‘How long are you going to be? I’m off out in half an hour.’

‘Not long, dear. Where are the girls taking you tonight?’

George smiled as he said ‘girls’, and pictured a crowd of big fat till girls drunk on Pernod and black, their raucous laughter escaping from heavily lipsticked mouths.

He stared straight into Elaine’s face as she spoke and was grudgingly impressed with the way she lied so convincingly.

‘Oh, I don’t know yet, we don’t decide till we get to the pub, bingo probably.’

She smiled back at him.

‘I’ve run the bath for you anyway. Why don’t you jump in it quickly? I won’t be long now.’

Elaine hesitated for a few seconds and then slipping off her dressing gown dropped her eyes from his and put a foot gingerly into the water. She slowly climbed in and then relaxed gratefully into the hot steamy water. Her red hair was piled up on her head and George watched with morbid fascination as she closed her eyes and breathed regularly and deeply.

She looked dead.

She looked happy, dead.

Her breasts were rising and falling with each breath and the nipples had hardened at the sudden cold then heat. They were pointing up at the ceiling, big rosy tips that George suddenly longed to touch. The milky white skin that was once her best feature was jutting from the water in different places. Her pubic hair, that vivid red hair that had once driven him wild, was sparser now but still more luxuriant than most women’s. He had seen a naked and relaxed Elaine many times since the New Year. He guessed that it was the man she was seeing who had given her a new lease of life.

George quite liked him, he thought. For making her happy. He could not make her happy.

‘Are you staring at me again?’

The voice that could crack glass was back.

‘I was just thinking how you would look on the beach in Spain, dear. You’re looking ever so well, you know.’

Elaine squinted at him. Whenever George paid her a compliment she was never sure if he was really laughing at her.

George sat back on the toilet seat and grinned at her. ‘Not long now until your hols. I bet you’re looking forward to them? I know I would be if I was you.’

‘Yes, I’m looking forward to them, George. What will you do while I’m away?’

By the tone of the question, George knew it had not occurred to her before and he grinned again.

‘I thought I might arrange a little surprise for your homecoming.’

Elaine sat up in astonishment, causing the water to overflow on to the carpet.

‘What kind of surprise?’ Her voice was suspicious.

‘Now if I told you that it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?’

‘Oh, George! Tell me!’

He laughed good-naturedly.

‘No! Wait and see. I think you deserve a surprise, Elaine. A nice surprise.’