone seven now. I have some important cargo to pack. I savour the last of my syrupy coffee, clamping the mug between greasy palms, staring down into the muddy liquid as it slops around.

Gramps has assumed the look of a man unimpressed, his head tilted towards the radio. The guy calling in sounds bright and articulate as he talks about failing to hold down two jobs in succession because some days the panic attacks are so bad he can’t even leave the house. Gramps ejects a noisy stream of air from the corner of his mouth.

His attention snaps back to me. ‘What time you home tonight, lad?’

The question jars every one of my muscles. This is the one conversation I’d hoped to avoid, even if he does ask it over breakfast nearly every day.

‘Got a piano lesson. A bit late, I guess.’ The piano lesson bit is true at least.

‘Nothing else? I’d have thought you might be doing something with all your pals as it’s your last day.’

My pals. The word makes me cringe. I imagine my entire class being in the room as he uttered it. How deliciously hilarious they’d find the suggestion.

‘Don’t think so. Not heard anything.’

‘I dare say there’ll be something on.’

‘Maybe.’

‘Well, I’ll hold off dinner just in case.’