My face was screwed up with sadness for him and also for me. ‘I think it’s incredibly sad Ben.’ The traffic lights changed and Ben’s forlorn expression turned back to face the road again.

‘And then there was Mrs Keeley when mum had to go back to work, I spent a lot of time with her. I can see her face still. She was such a beautiful woman, such a kind face. I think she had a couple of kids. It was such a long time ago. But I still remember that face. But when I met you I knew I wanted to be with you. It was a bit like sitting with Joe and his mum. It felt so right. I’ve met people along the way with my job and I’ve met girls obviously, but when I saw you that night in the club, dancing and laughing, it was… well, I was magnetised, I had to be with you.’

I placed my hand on his leg and rubbed it.

‘You’re all I need,’ Ben said with a laugh, but I could see the tears twinkling in his eyes. I leant over and planted a kiss on his cheek and pushed my hands through his long hair. Ben responded and relaxed his head against my touch.

‘And me too. You complete me. You’re all I need, Ben. Do you understand? Nothing else matters.’

The radio was on and I could just about decipher the odd chord so I turned it up and was pleased to hear it was my favourite seasonal song by Chris Rea, ‘Driving Home for Christmas’. I turned to Ben and smiled, then sang along, accentuating words to make them count for his sake. Ben pulled his mouth into a semi-smile.

Annie was standing at the door when we pulled up. She was wearing a tinsel crown, and a green knitted jumper with a Christmas pudding on it. She must have been looking out for us. I thought how cold she must be standing at the door without a coat on and for a moment I felt something, a sort of pity for her as she stood alone waiting for her son to arrive on Christmas morning.

Ben helped me out of the car and went to the boot to collect our overnight bags and the presents we had brought for Annie.

‘Daisy, you look nice,’ Annie said absently, looking like she’d had a fit in a Christmas pound shop. I noticed her Christmas tree earrings that were flashing an offensive red light. ‘I always go a bit kitsch for Christmas, don’t I, Ben? As it’s always been just us two you see, I like to go a bit overboard. Had this jumper, what, five years now, Ben? You bought it for me, do you remember? Gosh, that was a lovely Christmas.’ Ben nodded and mumbled something I couldn’t quite catch. ‘Right who’s for a drink? I have eggnog.’ Annie attempted an American accent as we followed her into the house. Ben dumped the bags and closed the heavy front door. The sound loudly echoed through the bare hallway. I swung around, startled by the noise and noted how Ben had finally cracked a smile at his mother’s absurdity. I had to admit that Annie’s seasonal mood was quite infectious and the smell from the roasting turkey and the prospect of a Christmas alcoholic beverage, albeit a small one, made me feel cosy and warm inside.