‘Her hole?’

‘You know. Where your wee comes out. Here.’ There was a brief pause, then a horrified giggle.

‘That’s so yucky.’

‘I know, but it’s true.’

‘Then what?’

‘Then his thingy gets hard like a gun and he shoots this stuff up her.’

‘Shoots?’

‘Yes. And the stuff bangs into the egg and then a baby grows.’

‘My mum and dad never did that. I came out of the tummy button.’

‘They did though. It takes nine months and at first the baby’s a pea and then it’s a plum.’

‘That’s manky.’

‘I know. But we’ll do it one day too. That’s what my mum says. She says, you wait!’

‘I’m never.’

‘I am though. I want to have a baby. I’m going to have a little boy and call him Felix. That means happy. He’s going to be big and strong and have blue eyes and live to a hundred.’

Irene moved away from the door. She padded into her room and put the washing on the floor gazing at the pile of little girls’ knickers and socks. A boy called Felix, called happy; that would have been nice.

‘Jesus. I didn’t see you in the dark. How long have you been out here?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t know what time it is.’

‘Half past one.’

‘Hours, I guess. I just needed – I was waiting … Frankie … I’ve tried to call you … You didn’t …’

‘You’re not even wearing a coat, in this weather! You must be freezing.’

‘Am I? Maybe. I don’t know.’

‘What’s happened?’

‘Happened. Nothing’s happened. Nothing. Frankie?’

‘Come inside.’

‘Your boyfriend – I can’t bear to –’

‘I don’t have a boyfriend any more.’

‘You don’t have a boyfriend? I didn’t know. Why don’t you?’

‘Here, come inside out of the cold.’

She led him up the stairs in the darkness. He stumbled, laid a hand flat against the wall to save himself. Frankie put an arm under his elbow and steered him into her flat.

‘You’re shivering. Look at you; you ’ ll get pneumonia.’

‘Frankie …’

‘Sssh, let’s get these wet things off you. I’m going to run you a bath.’

She unbuttoned his shirt and tugged it off his back, then knelt at his feet and started to undo his laces, which were stiff with cold. When she looked up at him, his face was screwed up in anguish. She straightened up.

‘Oh my love,’ she said and took him into her arms. He started to cry silently, tears sliding down his cheeks.

‘I can’t bear it,’ he said. ‘I can’t bear it any more.’

‘Ssssh. You don’t have to.’

‘What am I going to do?’

‘Come here. Just come here.’