‘You look terrible.’ In the morning, Mamma put a hand to Matty’s jaw, and lifted. Her eyes narrowing. But no suggestion of Calpol, or warm squash, or hot Nesquik, as she used to do.

Matty felt pretty terrible, now. Not a wink of sleep, the curtains left open, lying on top of the duvet all night staring at the street-lit slice of sky. Glowing.

Most of the day was spent in bed, moving between a dream world and a real world. Matty had a bird’s beak and was reading Secret of the Ninja and wearing a straitjacket except it was made of dressing-gown material. Mamma was moving about downstairs. Matty had to jump on the backs of crocodiles and made a chocolate cake with Nicks, who put his hands in and couldn’t get them out again. Matty smoked the second-last cigarette from the packet of Silk Cut on the back steps, which was still horrible, but not as bad.

There was a sound like a big gong at the beginning of movies sometimes. Matty woke up again and stared at the ceiling. Murmurs of a voice downstairs, as if underwater. Feet thumping. Was Mamma still here? You always knew when she was at home – all of her sounds were distinctive.

Burglars. It could be real burglars. Mamma had always said that people were bad in London and you never knew who would want to take things from you, on the street or even in your home. Had Matty locked the back door earlier?

Another noise. There was definitely someone there.

Down the stairs, just as silently as last night, holding a Snarl Dinobot Transformer – at least its backplates were sharp. A shuffling sound in the living room.

Tactics. Just take one peek, and then make a break for it out of the back door and run downstairs to the kosher supermarket. Dial 999.

Matty was a fireteam corporal, cheek against the bark of a tree. Carefully rolling round the door frame to scope out the enemy sniper.

It wasn’t a burglar.

Mamma was home. And she was with Sanjit.

It was like the moment when the camera stopped at the end of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, except instead of seeing Robert Redford and Paul Newman pointing their guns at everyone, there was Mamma sitting on the sofa next to Sanjit. One of her legs was over his leg, and one of her arms was behind his neck, her hand in the hair on his balding head. Her other hand was on his trousers. On his lap.

They both saw Matty at the same time.