‘Nope.’ Actually, now I thought about it, Dad didn’t have any friends. Certainly none he mentioned. He didn’t call or text anyone or meet people for a drink. It struck me that maybe he was as lonely as me. Poor Dad, we’d had more in common than I’d realised. I’d had my Xbox and he’d had his whisky. What a sad pair we’d been. I looked across at Maggie and she smiled warmly back at me. Meeting Maggie had changed things. Dad needed a friend like Maggie.

‘Exam results end of August is it?’ Maggie asked.

‘Yeah. Third week of August.’

‘Well, try to forget about them until then. You’ve worked hard and you can’t do anything about them now.’

‘But what if I’ve ballsed it right up?’ I kept my eye on Dad as he turned a corner up ahead.

‘Well, I doubt that you have, but you cross that bridge when you come to it.’

I knew she was right but it didn’t stop it messing with my head. ‘I think I might get a job just for the summer like.’

‘Great idea. Doing what?’

Maggie had a knack of chucking spanners in. What sort of job could I do? Too young for bar work and not qualified for anything else. ‘I dunno.’

‘I could ask Savage if he needs a hand. If you’re interested.’

‘Ye-ah, that’d be awesome.’

‘No guarantees and he’s a tight old bugger who won’t pay much but I know he had to hire in last year and he wasn’t that impressed with them.’

‘Will you do me a reference?’ I took my eyes off Dad to look at her. Her face was warm and full of pride.

‘It’d be my pleasure.’ She patted me affectionately on the back. It let me know she cared and I’d missed that. We’d reached the corner where Dad had turned right. I slowed and we both looked down the road. It was completely empty apart from a few parked cars – but no sign of Dad.

‘Where’d he go?’ I said as I looked up and down the street like a crazy person. He’d vanished.

‘He’s either turned off further up or he’s gone inside one of these houses,’ said Maggie calmly. She leaned against the lamppost.

The next road was too far ahead for him to have made it that far. ‘Why would he go inside?’ So many questions were running through my mind. Did he have a girlfriend? I was disgusted at the thought of it. Or a drinking buddy? Or maybe it was a new friend from Alcoholics Anonymous. If it was a friend then why sneak about?

‘I suggest we wait and see if he comes out.’ She checked her watch and I leaned against the lamppost too.

‘Thanks for coming with me,’ I said.