‘There was a really hot day,’ Peggy finished. They’d been sunburnt before they got to the end of their street. They remembered it – being so close on that hot, hot day, on top of each other, inseparable it seemed. One baby, one mother, one pushchair, one tiny little towelling jumpsuit. One head nodding instead of two. When they said to people, ‘I remember that,’ they were just making the best estimation. Maybe it had been a cold day and it was windburn. Maybe one of them hadn’t stolen the money from Laura’s wallet or run away from the other city and the guns? But they had. They both had – as one.

Peggy and Greta looked from Heidi to Dell, who was wiping sweat off her face with the back of her hand. Maybe if they drank, another one of them would turn up. Or another two? They were pretty sure that was how division worked. It felt like it could happen. Then the bed would be really overcrowded. Soon it would smooth over again and they wouldn’t see it as sharply, but for now it was odd and sad and hard to take.

‘Have you been well, Heidi?’ Greta asked. Someone had told them questions worked in conversations.

‘In what sense?’ Heidi asked.

‘Any sense,’ Peggy replied. Now it sounded like they were trying to work out if she was sober, which was no one’s business but Heidi’s. It had all pretty much backfired and they were only two questions into the conversation.

‘I’m fine.’ Heidi linked her arm through Ian’s, which was bent at the elbow from his hand being in his pocket.

‘Cool,’ said Peggy.

‘Are you well?’ Heidi said, not looking at them but waving her can between the two of them.

Greta and Peggy looked at each other and nodded. Then, realising Heidi wasn’t looking at them, they replied at the same time, in unison, ‘Oh, yeah. Yeah. Good, thanks.’

Ian laughed.

‘Your weird’s showing,’ Heidi said.

‘We’ve started at the Salvation Army shop,’ Peggy said, by herself this time, like a normal person.

‘Nice,’ Heidi said.

‘And we’ve got an appointment at Workbridge in about a month,’ Greta said.

‘What are you talking to them for?’ Heidi asked. She was watching the volleyball game, but none of the four of them wanted to be there. Having this conversation.

‘Have you got your car?’ Greta asked.

Ian turned now because none of them had spoken to him in so long.

‘Yeah,’ he said.

‘You didn’t bring your bike?’ Peggy asked.

‘No,’ he said.

‘We could go, I suppose?’ Greta said. ‘With the quiche.’

‘I suppose,’ Heidi said. She looked at Ian, who shrugged his shoulders.

‘Shall we bring Dell?’ Ian asked.

Heidi drained her can and looked inside it, like maybe there was another drop left. It was an alcoholic move. ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘There’s room, eh?’

And Ian said, ‘Totally.’