Instead of looking for a fresh pair, Shirley put Frank’s soiled underwear back on him. She pulled on his nightshirt, only doing up every other button, and covered him with the bedsheet before leaving his room. She didn’t say goodbye or offer him a smile as she left, and the door slammed loudly behind her leaving Frank alone once again, a prisoner in his room.

By the time she had finished bathing all the residents on her list, Shirley was red-faced and angry. Not wanting to spend time talking to the other staff, she took her egg sandwich and bag of salt and vinegar crisps and sat alone on the wall outside the front of the nursing home. Above, the clouds had darkened and the wind was beginning to pick up, blowing rubbish from one of the bins playfully across the car park.

Despite the unforgiving weather, Shirley ate her lunch as slowly as she could, being sure to make the most of her break. The egg sandwich had been made the night before and as a result the bread was slightly soggy, but she was hungry after her morning’s work and she ate it all regardless.

Not in the mood for small talk with her colleagues, she decided she’d take herself for a walk around the grounds to ensure she used the full hour of her lunch. She didn’t care if it was about to rain: nothing could make her feel lower than she did already.

Across the city, Janet was preparing to go to work. Paddy Power, the bookies, opened its doors at 9am – even on Sunday. One small blessing was that she lived in the small two-bedroomed flat above the shop and didn’t have far to travel to work.

After she’d opened up, she sat in her chair to read a book, waiting for the first punter to arrive. The job gave her plenty of opportunity to read, which was why she never grumbled about it. That, twinned with the fact she had left school at sixteen, was pregnant by seventeen, and had no qualifications, meant she had to take work wherever she could get it.

She’d been working at Paddy Power for the last seven years and now owned the proud title of manager. In reality, all that meant was that she was responsible for cashing up and locking up, but Janet was content with the simple things in life. She was not ambitious.

That Sunday was just like every other, and by 9.30am her first customer had appeared. There were a number of regulars who she’d got to know, which also made the job more bearable, even if most of them were losers or drunks. Janet had seen enough tragic men to fill her lifetime and had sworn herself to celibacy some years before.