Holding his ribs and still shivering on the ground, Alan muttered, ‘No. He just called me up and asked me to come and meet you. He just wanted to make sure you seemed all right. Sometimes he does that, gets me to do little things like that for him.’

‘Then where is he?’

Alan’s eyes stayed firmly on the scaffolding pole Alfie was holding. ‘I dunno, I ain’t seen him, and that’s God’s honest truth. He just asked me to wait for you, so I guess he’ll be in contact soon.’

Holding down his temper, Alfie asked, ‘And if he isn’t?’

‘I dunno, Barry is a law unto himself.’

‘Yeah, apparently so.’

Back in the car having gotten all the details from Alan, Alfie sat and stared, gazing up at the moon as his emotions overwhelmed him. What he’d heard Alan talk about so casually, so matter-of-factly, was something that he’d never forget, something that he knew would haunt him forever, and the worst thing about it all was that he knew this woman in Doncaster was just the tip of the iceberg.

And as he continued to stare up at the full moon, shining bright in the clear February sky, Alfie Jennings began to cry.

35

Having sat and waited nervously at the window, Franny finally saw Alfie driving up the street. Part of her didn’t want to go and speak to him, terrified of what he might’ve found out, but she supposed it was better to face what she needed to. Not bothering to put on her shoes, Franny dashed out into the street, running through the puddles to greet Alfie.

Out of breath, she sprinted to where he was parking, and although she knew it might be her paranoia, her fear, Alfie’s face looked strained. Breathlessly she said, ‘Alf? Alf?’

Stepping out of the car, Alfie’s expression was pained. ‘Franny.’

Concern coated Franny’s words. ‘Alf, is everything all right? I mean, whatever it is, I can explain. I can explain everything.’

‘What?’

She spoke rapidly. ‘I know I don’t know him, but I do know you can’t trust what Barry said. He’ll be telling you anything to get himself out of trouble. He’ll be saying stuff that you can’t take seriously.’

Slightly confused, Alfie said, ‘I never saw him.’

Huge relief immediately passed over Franny. She let out a long sigh. ‘Really? How come?’

Alfie, emotionally drained, shrugged, unable to tell Franny the story yet.

‘So, where’ve you been? I was worried. I tried calling you. Like I say, I thought, maybe Barry, you know, had said some stuff to you.’

Exhausted from the evening, Alfie gazed at Franny, noticing the strain in her eyes. ‘Like what?’

On edge, Franny chewed on her lip. ‘I … I don’t know, but I understand how difficult it would’ve been. Look, I just want to be here for you.’