‘Or you could give it five years, by which time the overseas perfume houses will catch on and start making the grand Māori perfume. Then you can go out and buy a bottle from The Corner Dairy.’

‘Aw, don’t say that.’

‘It’s only a matter of time.’

I took a breath. ‘I’m wondering if I should put some of the money from the sale of my apartment towards learning how to make proper perfumes. I could apply to one of the perfume schools in France.’ Merely saying the words aloud frightened me. I had a good idea of how much it would cost to attend a reputable perfume school and I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to take the risk. Even if I had talent I might fail and be left with nothing.

‘Could you afford it?’ she asked.

‘I think so.’ I felt the knot tighten in my stomach. ‘But if it didn’t work out I’d be out of pocket.’

‘Yeah,’ said Thora, ‘but then again, it might be the best thing you ever did.’

She yawned and I realised how long I’d stayed, that it was time to go home. I carried our plates to the kitchen and as I turned to leave I saw her standing by the table, her head bowed, deep in thought. It struck me that I might not see her again. Something about our relationship seemed built on distance. We were both too naturally solitary and inward-looking to maintain regular catch-ups and conversations. We needed a bridging friend, someone who would take us under her wing and organise coffee dates. Left to our own devices, we would think of each other on a fairly regular basis but never quite muster the energy to meet. It had always been Archer and Jerome who came to me, in the past. That was how our friendships had been able to develop, through their efforts not mine.

‘Before you go,’ said Thora, ‘I want to show you something.’ She led the way down the hall and into a darkened bedroom at the rear of the apartment. She switched on a small bedside lamp and there, filling the entire wall opposite the bed, was something so unexpected I gasped.

‘I became interested in uranium glass after you gave me your perfume,’ said Thora as I examined the shelves laden with vases, dishes, bottles and small trinkets in various shades of yellow and green. ‘I started collecting it when I did my chemistry degree. It was very cheap back then because it wasn’t fashionable. Most of the people I knew were collecting Crown Lynn or Pitcairn Island wooden fish, so I had a clear run at glass.’

My grandmother’s perfume bottle sat on the middle shelf and when I saw it I felt a pang. I recalled how I had carried it around in my pocket before giving it to Thora all those years before.