‘Yep. Last I heard, he was still there,’ he says. ‘But I’ll never see him again.’

I glance at the clock. It’s been forty minutes, but I could talk about this all day. ‘I’m so sorry,’ I say. I find myself leaning over the table, reaching out. My hand is on his before I can stop it and I’m squeezing his hand in my own. He looks at our hands touching, then up into my eyes. I gently pull away. Contact can be helpful if applied in a professional and courteous way, initiated often by the client but not always. I know I can come across as cold and clinical, so a brief touch can help.

‘It’s fine. I’m fine,’ he continues in his thick Irish accent. ‘It was years ago, and I’m a man myself now. It’s funny though, sometimes I feel like I see him, you know? He was a big balding man. Just a few days ago, I was walking home from here, actually. I was heading down to the train station and I felt like someone was following me. He was quite far back but every time I turned, I thought to myself he looks a little like him. I was imagining it of course, but still.’

My attention jags. A tall bald man. ‘So you thought someone was following you?’

‘Umm, well, probably not. I just noticed him. He walked the same way as me all the way to the train station then got on.’

‘He got on your train?’

He frowns now. ‘What’s this got to do with my dad? Or with helping me get back into school.’

‘Well, we’re diving deep, Cormac. I know you think your problems stem from tangible, easily understood realities of surviving in the world. For example, your need for money. But there are plenty of ways to make money. We’re trying to figure out why you chose a particularly reckless way of doing it. You might have some other things troubling you, other reasons linked to your formative years.’

‘And what makes you think I can get better?’

‘I think we’re working through it. We’re trying to figure it out together. The fact you took a job in a cafe tells me there is progress. It tells me you are prepared to take a conventional, low-risk approach.’

‘I’m getting boring, aren’t I?’

‘I don’t think so: you’re gaining control.’

‘Gaining control? I’ll remember that when my sister is hungry, or my landlord ups the rent.’

‘No, having control doesn’t directly pay the bills, but it means you are more likely to keep a job. Do you think your sister might find work, too?’