‘Years of practice. And a lot of self-help podcasts.’

‘Can I have the names of them?’

‘I’ll start a list.’

I hesitated and waited for her to take another sip before I asked, ‘Can I still come to the gallery opening this week?’

She choked on her mouthful. ‘Why the hell wouldn’t you?’

‘I don’t know, I …’ I spotted her raised eyebrow over the rim of her glass. ‘I didn’t know whether you’d want me there, after …’ I waved at the empty space between us. ‘This.’

‘Edi, shush. I want you there. Your name’s on the list for the opening.’

‘Can I add a name?’

‘Bold, do you want to bring a date?’ She tapped my knee; her tone was playful.

‘Actually, I was hoping to bring five …’

Chapter 44

The walls were black and the ceiling was alive with fairy lights. There were spectators gathered around portraits and, even though it wasn’t my place, my pride was fluttering inside my chest like an excited swallow. Each canvas boasted a bold display of woman – either a small child reaching up for a hand that wasn’t there, or a thin line drawing of a curvature that I recognised as belonging to the artist – and it was clear, from the clever construction of makeshift wall structures, how you were meant to move around the space, too. There was so much excitement, though, fizzing over the tops of wine glasses and bubbling from clusters of conversations into the air, anyone could be forgiven for not following the designated route. Fred had created something beautiful; something, I guessed, a lot bigger than the portraits alone.

‘Wow.’ Faith came to a stop alongside me. ‘This is an experience.’

‘Yep, that’s Fred all right.’

Betty nudged me. ‘Hey, keep it clean.’

‘I didn’t mean it like that!’

Molly and Cora were already huddled around a watercolour of a foetus.

‘How long do you think it will take for them to understand it?’ Lily asked.

‘Well,’ came a familiar voice, ‘it can’t take them any longer than it’s taken the average man in here. Never mind the tits and arse at the end, I think it’s the idea of femininity as abstract that really has critics stumped.’ Fred looped her arm through mine. ‘Hey, beautiful.’

‘Fred, this is—’

‘Faith.’

Fred laughed and took the hand that was offered to her.

‘Amazing,’ I finished, ‘I was going to say this is amazing.’

‘Thanks, Edi, it’s … I don’t know.’ She rubbed her forehead and laughed. ‘You know when you want something so much, and you work so hard, and then it happens and, well shit, you can’t quite believe it’s happened, can you? But now all of these people are here and they’re …’ She laughed and gestured around the room. ‘They’re looking at my life, but also your life and women’s lives.’