He laughed that husky, cigarette-coated laugh and I tried to whip my head away from him, but he was still pinning me to the generator. I thrashed from side to side. ‘Stop, stop!’ I shouted, right into his wizened, smirking face and I intended to carry on shouting it, louder and louder, until he got irritated enough to let me go.

‘Roo?’ called a voice. ‘Roo, are you there?’

My heart froze. I whipped my head in the direction of the voice and was horrified to see my dad – red Fred Perry polo shirt, Adidas Italias, a bridled Labrador sniffing at the damp grass – standing over at the back of the Hearts and Diamonds; delighted teenagers strapped on to padded playing cards screaming above him. He was tapping his cane on the grass in front of him and reaching his other arm, usually holding on to Milly, out in front of him, his palm outstretched, grabbing at the air. ‘Is that you, love? Are you there? Are you all right? What’s going on?’

I remained frozen. I knew Dad couldn’t see me but I felt ashamed, so ashamed. All those times he had stood in the corner of discos waiting for me while I wished I had been doing something with someone, and now here he was and what was happening was bad, very bad.

‘Roo?’

I kept my mouth shut. If I spoke again Dad would come running forward, Milly surprised and excited, by his side, I knew he would, and I couldn’t have him getting into a confrontation with Shaun. I had to protect Dad. I had to protect myself. I drew my knee back as far as it could go with the rusty generator behind me stopping its trajectory and I rammed it at the zip of Shaun’s fly.