‘It’s hard to know how to fill the time,’ he agreed.

At the other table, the little girl was crying, clutching her stomach with one hand and attempting to eat the remains of the cake with the other. Her parents observed her, their hands flat on the table in front of them, skilfully avoiding the vomit.

The fruit and vegetable man watched the family for a moment before turning back towards Angela. ‘Have you been in contact with anyone?’ he asked.

‘No.’

‘Me neither. My ex-wife, she would just disappear. Even when she was there, she wasn’t there.’

‘My ex-husband lives alone. He lives in a block of apartments with other men who live alone.’

‘Kids?’

She made a zero figure with her thumb and wedding-ring finger. ‘Well one actually,’ she admitted, ‘but he died. Do you mind me saying that? Not really died,’ she corrected herself, ‘got away from us early.’

‘Did you try again?’

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘He wanted to. I was scared.’

‘Scared of death? That’s natural.’

‘No,’ Angela said, ‘scared of everything else.’

‘My ex-wife used to say I wasn’t ambitious,’ the man explained. ‘Afraid to progress from the fruit and veg section, but I explained it was just because I really liked fruit and vegetables and I wasn’t going to fight it any longer.’

She laughed. ‘Do you know what I find amazing about this world? What I will miss? How you can wander around looking like other people, but not really be like other people at all.’

‘In what way are you not like other people?’ The fruit and vegetable man gestured determinedly at the dessert tray.

‘The child didn’t like his surroundings, that’s what the doctor told me,’ she said. ‘Like even a foetus couldn’t bear to spend time with me.’

‘What did you do?’

‘I screamed, “Look around, moron, who does like their surroundings? I wouldn’t rush myself to get here either.”’

One of the waiters, sweating heavily, chose this moment to slop the unappetising carrot cake in front of them. They took a fork each.

‘Do you think that’s small? Being a woman who screams in a doctor’s office?’

‘Not at all.’

‘It’s not something I had planned for myself.’

They both took huge mouthfuls of cake, crumbs spilling indelicately on the table.

‘So, what music do you like?’ Angela asked.

‘I like the classics. The oldies.’

Angela threw her arms open and sang loudly.

‘That’s one of my all-time favourites. I love that one,’ he said. ‘So tell me how you met your ex-husband?’