‘You made me get up to see the sunrise, David, you were crazy to photograph it. At first everywhere was a little dull and grey, and the air was so still, as if the world was holding its breath. Everything changed when that huge sun came over the horizon. What a drama, magnificent, the world turned golden, the water, the sky, Oh, my goodness, the sun moved so quickly. I wanted it to stop, wait for me to catch up. Does that sound silly? I’ve never forgotten that morning, my first sunrise, David.’

She swiped her tears away, sniffed, and forced a smile. ‘Please, just look at me if you remember it. Just glance my way if you know who I am.’

He stared at the brick in his hand, turning it over and over and rocking back and forth slightly.

Exasperated, she said quietly, ‘Then we stood on our heads and ate giant slugs.’

A reaction, something, please, oh, David, please. One small thing, just a glance, and then I’ll come back!

Nothing, not so much as a pause or frown. She might as well not be there. The time had come.

‘David, I have something important to tell you. I saved somebody’s life, recently, and it seems to have changed me. Like the event restored a kind of balance to my own life, and now I can move on and stop living in the past. I’m sorry to tell you, David, I’m not coming back. I realise you won’t miss me, and that you don’t even know who I am, but I felt I had to come and tell you myself.’ Even now, she longed for the smallest response, anything, please, even anger. There was nothing, and that nothing weighed so heavily on her, she gave up trying to hold back the tears that now ran freely down her cheeks. ‘You’ll always be in my heart, darling David,’ she sobbed. ‘You see, true love never dies. I’ll continue to cover your extra costs here, but I do need to move on. I have learned the hardest thing is to let go, but I must.’

He took the block from her hand and tried to push it through the round hole.

‘Our son, and I suspect in not too many years, our grandson, will also need me. And as for myself, I think I’ve found love again, after all these long, lonely years.’

Shelly turned and stared out of the window, seeing nothing but a blur of green through the tears that were still falling. After dragging one of Gordon’s big white hankies from her handbag, she dried her eyes and blew her nose.