‘Whose is the scooter?’ I ask.

‘I dunno – I stole it.’

‘From a pupil?’

She grins sheepishly and adjusts her woollen bobble hat, underneath which she’s tucked her hair. ‘Stealing scooters and playing hooky: what am I like?’

‘Naomi, are you insane? You’re going to get yourself into major trouble if Mr Godfrey finds out.’

‘See what happens, now you’ve left! I’ve got no one to keep me on the straight and narrow.’

‘Seriously, you should go, before you get caught.’

‘Sorry, Miss.’ Suitably told off, Naomi hangs her head dutifully.

Despite myself, I find I am smiling. Naomi has a knack for making me laugh, whatever the circumstances. I’ve lost count of the number of staff meetings I’ve held where I’ve had to stifle my guffaws behind an A4 folder.

‘So how are you feeling about the move?’

‘Excited. Fresh start and all that.’

‘That’s good.’

‘Bit nervous, though . . .’

‘That’s normal.’

‘Terrified actually.’

‘Well, you know that’s because fear and excitement are essentially the same thing, right?’

‘They are?’

‘Yeah, it’s all to do with the hypothalamus part of your brain. Both emotions trigger the same physiological response, which releases cortisol and causes your heart rate and breathing to increase, preparing yourself for the fight-or-flight response.’

‘This is why you teach biology and I teach English. Hippo-what?’

She laughs. ‘So have you started applying for any jobs yet?’

‘No, not yet. I’ll have some money left over from the sale of the house. Not a huge amount, but enough to do up the cottage and keep me going for a while. I’m hoping to find some freelance work as a tutor.’

‘Lucky you – what I wouldn’t do for a bit of freedom from the classroom.’

‘OK, so we’ve finished loading everything.’

I turn. It’s one of the burly removal men.

‘Great, thanks.’ I glance over at the truck. So that’s it. My whole life. Packed into cardboard boxes and wrapped in packing blankets. I’m struck by how little I’ve got to show for it.

‘I’m going to follow you up in my rental car,’ I tell him. ‘You’ve got the address. The estate agent is going to meet us there with a set of keys.’

‘Right, we’ll get on the road then.’ He whistles to his colleague, who gives a thumbs up and pulls down the back of the truck. It makes a loud rattle. ‘We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.’

‘A long drive?’

I’d forgotten all about Madeleine, but now I turn to see she’s still standing a few feet behind me on the pavement, listening.

‘Are you moving far, then? Roger and I were curious as to where you were going, but obviously we didn’t like to pry.’

Obviously.

‘The Yorkshire Dales.’

Her eyes go wide. ‘You’re leaving London?’

You’d think I’d just told her I was moving to Mars.

‘And what about David? Is he leaving too?’

‘No, he’s living in Hackney with his new girlfriend.’

For a split second I can’t tell which she finds the most shocking. That he’s got a new girlfriend or that he’s moved to Hackney.