Even his voice sounded a bit different to him, but when neither Anne nor Kylie noticed anything after speaking with him about Rob Prendergast’s funeral, Pearly kept his suffering to himself, withdrew to his office with a sense of martyrdom and began work. He wouldn’t even have a giant Jaffa, he decided. He thought about what Helen had said regarding the tongue’s complex synchronicity with the jaws. There must be so much like that going on in the body of which he was unaware and which could go wrong without warning. Pearly put the thumb of one hand on the wrist of the other to check his pulse. It was regular, but he couldn’t remember how many beats to the minute there should be. He wished Leanne was with him: both daughter and doctor, her reassurance would be an addition to his wife’s.

He was working on a sales plan for a fully tenanted three-flat building in Alpern Drive when Helen rang. ‘You went off before I could remind you of dinner at the Sissonses’ tonight,’ she said.

‘Okay.’

‘You remembered?’

‘It’s in my diary,’ said Pearly. He wasn’t in a mood for admission of forgetfulness.

‘So don’t be late back then.’

‘Okay.’

‘How’s your tongue?’

‘It’s okay.’

‘You’re sure? We don’t have to go if you’re not up to it. I don’t mind, but we’d have to let them know.’

‘No, after Rob’s funeral this morning it’ll be nice to go somewhere cheerful. I needn’t eat or drink much.’

‘We’ll need to be away before six.’

‘I’ll be back not much after five. Thanks for reminding me.’ That’s how it was with them after minor bumps in the marriage road. No formal reconciliation, just normal transmission resumed.

He was still considering the Alpern Drive place when Anne came into his office. ‘I’m thinking about those flats by the gardens,’ he said before she could give a reason for wanting to see him. She knew all the properties on the firm’s books.

‘We need to get them to paint the outside,’ she said. ‘They’ll never sell like that. Looks like the Bates Motel. A coat of paint would make all the difference.’

‘You’re right,’ said Pearly. ‘Absolutely. I’ll get on to them about it. The location’s good, and they’d sell no trouble with a spruce-up.’

‘If I had the money I’d buy them as an investment myself.’ She sat down on one of the two chairs in front of Pearly’s desk. ‘Anyway,’ she said, ‘I’ve been thinking about Kylie.’

‘Problems?’

‘Simon had his professional development meeting with his boss yesterday, and when we were talking about it last night it occurred to me that we haven’t done anything about Kylie’s salary for over two years.’

‘That long?’ said a surprised Pearly.