We lived a fair distance from the city center and, back then at least, especially in suburbs like ours, the police were not overly zealous about such things. Particularly since we didn’t know the boy’s name or where he lived. The neighborhood was full of kids his age, roaming in packs. Plus, I only found out about it all much later, when Irene burst into tears one night and woke me up. It was just before dawn.

That morning, I went with her. The boy didn’t show. Nor the next day. We finally saw him on the third day. Very tall and slim, sitting on the low wall that ran beside a little lake. The lake was always deserted in the mornings, but on holidays and weekends it was packed with people lounging on the grass. I wanted to go up to him, but Irene held me back. “There’s no need,” she said. “He’s seen you with me, and now he’ll be too scared to do it again.” I was a young man back then: short for sure, but I had a broad chest and a look about me. I was only a few years older than him. He didn’t say anything, just stared.

For the next few days, I went with Irene to work and the boy didn’t show again. I’d take her to the bakery, come home to sleep for another hour, then drop Adam off with the daughter of one of our neighbors before walking to work at the paint shop. If there was any work to be had.

Irene seemed happier, and happier with me, but a couple of days later her expression fell again. I decided to put an end to it once and for all. At this juncture you might well ask, “How is it your deep understanding of the laws of life didn’t make you better at breaking them? Didn’t help you outmaneuver them?” Well, I knew something bad was coming, but I couldn’t resist. That night, as I lay down beside Irene, my heart was beating so hard it shook my whole body.

The next morning, I kissed Irene and told her I had to be off. I’d had a job that started early. She gave me a worried look. She said, “Look after yourself, my love.” I kissed her again.

I didn’t kiss Adam because I didn’t want him to wake up. I left. I never saw them again.

Walking down to the lake, I realized that I was clenching my right fist, hard. There was no one there when I arrived, but then I heard a whispering. It was coming from behind a steel-panel fence and I went over to see. The boy was sitting behind the fence, and with him was a young woman about the same age. They were smoking something.