Elaine watched him sceptically. She hated his long silences. He parked the car outside their house and smiled at her.

‘I was just thinking how lucky I am to have a wife like you.’

Elaine leant back in the car seat to get a better look at him. ‘Really, George?’

‘Really. You’ve been a good wife, Elaine.’

‘Oh. Well, thanks.’

They got out of the car and George noted that she did not return the compliment.

Elaine walked up the garden path and he followed her. As she opened the front door the phone began to ring and she rushed to answer it.

George slipped off his Burberry and hung it up in the hall cupboard.

‘It’s your sister Edith from America!’

George took the phone.

‘Hello, Edith!’ There was genuine affection in his voice. He had always been close to her. Both had taken the brunt of their mother’s tongue and had a natural affinity.

‘Hello, Georgie. I just had to ring you - Merry Christmas!’

‘And to you, dear, and Joss. How are the children?’

Elaine smiled at George’s happiness. God knew the man had little enough from his family, and she had always liked Edith herself. She had the same manner as George, a sad kind of demeanour that on a woman was attractive while on a man like George it was annoying. Elaine went into the kitchen and made two Irish coffees. What the hell? It was Christmas. When George had finished on the phone he came in to her, beaming.

‘She sends you her love and wants us to go over and stay with them.’

Edith asked them over every year. Elaine bit her lip for a second, her round face thoughtful.

‘Let’s go over next year, shall we, George? We could easily afford it, and you and Edith have always been close. It would be a great holiday for us.’

George caught her excitement. ‘Yes, let’s. Oh, Elaine, let’s.’ He looked into her eager face and almost loved her.

‘Right then, George, I’ll see to it after the holidays! Now, I’m going in to watch the film. Are you coming?’

‘In a little while, my love. I’ll drink my coffee out here, I think, make some plans.’

‘Okey doke.’ She left the kitchen, beaming.

George sat at the white Formica table and smiled. Then he remembered the redundancy. He clenched his fists. Elaine still did not know that he was going to lose his job. The redundancy money would be quite a bit but that was not the same as having a wage coming in.

He brightened. He could take the redundancy money and put it in a separate account! Then he felt discouraged again. Where could he go all day? No, Elaine would find out. She always found out. There was nothing for it but to tell her the truth.