Can you, Debbie? Can you really? Do you know what the fuck it’s like to have a knife put to your throat? My head screamed with it. Little flashes of rage came without warning.

The pause stretched out and eventually Debbie changed the subject to update me about the company restructure. She knew the HR girl from the other company whom she would now be up against and was confident she would stay. That didn’t surprise me, Debbie knew everyone. I cringed inwardly, I wasn’t being fair, my head was in a bad place.

‘Thank you for the flowers. They were lovely.’ I placed my hand on Debbie’s arm and awarded her my best smile. Her spongy flesh beneath my fingertips. She beamed, lighting up like a Christmas tree.

‘I’m glad. I chose them myself. We wanted to show you we cared. The whole office was in shock when they heard.’

You mean when you told them, Debbie? What was wrong with me? I liked Debbie, but everyone was irritating me. It was an effort to be pleasant or polite. I didn’t know who I was any more.

I smiled as best I could, lips pursed, hiding my gritted teeth. I wanted to leave so flicked my cigarette into the bin and turned on my heels. She did the same, quickening her stride to keep pace.

‘Ah look, the dog walker has brought Molly back.’ Debbie stared at her phone as we waited for the lift. Over her shoulder, I could see a fluffy white dog bouncing around a kitchen on the screen.

‘What is that?’ I asked, more to fill the silence than because I was interested.

‘It’s a PetCam, got it on eBay. They’re brilliant, plugs into your Wi-Fi and you can watch through an app on your phone. I can even talk to Molly if I want to.’ Debbie made embarrassing baby noises into the phone. The dog, at the sound of her voice, barked and ran around in circles. I had to admit, pets didn’t really interest me. It was just something else to look after. Eventually, we parted company and I was free, back to the solitude of my desk. My socialising quota had been fulfilled.

By the end the day, I had dealt with all the emails from the previous week and was up to date. I avoided speaking to anyone other than Debbie and Stuart, which, under the circumstances, was an achievement. The journey home was much calmer, less people on the streets, and I no longer had the worry of the day ahead. I was looking forward to winding down after a long Monday, like every other person making their way home.