Catriona turns the key and opens the door to her new flat. To her new life. She’s just driven down from London and was hoping to get here in the light, but she was late leaving, and then Grace had a little accident, so she had to change all her clothes, by which time Catriona was so stressed that she needed to sit in the car and try to calm herself down for half an hour. Now she’s finally here, but it’s dark, and everything looks really different to how she imagined it would be. She’s not sure she can do this.

Online, the flat looked so bright and airy, so welcoming and fresh. But right now, it all feels strange and wrong, the overhead lights casting a too-bright yellow glow edged with deep shadows. It smells of paint and the air inside feels damp. She mustn’t cry. It will all seem better after a night’s sleep – isn’t that what everyone always says?

She hadn’t realised how awkward it was going to be to manage a young child on her own while trying to move into a new place. Luckily, the flat is fully furnished, but even so, she still has to negotiate the stairs with Grace while bringing up all her stuff. She works out the best way to do it is to balance Grace on one hip while carrying a bag or case with her free hand and wedging another one under her arm. At least the weather isn’t too bad for December – dull but not raining and not too cold either. It could have been a lot worse going from the car to the flat, laden down with her possessions in the pouring rain. She should try to count her blessings.

Grace is snoozy after the car journey, so she’s resting her head on Catriona’s shoulders, her thumb firmly planted in her mouth. After several tricky trips up and down the stairs, carting up the essentials like bedding and food, Catriona decides to call it a day. She’ll bring the rest of her gear up tomorrow. It should all be okay left overnight in the boot. There’s nothing of worth in there anyway. Just some clothes and knick-knacks.

Once Grace is ensconced on the grey sofa with a bag of apple rice cakes and a beaker of water, Catriona goes into their bedroom. She could only afford a one-bedroom flat, so Grace will be sleeping in with her, but that’s okay. She prefers it that way. At least the beds look decent – two singles with brand new mattresses, still in their plastic. After manoeuvring the mattresses out of their packaging, she makes up both beds with her own duvets and pillows.