Karene arrived at the French restaurant and saw that Harry was already waiting at the bar. Her stomach lurched in a combination of excitement and fear. Why had she suggested the same place they’d met on their first date? It had seemed a sweet idea when she’d first thought of it, but now she realized it would only exacerbate the crushing sadness she felt all the time. It could never be the same. They could not relive the past no matter how much she might want to. Could she make him repeat every date, every trip, every evening curled up in front of a movie, and effectively wipe out the memory loss? In her imagination, absolutely. But she knew that was naive.

‘Punctual as ever,’ she said, repeating her greeting from back then. That first time, his smile caught her off guard, so warm and open, but today it looked forced and anxious.

Harry ordered without looking at her. He was dressed more casually than the last time. He wasn’t trying to impress her.

Karene took the drink and they sat at a table in the centre of the room. She took a sip to drive away the nerves.

‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘You go ahead. No need to say cheers.’

Karene stared at him over her glass.

‘What?’ he asked.

‘Why did you say that?’

‘It’s a joke, sorry. You enjoy your drink.’

If this was going to work, she’d need to be honest. ‘You said that last time.’

‘Last time? Have we been here before?’

‘Our first date.’

Harry paused and she couldn’t read his expression; irritation, anger, sadness?

‘Is that bad? I’m sorry if that’s insensitive. I thought it might …’

‘Jog my memory?’

‘Silly, I know.’

‘That’s not silly. I’m flattered you’d want to after all I’ve put you through.’

‘I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or expect you to know what to say. I’m just hoping you might let me be part of your life in some way.’

He held her gaze and it felt a little more sincere. ‘I think I’d like that.’

‘Have you had any news on Alina and her little boy?’

‘I haven’t asked. I expect she’ll be set up somewhere and hopefully adapting. She’s been through enough. I wouldn’t want to put her through the trauma of being forgotten.’

‘Maybe down the line then?’

Harry shrugged and sipped his drink. ‘I’ve been doing some reading around the migrant crisis. I thought it might help my memory but, well, I think everything’s probably gone, if I’m honest. I expect we’ll be judged on how we’ve handled it. It’s awful to have people travelling so far with no guarantees.’

‘And then to find that the countries they come to for help are turning them and their children away,’ said Karene.