‘It’s no big deal,’ Greta said. She meant the candles, because the fact that a hopeless drunk like them had stayed sober and made a better life for themselves was a huge deal.

The tom yum was good at the place they could walk to. Not as good as the place out by where they worked, but pretty good for not having to get on a train. It was hot and sour with thin rice noodles, if that was what you wanted. The broccoli might have been the best thing about it, but the tofu was also pretty great. They usually went to the place they could walk to. It was downstairs. The door was on the street that all the public servants walked along. It wasn’t a flash place. It was one of the few places on the street that was open at night. It was dark and because they went there quite often the owners said hello as they came in. There were plastic cloths on the tables and a cup with chopsticks and open-mouthed spoons poking out of it. It was often not that full but tonight there were a few people sitting at tables. Peggy and Greta talked to each other so the other diners wouldn’t be uncomfortable. It made people nervous if they were too quiet.

‘I’m not sure what I’ll get,’ Peggy said.

‘Hm,’ said Greta. ‘It all looks so good.’