That was answered in a second: Ever was knocking on her door.

*

From outside he started and never entered the room, or even cracked the door.

Even a little bit. He spoke to the closed door.

‘I am not coming in. I know it all went like shit, because if it didn’t you would have told me it all went well, last night. I know, so you don’t have to protect me. Did they really not like his work? I don’t want to know, we’re still seeing it right, on Wednesday, I mean, who cares what they think? What did they think? Don’t tell me if it’s bad. I don’t want to know. How did you bring it up? Or did they? I mean who spoke first? You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to. I know they hated it right. I’m going out anyway. I don’t want to know. You’d have told me last night, not let me spend a night awake. I’m sorry, are you feeling OK? Did you sleep all right? Do you feel better? I don’t want to know about my Dad, just you, OK? How are you?’

Better than you by the sounds of things, thought Lomita, and then summoning her inner calm, she managed.

‘Come in.’

The door opened.

‘Would you like some coffee?’

He walked into the room, Lomita and Manita stared with apprehension, a little bit of tension, even.

‘Yes, I would love some coffee.’

‘Sit down.’

She said pointing to the chair by the window. Manita left to make some coffee, knowing how he liked it, same as Lomita, but longer. The thirty-two-second version.

‘It was fine, the subject didn’t really come up until the end, and that was more of a confirmation of the viewing. It was a Shabbat dinner, so business was avoided, it was delicious food and joyous conversation about houses and decorating and favourite places to eat, and where to go on vacation. You know rich stuff. Spoilt behaviour stuff. Sort of very splendid. And terribly grand, unbelievably so.’

Ever didn’t know what to think.

To be a believer or not. To trust in God or be an atheist or an agnostic. He hadn’t slept, and was most likely not looking at his best. Unbrushed in the hair area, unshaved in the face area and he stank in the underarm area.

In his underpants and a T-shirt, he felt disrespectful, Manita brought in his coffee that was probably cold, his was the longer version, but even allowing for the walk across the room, unless the delay happened at the beginning, this coffee was not going to be piping hot. It wasn’t and Ever knew what Manita thought of him today. It happened, some good days and some not so good.

‘Thank you Manita.’

Cup to lip revealed the tepidity. No need for a cooling blow.