‘I feel like I’m letting everyone down,’ Penny continued, the thought just occurring to her in the space Christina’s silence had made. ‘I rely on my sister too much, and don’t support my uncle enough – he’s basically my dad, because dad left. Mum died. And I’ve been sleeping around a bit. Not sleeping around – god, this isn’t nineteen-fifty – but maybe I’ve been farming my self-worth out to men, like they might make me feel like it all makes more sense, or something. I don’t know. My friend Francesco said I was hurting people. He said he loved me, but then he said he changed his mind because he couldn’t love somebody who hurt people. Do I sound like a sociopath? Wait. Is sociopath the one who manipulates people? Maybe I mean psychopath? Narcissist?’

More silence.

‘Penny,’ said Christina, after a beat. ‘Can I ask you one question? You don’t have to answer it now. It can be your homework, in fact, if you think you’d like to continue with these sessions.’

Penny wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue – they hadn’t really done anything. Penny had basically come and recited a monologue for forty-five minutes and paid thirty pounds for the privilege. She could have done that on a voice note.

‘Okay,’ Penny said, uncertainly. ‘What’s the question?’

‘My question is this,’ said Christina. ‘What is it that you want?’

Penny blinked. What was it that she wanted?

‘Well,’ she said. ‘I want to be happy, obviously. That’s why I’m here.’

Christina smiled.

‘Take some time. Maybe go for a walk, or for a coffee on your own. Sit with your feelings. And ask yourself: what is it that I want? Because I suspect you already know the answer, and that really, you’re here for permission to want it. Most people are. But that’s okay. We can work on that together. First – just spend some time with the question, okay?’

Penny nodded. ‘Okay.’

Penny exited the townhouse and blinked in the morning sun. The showers from earlier had cleared, and her first instinct was to pull out her phone to record a Personal Podcast for her sister, but then she thought better of it.

Go for a walk, or for a coffee.

Penny texted Manuela and asked if she’d be okay setting up for service without her. It was a Tuesday, and it was still only 9.30 a.m. Manuela texted back right away, saying: no problem. Penny put some more money in the parking meter and looked around. She didn’t know this part of town very well, so it was a case of picking a direction and following her nose. She looked across the road at a tree-lined avenue that seemed to have signs of life at the other end. She walked.